Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Selfgiving...

 OK, I made that last one up, but I do very much enjoy just being by myself. I am eternally grateful that I finally now not only understand and accept that, but thrive in it. I can remember glimpses as a child and feeling wholly myself when alone. I also have glimpses of when I felt incomplete when I was alone.

It is a beautiful sunny morning here in NE Indiana. I am waiting for my hair to dry a bit before going to have some breakfast. I see piles of leaves slowly settling and decomposing, waiting for next spring and summer to be spread upon the garden beds to nourish whatever life I might be able to grow there. The piles are not as big this year, but perhaps there is still time to add to them before the snow covers it all. I see a big pile of brush, again waiting for next spring, summer, and fall to be chipped and spread. No surprise that I have had the best luck with it in slowing weeds' progressions.  And I must say, that the front beds have gotten so much better at not growing as many weeds. Flowers are filling in, I've been very good this year at keeping them clean, and so perhaps that will have a snowball effect so that I can keep more of it clean.

The arborvitae are still green, it has not been cold enough yet for them to turn bronze. The fig tree dropped all of it's leaves during the last frost, and sadly, the remaining fruit did not ripen. I have half a mind to trim them off and plant them around just to see what might happen.

I'll be travelling down to the big city today to spend the day with my ex, his wife, and the kiddos. I've made a french apple pie, and I'll also take the leftover scones and lemon curd from last weekend's women's fellowship. I never got any trick or treat takers, so I've bagged up some candy to take down to share as well.

I hope this message finds you wherever you need to be today. Know that you are loved and wanted. You matter, and I am thankful for you.

Old Business:

• Still reading Power. Yes, still helpful. Have continued to try and have my bigger meals during the early part of the day. Also trying to be better at "scheduling" home chores and fun things so that they actually get done.
• Shift is getting really good, and I don't want the story to end!
• Back onto the Trail Guide.
• Planning for Success is still a fail.
• Magazines, doing great!
• Need to actually schedule walking/running so I do it!
• Craft table needs more work.
• Guitar - I'm up to 11 weeks!!!
• Sanding booth - I cleaned up that bay of the garage last weekend so I can start working on it again. So, progress!
• I was able to cover up all the areas that I got weeded, and that used up the leaf pile from last fall. It was glorious to have so much!  And all the weeds I pulled out? Well, I've been putting them in the "trench" where the sewer line was replaced. It's now almost level again from where it had all settled.
• Had 020's birthday with 022, and my brother and sis in law.  It was wonderful! 

New Business:

• Trip Ideas: See the Savanah Bananas, Float Troy, and Hocking Hills OH.
• Have some GR notes I need to type up.
• Need to get my online schedule updated.
• Need to get more bloodwork done. My lipid panel came back better this year, dropped 60~ points and triglycerides look good. Heart scan came back great. But white blood cell count down, hemoglobin near low, iron low so we're doing a repeat next month, with some others to see what we can find. Hopefully, the draw will go better than last time. It was both arms, and a hand before she got anything to cooperate.