Not much new on the home front when it comes to Nigel’s recovery. He had another appointment on Monday. The surgeon, quite frankly, is beginning to worry me. Maybe he’s just thinking out loud, but he’s confused about the images he sees on the x-rays. He did say the fracture is healing, but where the other bone growth is supposed to be occurring is “mossy.” Mossy? What the heck does that mean in layman’s terms? He’s still concerned about the way Nigel walks. He said if Nigel doesn’t correct that, he’ll either end up with a limp or he’ll need a second surgery on that hip. Nigel says…limp is fine. Marsha says…nope, another surgery is what we’ll do. But, then, the surgeon said he thought he’d see lots of improvement next month. In all fairness, Nigel did lose an entire month of strengthening his muscles when the surgeon initially thought there might be a problem with a fracture (which there was). So, what is going to be his fourth month in physical therapy will actually be his third month of true physical therapy. When we talked to the therapist the next day, he said he was going to increase Nigel’s appointments to an hour and really push on the strengthening of the outer muscles and glutes. The problem has been that his inner thigh muscles have been strengthened because of the way he was walking so now he has to almost overcorrect with the outer muscles. Yours truly is overseeing some of that…but, I am definitely exhausted with this whole thing. My biggest fear is that that “mossy” area is just the vascular necrosis coming back. I didn’t think of that until after the appointment. And, I know that’s so much more than you ever wanted to know!
November is a good month, right? We have Thanksgiving here in the States, and then the holiday rush begins. Hahaha!!! Who am I kidding? It’s already begun. I think the stores were bringing out the Christmas stuff back in August in dribs and drabs. All Saints Day is on November 1st. Guy Fawkes Day is on November 4th. I know Penny has written about this celebration in the UK. You can read more about the “days” of November here.
Without further ado…
Buying Halloween candy at a discount is always fun. I’ve been watching my carbs so I didn’t do any of that this year. Nigel certainly doesn’t need any, and the grands don’t come around much anymore, either. I did have to go in the grocery store on Halloween for some reason, and most of the good candy was already gone anyway.
At our house up north, we had three very beautiful burning bushes. For those of you unfamiliar with them, they look like plain old green bushes for most of the year. But, come the fall, the leaves turn a brilliant red and they just blaze away. Luckily, the leaves are small and stick around for a bit longer than tree leaves do. We didn’t have any at our last house, but we have four here on the hump. They are blazing still. I love to just look at them…it’s a bit bittersweet because they do remind me of the ones at our house up north (no longer there…the new owners tore them out).
I actually detest Daylight Savings Time. But, I don’t mind it as much in the fall when the time “falls” back. I like the days to get darker earlier. I realize that’s because I don’t have to be anywhere usually. So, I love eating in our dining room with the chandelier blazing. I love the cuddly, hygge feeling these early nights give me.
November usually calls for extra layers on the bed, too. I do love to snuggle down under lots and lots of layers. I also pull out my flannel pajamas. Last year, I bought a pair of velour pajamas at Kohls, and let me tell you, they are the bees’ knees! The pants look almost like a circus tent (the stripes…not the size), and the top has a kangaroo pocket as well as a hood.
While I really don’t like seeing my poor back porch rather naked, I do enjoy getting it cleaned up and ready for winter. I’m on my own this year as Nigel can’t lift anything. I will need to ask my boys to come over and move a couple of things into the garage. I have a large Kimberley fern I want to try to winter over in the garage. I could probably carry it, but I’m afraid I’ll stumble over our uneven yard and drop it. I wouldn’t mind as much about the plant, but the planter is a very nice ceramic one.
Hosting my family for Thanksgiving is definitely one of the best things about November. A few years ago, we started ordering a smoked turkey from a local restaurant. My oldest doesn’t really like turkey, but he’ll eat enough of it to make his mom happy. He contents himself with the sides and desserts. By ordering the turkey, I don’t have to worry about using up oven space, having a dry or undercooked turkey, and it’s just delicious! I do need to coordinate who’s bringing what yet.
For the last several years, we have gone to Winterlights at Newfields. We did miss it the year Nigel broke his ankle. The kids all went and said they would have pushed him in a wheelchair. We didn’t have one then. We are going this year, and we do have a wheelchair. I just have to get some foam rubber so the ride is a little easier on him. Winterlights is just magical with the lights, the music, and the family being together. I think they add something new every year. I’m so excited to see it again this year. It’s become a true holiday tradition for us.
Black Friday shopping is one of my favorite things to do. I’ve gone almost every year since I was a young mom. My mom would pick us (me and the kids) up, we’d meet my oldest sister and her kids at the northern mall in Fort Wayne, then head to the southern mall. Of course, we were pushing strollers then, too! I don’t think there were the crazy sales we have these days, but it was just a fun thing for all of us to do. My daughter and I continued to do it when Mom passed. After she got married, I talked my oldest sister into going once or twice. I went with a friend once, and coerced Nigel a couple of times. I rarely buy anything. It’s more a people watching thing as well as a tradition.
