Thinking about fruitcakes this time of year? Some of the best comes from a small monastery in Missouri. Assumption Abbey Fruit Cakes are a dark, rich traditional style of a fruit cake. Made by Trappist Monks in a small monastery in Ava, Missouri, who oversee all stages of production. This rich, dark and spicy fruitcake is spiked with burgundy wine and rum & studded with English walnuts, pecans, pineapple, cherries, raisins, currants, South American citron with orange & lemon

Sitting here watching the fireplace and trying to warm up on these chilling days. I am amazed that it is the last day of November 2025 already. I can barely believe that tomorrow December will finally arrive – one last month to get through in this crazy year. I’ve been allowing myself to at least think about the coming year, what I would like to do and what I would like to accomplish, along with what isn’t going to happen (more travel or not) and how I'm going to manage that.

Several weeks ago I was in Springfield, MO when I decided to treat myself with a Golden Corral Senior Lunch Buffet. As I approached the cashier line, a couple behind me told the cashier to ring up two buffets and also include include mine on their ticket. I replied to them that they didn't need to do that but Thank You! The woman replied they thought I looked like I need a smile today! I admitted I was dragging today with my back pain and the grindstone chores. I would gla

Each cool autumn is contrasted by the transformation from lush green to fiery hues of red, orange, and yellow. Yet, after the big show, many of us are left with a sea of leaves to rake, bag, and dispose of. So, I always say, "Why not leave them where they are?" Be-leaf it or not, leaf litter is actually a healthy part of a functioning ecosystem! It takes trees a lot of work to create leaves throughout the summer, and they end up storing 50-80% of the nutrients a plant gathers

Oh, heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry. We thank thee for health and remember the sick. We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless. We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service, that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen. Nana

I was thinking about Thanksgiving and started to wonder: Why is Thanksgiving always on the fourth Thursday of November? It seems Thursday is a strange day for a holiday. Yes, some companies give their employees the Friday after Thanksgiving off, but many don’t, which means Americans across the country are lugging their turkey-filled bodies back to work after inhaling every piece of food in sight the day before. Research shows a popular publisher even wrote to President Herbe

I've found "Life" to be quite awesome. Today I am going to enjoy & be Thankful for the 68 years God has given me. I was a nerd before it had any cachet at all--I had my nose in an encyclopedia from the time I could read. You can imagine my excitement with Mobile Telephones today, they are computers at your fingertips! My favorite past-time as an early teen was setting a budget and designing a plan for home and office enterprises. Accounting principles before I understood them

Monday is here! Who doesn't like Mondays? It's still a great day of the week. Monday & the rest of the week will pass and the weekend will be coming soon! Isn't it great? Monday is something like the hope which reminds you about such a desirable break. You have another full week to get it right from last week! It is an appropriate time for you to buck up and enjoy the week! This week is Thanksgiving... And... Tomorrow is "MY BIRTHDAY!!!" I've got a bit of baking to do, cloth

Today reminds me: Mark 11:23 is a powerful verse about faith and confession that believers claim and use around the world. But the principle in this verse works in both a positive and negative sense — or to put it another way, this principle works both in the realm of God and in the realm of the devil. The word “doubt” is from the Greek word diakrinomai, which means to hesitate, to waver, to doubt, or to differ . In context, Jesus said that when a person’s heart doesn’t dif

Most people my age and older remember this day. In fact most people have it etched into their memory what they were doing on this particular day in 1963. You see shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. I myself was watching television with my mother as Jack Lalane, the national exercise & health guru taught exercise aimed principally at homemakers, using item

I am so thankful for the big and small things! I'm still in hopes with enormously bountiful plans. Stretch would have been ready to go, & "Old Blue" is still full of lustrous youth but my health has not cooperated with this ole gal for a run down on "Phoenix" my big red trike to this year's Florida winter getaway. I had been hard at work getting all the strings tied to leave but my pain is still somewhat of an issue to head down on the trike. I'm hopeful that the newly presc

