Almost Christmas in Virginia

The days are getting a bit colder but it's still a wondrous blue sky when we wake up in the morning. Deer flit around our back yard and the birds dive for seed and the squirrels try to get what the birds miss. All in all, we can feel Winter approaching but we are in denial. Here in Virginia, the snows, storms, pouring rain and cold have been in pause mode, for which we are thankful. We know it's coming, and we can wait. Today, my husband blew leaves (again) off the drive and watched them skip across the neighbors yard behind him as quickly as he made their sisters disappear. Sigh. He is definitely filled with a leaf fetish... maybe the snow covering them will be a rest plan in disguise.

This past couple of weeks, I have not worked on the Silvan or Ruiz genealogy. Instead, I have focused on family in the present day and the worries that plague us. My dad is still very ill and dialysis seems to have taken a foothold in his health. My children are happy. The grandchildren --- mostly --- are in a good place. We worry terribly about 2 of them, but life is so fragile sometimes and teenagers have another reality. We continue to think positive!

I bought Rick Steve's SPAIN 2012 book and have been devouring each page --- waiting for my trip in June. My Spanish is slow coming but maybe when I arrive there, a miracle will happen and I will converse and understand? I love miracles and expect some always.

For now, I concentrate on friends this week -- to share Christmas and Hannakah with. It is a wonderful experience to be part of the Christian and Jewish experiences and as the wonder of December unfolds before us, I smile. It is a good thing.