Veterans Day

Many thanks goes to the hundreds upon hundreds of veterans who have fought and are still fighting for democracy.

We owe them all a debt that can never be paid.

Democracy is not guaranteed to continue anywhere or at any time.

We have to fight to keep it and that's what veterans have done. 

Veterans who have served in all of the military branches are brave souls.

They had to self-sacrifice and fight for freedom in the United States and secure it.

Many soldiers have come home wounded, including my own late father, Joe, who is shown in the photo at the top of this post.

He fought in the U.S. Army Infantry overseas during World War 11 and was shot. Thankfully, he recovered and lived.

He never liked to talk about the war and rarely did.  It must have been way too painful for him, for he was a deeply sensitive man with a tender heart.  (God bless you, Daddy.)

Some, who never came home from wars on foreign soil, gave the ultimate sacrifice---their lives.

So on this Veterans Day, please take a few minutes of your life to remember those who paid the price (and are still paying) for your precious and treasured freedom!

Salad to the Rescue

Sometimes the thought of cooking something to eat for supper is totally unappealing.

These are obviously the nights there was no advanced planning.

One solution is to stick with a nice salad.

There are even salad kits that mave many ingredients plus dressing.

One the other night had sesame dressoing and all kinds of crunchy additions.

With an addition of canned chickpeas, it was tasty and quite healthy. 

It fit the bill of not wanting to cook!

DO YOU PLAN MEALS IN ADVANCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK?

A Precious Remembrance

The colorful tin Blessed Mother of Guadalupe shown in this post brings back memories of another time and place.

A former dear friend gifted her to me many years ago.

So much time has passed since we were friends. Sadly, I lost contact of that dear soul of a friend when she moved to Mexico and our family moved back to the east from the southwest.

Now I live thousands of miles away but never lost track of the special Blessed Mother of Guadalupe.

She traveled home with us from the southwest. 

I see her daily on the wall above the kitchen sink!

It makes me think of my friend, Helen, and hold her close to my heart. 

HAVE YOU LOST SOME FRIENDS ALONG LIFE'S PATH?

Loving Books Forever

Used book sales bring as much happiness to some hearts as thrift store treasure-hunting does.

What could possibly be better than buying wonderful books for a dollar or less?

Friends of a library that is not too far from the apartment recently had a fabulous book sale.

They hold the sales three times a year, in spring, summer, and fall.

Hundreds of people always show up and a lot of money is raised for the library.  

Shown in this blog post are books snapped up on my end.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul books will be read to a dear, elderly aunt, one night each week for a couple of hours via telephone.

Now we have three new ones to tackle, including one perfect for the upcoming Christmas season.

DO YOU ENJOY GOING TO LIBRARY BOOK SALES WHERE YOU LIVE? WHAT KIND OF BOOKS DO YOU LOVE BEST?

Saving the Best Til Last

Childhood hobbies can become grown-up obsessions.

Such was a case pertaining to dolls.

As a child, playing with dolls brought untold amounts of utter joy.

My father built a playhouse, the back wall of which was one side of the backyard garage.

That playhouse became filled with a rag tag collection of no less than 30 doll babies in all kinds of conditions.

Each one said a prayer at night, too, so nighttime rituals were nothing quick.

Even as an adult, a very large doll collection moved cross country with us and back to the east when we returned.

Then, when my spouse died, everything in my life changed radically.

The house had to be sold, plus hundreds of items in it, many of which were  beloved dolls.

There simply was not enough room in a tiny apartment for a large doll collection.  

Letting go of each doll was terribly difficult but it had to be done. 

Still, I kept a few very precious ones.

The doll seen in today's post was given to me several years ago by a sister, Barb.  

The doll baby is adorable with a mass of brown curls, a beautiful all pink outfit, including pink shoes, and lots of white lace against a pink dress.  

She even has a big pink bow in her hair.

Right now, she's sitting on the couch, looking as adorable and sweet as possible.

I'm glad she is one of the dolls who stayed.

 Guess it is a case of saving the best til last.