THANKSGIVING PUNCH FOR A CROWD SERVINGS: 32 CALORIES: This is easy and the perfect fall beverage as a delicious option for this Thanksgiving while entertaining your family and friends!  It's an amazing Thanksgiving punch!  INGREDIENTS (TO FIT A 2-GALLON DRINK DISPENSER) 2 gallons apple cider (not spiced) 12.2 ounces caramel syrup (1 bottle) 1-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice OPTIONAL: CINNAMON STICKS & SLICED APPLES INSTRUCTIONS: Pour apple cider into a drink dispenser (all bu

November 19, 1863 was the date of the immortalized speech given by our US President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. The main address at the dedication ceremony was a two-hour speech delivered by Edward Everett, the best-known orator of the time. Steeped in the tradition of ancient Greek oratory, Everett’s speech was some 13,000 words long, but he delivered it without notes. In the wake of such a performance, Lincoln’s brief speech (just 272 words long) would hardly seem to hav

The road sometimes over the years had led my family & I to Phoenix and surrounding area. We even lived in Scottsdale, AZ for eight months in 1998. The desert holds a special place for my husband and I. It was our get away dream to live in Phoenix or surrounding area. However, until we actually lived through the summer months there did we realize how hot it can be. We found out 116° days and even 105° at 1:00am was not our cup of tea. We would have to leave our home at 6am for

Have you stopped at Cadillac Ranch? I finally stopped back in 2014 after passing by there numerous times over the years. "The Cadillac Ranch is just west of Amarillo & is a famous Route 66 landmark. Built in 1974 by said to be eccentric but brilliant millionaire Stanley Marsh 3 and The Ant Farm, this line of old Cadillacs are buried nose first into the ground. The angle of the cars are also reputed to be the same as the ancient pyramids at Cheops. The Cadillacs were moved fur

An unexpected surprise entered the day. As I was perusing the Harley Davidsons Dealership in Scottsdale, AZ. a salesman walked up to greet me. We conversed for almost a half hour before I turned to leave and he handed me his card. As I read his business card l noticed his name. Of course I asked the question that begged to be asked. His response was, Yes indeed, he was related to Wyatt Earp! Wyatt was his great-great uncle. Wyatt Earp was a legendary American gambler, Pima C

I always feel most present when I write. Writing takes me to a place of flow, where time stands still and there are no minutes just thoughts to that separate the spaces of time. I've said it before, but I do this for my own history. A narrative to look back on and be so happy I've documented bits of my life journey. I'm finding more and more that when I shut off from all else while enjoying the time, solo mornings I do my best thinking and blogging. I love days on my favorite

Fall is arguably the best time of year for motorcycle riding. The air is crisp and cool. The light is stunning. The scenery is gorgeous because of the colourful foliage. While your hands and toes might get a tad cold and you can pull out the vests and warmer gear, autumn is undoubtedly still awesome for riding. However, a side effect of the cooling temperature is that dressing right is a little harder. Gone are the days of just slipping quickly into summer outfit. In autumn y

Last week the Doctor prescribed me a different medication for pain. I was horrified by some of the stories online about taking Gabapentin & Tramadol together... but so far... so good! I wake now with a hope that I finally can get some relief from this Sciatic Nerve pain. More good news is: Sunday Morning in Springfield will start with Braum's Breakfast Burrito and Coffee. Then the day can be a mad dash to church and I will waddle until I drop kind of day. However, Calgon Ta

Last year when I got the MRI done, the attendant was surprised when I said I didn't need music. I kinda have a thing about music in that it makes me irritated if I happen to not care about the tune of the song. My kids used to get aggravated with me because I didn't like the radio on if I didn't care for the song while driving. Funny thing the clunk & bang of the MRI with just straight headphones & no music reminded me of my factory days while in college. I would actually get