Saturday - 260th

It is still Thanksgiving weekend and we are still making Thanksgiving connections. Today, for example, I drove to Illinois for an outdoor, distanced and masked (except when eating and then super-distanced) meetup with my younger girl, her husband, and of course Primrose.

And so my morning is rushed. Hurry up, animals! Eat! Hey Ed, you'll need to de-ice their water dish, I didn't have time to do it!

 

Breakfast... (thanks for coming down, I know you're half asleep still)

And I'm off. 

We chose the same park for our time together -- Raven Glen Forest Preserve -- because it's convenient, uncrowded, and with wide paths. And don't forget the lake to throw sticks in! Again, we are so very lucky to have radiant sunshine and relatively mild temperatures all day.

It feels good to be in this now familiar space with the three of them.

(Arrival!)

 

(Ready for an adventure)

 

 (But first a snack)

The worry evaporates, the pleasure of being together sets in.

And of course, it's grand to watch Primrose grow in confidence and maturity. (Again, I am grateful for a Zoom lens...)

(Classen treats!)

 

(A final look...)

I'm the first to complain about longer car rides (anything over 30 minutes feels long to me), but for this particular meetup, the ride is just fine. The radio is on (I'm so old fashioned), my thoughts fly to my kids and their families. And of course, the sun is out and the world looks lovely, even in November.

On the return trip, I stop at a farm that is selling Christmas trees. I always get a small tree from my Madison grocery store, but they are refusing to do curbside pickup or delivery of their trees and wreaths, so I'm happy to pick one up now, in this southern corner of Wisconsin.

 

But as I get out of the car and one of the young men approaches me to help with the selection, I can't help but feel disappointed that he is not wearing a mask. Neither are his siblings (they look like their sibs). I say no thanks and get back in the car. I want a tree I can feel happy about, from a business that cares about the safety of its shoppers. The tree purchase will have to wait until I can get to the nursery in town that does indeed do curbside pickup.

I get home in mid-afternoon. Ed has been knocking around the farmhouse. That wont do! It's a beautiful day, we need to walk! It's a challenge to find an empty space on this weekend, without hunters shooting at you, but we do find peace (and safety!) along a Nature Conservancy trail.

 

Such a beautiful day! And once again, there's a no fuss dinner (turkey leftovers!) waiting for us this evening. Thanksgiving just keeps on giving!