Can you believe I’ve made it all the way to number nine without mentioning what I like to eat? That’s because the only thing that is special about what I eat in November is what I eat on Thanksgiving. I am ok with the turkey and trimmings. Want to know something funny? I can’t make gravy. Honest. The last time I made gravy, even the dog wouldn’t eat it. That’s no joke! We had a chow chow, and he turned his nose up at it. So, we rarely have mashed potatoes and gravy. Nobody but me likes dressing so I don’t even make that. Dressing is a lot like stuffing only you bake it outside the turkey rather than in it. My absolute favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving? Well, it’s a tossup between pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting (I’m pretty good at that) or blueberry/cherry delight. This is my Aunt Lou’s recipe. For years, I thought it was lost to the ages, but I was going through my recipe cards several years ago, when I found her handwritten recipe. It always reminds me of her when I follow that recipe. It’s still so weird to think, with the exception of my dad’s youngest sister, my siblings and I are the oldest generation of our family. It seems like we should still all be going to my mom’s for every holiday. Let me know if you want the recipe…it’s really easy.
Hmmm…what else do I like to eat in November? I think that might be soup. I do love a good soup. Nigel is a bit of a pain about soups because he’s not a fan of creamy soups like potato soup or gnocchi soup. But, a good old fashioned, from scratch vegetable soup is so good on a chilly (or not so chilly) night when it’s already dark out, and the chandelier is blazing!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I thought this was going to be difficult. But once I got going, I had no difficulty coming up with ten. I probably could have gone on and done even more. November can also be one of those months where people are hurting so make sure you check on your people…near and far, close and not so close. So, can we talk? What kinds of traditions do you have for the month of November? Are there certain plants, bushes, or trees that remind you of places and times? What is your favorite food to eat in November? Please leave a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.
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And, now, it’s your turn!
Please link up your favorite 10 on the 10th posts as well as baking, cooking, decorating, fashion, DIY! If there’s a category I’ve left out and it’s family friendly, please feel free to include it! Please do visit some of the links! If you don’t have a blog, here is your chance to find a new one! You can also drop all or some of your answers in the comments!
“I like the days to get darker earlier.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Whenever I say that, I get either strange looks in person or strange comments online or what happened to me just the other day, people misunderstand me completely because they can’t imagine anyone saying that. When I corrected what that friend thought I had said, I just got an “Oh, okay” back. Why is it so difficult to understand that darkness can evoke a cozy feeling in some people, lol?
One of my friends told me every year that I do have to love DST in summer. Uhm, what? She has finally given up on me and I’m happy about that 😉
Cat
https://catswire.blogspot.com/
Hahaha!! I do love the earlier dark days. There’s just something about having the lights on and feeling cozy and content. My friends already know I’m different so they don’t even try to talk me out of it! Almost everyone I know dislikes DST, but they really dislike it in the fall which is the only time I do like it!
Thanks, Cat!
November is a bit dull and dreary here in the UK, we’ve had the fireworks and bonfires for Guy Fawkes. We have a couple of family birthdays and a big wedding anniversary for my parents this year. I do enjoy homemade soup, I have a general vegetable one ready most of the year as it is a good lunch filler.
I love your Christmas bedroom setting Marsha, very cosy and jolly.
Thank you so much, Rosie! I started decorating my bedroom at our last house. That bedroom was quite a bit bigger so I had to downsize what I used to do in the bedroom. It’s very cozy with the lights on the garland at night. I love vegetable soup. We had some just last week. I’m going to have to search out some new recipes. Happy Anniversary to your parents!
That Winterlights event looks amazing! The trail we hiked last week had a whole huge section lined on both sides of the path with those burning bushes and each year when I see them in the late fall I think we really should add some to our yard somewhere as well since they are so pretty. I am so sorry to hear Nigel is still struggling with his recovery; I truly hope his added physical therapy will make a difference!
Thanks, Joanne! I’m hoping this month is a big turn around for him. I’m truly exhausted. I really do love burning bushes. Now, I wish we’d just planted those on the hump so we’d have ended up with something like the picture in my post. Winterlights is beautiful…I think, last year, they had over 2,000,000 lights. They start in September, I think, stringing the lights on the trees. They are intricately woven on the trees.
first off I never thought to decorate my bedroom. You have given me some ideas. I used to black Friday shop but I realized at least in my area that the price would 50 bucks today then they market it up to 80 a few days before black Friday then they say oh you save 30 bucks by getting the deal on Black Friday. I was like that’s not a deal if it was originally 50 so I stopped going but I did like being out in the atmosphere.
You should definitely decorate your bedroom! At our last house, I was able to do much more because it was bigger. I really like having the garland on the bed lit up at night. It’s just a cheap garland with Christmas picks poked in here and there. Then, I wound lights and garlands around it. You’re so right about the prices on Black Friday, or they have only 1 or 2 of the really big deal so you have no chance of actually getting it. It’s the tradition I enjoy these days.
Thanks, Kita, for commenting and linking up!
