Year Twelve Begins

Across the Fence #575


Happy Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks for all that we’ve been blessed with. This Across the Fence column certainly falls into that category for me.

  

Thanksgiving week is the anniversary of Across the Fence. This week begins the twelfth year. I’m thankful for everyone who reads it each week. My thanks also to the newspapers that run my column. Thanks to the publishers and editors who have provided the opportunity for us to visit across the fence each week. I’m very grateful. If you like reading “Across the Fence” be sure to thank those publishers and editors for including it in their papers.  I feel that providing local columns in hometown papers is very important. I love reading the columns in the papers I receive each week.

Across the Fence deals mainly with taking you back in time to a world so many of you grew up in. I know that’s what you expect to find in my writings, but once in a while I like to throw in something about the future, or where we are today. We can’t just live in the past, although it’s always fun to take a trip back and remember. I also like to bring in observations about nature and the universe we live in. My friend, Steve says he likes my column because it’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you may get.

It’s been harder to come up with ideas lately because my mobility is restricted. I haven’t been able to wander around the woods and fields because of my balance.  I use a cane, and I’m not allowed to drive, so Linda has to chauffeur me around. My life has really changed since May, but I’m hanging in here and doing great under the circumstances. I have much to be thankful for. 

I’m always thankful for readers who prime my pump by giving me ideas and subjects to write about. Sometimes the idea well gets pretty dry. For those of you who have never had to prime a pump, that’s when you tried to pump water from a well or cistern and nothing would come out unless you poured some water into the top of the pump first.

I’m thankful for all the things we take for granted. As I sit in our sunroom, writing, I can catch the sunrise in the morning and the gorgeous sunsets in the evening. Every one is different and inspiring. The same is true of the many cloud formations. The changing colors of the clouds as the sun reflects off them is always something to see.

During the wonderful fall evenings we’ve enjoyed lately, I’ve sat on our back deck and marveled at the sky filled with stars. I watched as meteors streaked across the sky. The darkness of the country really makes the night sky stand out. The billions of stars in the Milky Way gives me an appreciation of the beauty and size of the universe. Observations of the world around us are simple pleasures we can all enjoy. I urge everyone to take the time.

Thanksgiving - 2011.

Tim carves the Turkey.

 Thanksgiving - 2012 -Amy feeds Sean.

This is the time of year when we can sit down to a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. I can smell and taste the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, spinach pinwheels, cranberries, and all the trimmings, and don't forget the pie. I love to eat, so this is a special time of year. The nice part is all the leftovers can be enjoyed for days afterwards too. We’ll be enjoying a visit and the meal at Tim and Amy's. Unlike the days when I was young, we all went to Grandpa and Grandma Hanson's for Thanksgiving. Now we are the grandparents and will go to our kids for the meal. Hopefully the weather will be great for travel. We won't be going over the river and through the woods in an open sleigh. We’ll ride in the comfort of a heated car.

As we celebrate and enjoy Thanksgiving, I'll take time to remember those Thanksgiving gatherings from my past and all the people who were a part of it. Most of them are gone now, but not forgotten.

One place you won’t find me, is out shopping on Black Friday. I will avoid the crowds and let others fight over the deals. After the big meal, I’ll probably be kicking back in a lazy boy in a turkey coma, as I wait to start round two on the leftovers. 

Erik in a Turkey Coma!

Most important of all, I’m thankful for Linda and our family; Erik, Amy, Tim, and Sean. And we can’t forget our granddog, Sweeney. They have been wonderful in all they do for me and I haven’t been very good at letting them know how much I appreciate them. I’ve really been blessed. 

When a person faces a life-altering experience, you realize what’s important. Every day is precious and you don’t want to waste any time. 

I continue to be thankful for having grown up on a farm, and now for the opportunity to live on a corner of that farm. There’s a lot  to be said for rural, small town living. 

I wish all of you a wonderful, family-oriented Thanksgiving.
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