Pingback:10 things i like to do or eat in November - Kita Bryant
Thanks so much for the prompt!! I enjoyed your answers. I LOVE dressing and would probably make it EVEN if I was the only one who would eat it haha
I have only made dressing one or two times. My mom’s was the best, and I could never top that. And, I would probably eat it all, too, which is not a good thing.
Thanks, Lisa, for playing along and linking up!
I’m with you on the soups, even here in arizona.
It’s nice when we go over the good things we like about each month.!!
Xoxo
Jodie
Thanks, Jodie! Soup is just such a comfort food, isn’t it? We actually eat a fair amount of soups in the summer, too. But, then we also have the AC on!
I’m sorry that there are still uncertainties and extra hurdles with Nigel’s recovery. Definitely praying that it goes smoothly from now on – no limp and no second surgery needed either! Your holiday decorated bed looks so cozy and hygge – I love it! I love almost all soups, but my husband isn’t a big fan, so soup is not a meal all that often. That is slowly changing now that it’s just the two of us and we are trying to eat healthier. Oh, and my husband makes much better turkey gravy than I do, so that is usually his job whenever we have a turkey dinner, except that we most often deep fry the turkey which means no drippings! This year we are going to try smoking our own turkey!
Thanks, Kym! I greatly appreciate the prayers. I started decorating my bed a few years ago and was so happy with the results. It’s just cheap garland with lots of lights and those inexpensive picks you can get at Michaels. The lights make such a difference. It just kinda took off from there!
My husband isn’t a fan of soup, either. But, for some weird reason, he doesn’t consider chili a soup. He does often have to have a grilled cheese with it so I’m fine with that! Your husband smokes lots of meat, doesn’t he?
I also cannot make gravy to save my life…and it makes having a turkey less than thrilling because I love pouring gravy all over the turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing. I often have ham and scalloped potatoes for Thanksgiving, then a turkey breast for Christmas. I eat a bit of turkey with the traditional sides but find it really comes into its own when I make it into sandwiches afterwards!
Oh, I don’t feel so bad then, Sally! My mom always made it look so easy, and her gravy was oh so delicious! She would make what she called swiss steak. It was, basically, a pot roast but had tomatoes and other goodies in it. Then, she’d thicken the juices and make the tastiest gravy. We’d have it for supper over white bread! I haven’t thought about that in years! We rarely have much turkey left over as my kids like the smoked turkey. I always try to save enough for Mike to eat on for a couple of days as I’m good with having it for Thanksgiving. It’s the sides I like the most!
Thanks, Sally, and I promise I will get caught up on your posts!
I am so sorry Nigel continues to struggle after this surgery. My goodness. And that because of his struggles, you are still caught up in worry and doctor appointments and more worry. I don’t much like the sound of ‘mossy,’ either. The doctor needs to explain that term, what he is seeing that makes him say mossy. Heaven forbid it is the vascular necrosis. I would think the doctor needs to get to the bottom of the mossiness ASAP.
I am dragging my broken foot so can relate to Nigel walking with a limp. But I am getting stronger every day and PC is in charge, bless his heart, of reminding me to walk straight!!
Your Christmas-cozy bedroom is Better Homes & Gardens worthy. I would like to do something like that. Have always daydreamed of having Christmas bedspreads on our bed and the guest beds. I decorate the rest of the house, but never think of taking things into the bedrooms!!
Try that soup. We have been enjoying a knock-off Olive Garden gnocchi. Ha! I spelled it right!!
Aww, thanks, Leslie! I wish there was a way I could communicate with the doctor without Mike knowing because I certainly don’t want to put that thought in his head. I think the “mossy” word just went right over his head. I have been nagging him and nagging him to do this and do that. Today, he told me he wasn’t one of my fourth graders. But, I’m going to keep nagging him!
Oh, let me tell you the secret of the decorating my bedroom. I just took two cheap garlands from Michaels or Joanns. I then twist them around the headboard, stick different picks in all around, wrap that red beaded garland and white lights around and around, and that’s about it. I do use black pipe cleaners to attach it to the headboard which is dark metal. Then, I’ve collected Christmas things over the years and put them here and there. The lanterns are from IKEA and are there all the time. My bedroom at the last house was even better because it was bigger so I could put a bigger tree in there! I also had a table at the end of the bed that had this wooden box where I displayed lots of Christmas memorabilia. While I’d love a Christmas bedspread, I’ve found using a plain colored (mine is white) quilt with Christmas pillows is much cheaper! I also make little slipcovers for my pillows out of Christmas fabric. Just pick a color scheme and run with it, my friend! You can do it because you are far more creative than I am!
Marsha you and I are opposites. I love daylight savings time. I work in the carpet cleaning business, and it’s impossible to book jobs later in the evening when it gets dark early. For whatever reason, when the sun goes down, so does my opportunity to clean for people. I do love the cold weather and the hot chocolate that comes along with that.
Tiffany, you definitely have a reason to like DST. That’s strange that people wouldn’t want their carpets cleaned after it gets dark. When I want mine clean, I want them clean and go with the cleaner’s schedule! Cold weather and hot chocolate definitely go together!
Thanks for coming by, Tiffany!