During the Nor’easter.
Later.
We had quite the event here on Wednesday. The snow started in mid-morning: heavy, wet, sticking to branches, power flickering off and on all day long. Thankfully, the power never went out, though it certainly did for many in the Hudson Valley. Don went out to the shed and played around with the level of the ‘shoes’ at the bottom of the snowblower. Since we have gravel on our driveway, a certain amount is going to get thrown while operating it and the idea is throw as little as possible. Even so, half-way through snowplowing, Don had to adjust them again.
For a first time effort, he did really well! The snow was so heavy and wet that it would have been very, very hard to shovel it all. Even so, there are areas around the house and the driveway that have to be shoveled. We did that yesterday and my back, which is unused to all the shoveling after nearly a year off from that nonsense, is crying out a wee bit today.
We’re so thankful for our new snowblower.
We didn’t get as much snow as predicted and since it’s early in the season, it will start to melt in the next couple of days. Good, I say!
Someone in this house loves the snow, but all of her sniffing and exploring and adventuring has her all tuckered out:
We had a lovely Thanksgiving. We had plans to dine at our friends’ house, but, in the end, decided to stay home because with all the driving, plus dinner, we would have been away from Scoutie too long and we didn’t feel comfortable with that. We also didn’t feel at all right about going there, eating, and then departing almost immediately, which is what we would have had to do. So we ended up having a spontaneous Thanksgiving – no traditional anything.
We watched part of the Macy’s parade just to see how it would look on the new television. We only made it through a small portion of it because, as always, it’s just a big PR extravaganza for NBC and the stars of their TV line-up. Way too commercial for my taste. I grew up watching the J. L. Hudson parade in Detroit that aired on Thanksgiving morning and I’m afraid I’ve never liked the Macy’s Parade. Hudson’s was simple and extravagant at the same time: lots of floats, lots of bands, culminating in the arrival of Santa Claus and Christmas Carol (who wore a lovely red and white outfit) on the steps of the downtown Hudson’s store. It was magical and for all of us and it wasn’t about celebrities.
Hudson’s, by the way, was a wonderful department store – beautiful in the way that all flagship department stores of a certain era were. It had a gorgeous main floor, wooden escalators, sumptuous fittings. Some idiot or idiots decided to tear it down many years ago. I’ve never recovered.
And, in this everything-is-the-same-everywhere-you-go age, it was taken over by….get ready for it… Macy’s.
I can’t go there. It’s too depressing.
Back to yesterday. We took time to count our blessings. We made a simple dinner which was decidedly non-Thanksgiving-like. We shoveled some snow. We played Crazy Eights – a card game that was played a lot in my home when I was a kid. I taught it to Don and we had the best time! We played for hours and laughed and laughed. We’re going to play it again today.
And we discovered that Netflix has old episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000! Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard I was crying.
Perfect end for the day.
This morning.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of the great crime writer, P.D. James. I wrote a quick post about it yesterday on Just Let Me Finish This Page. She died yesterday at the age of 94. I read all her novels, starting with An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, which was written in 1972 and featured Cordelia Gray, who surely must have been the model for a whole generation of female police detectives to come. I had always loved mysteries, and when I was a teenager the whole gothic mystery/romance genre was very big. When I discovered P.D. James, I entered a world of grown-up crime novels, with complicated characters and plots, plots that didn’t revolve around a romance, but did, in fact, revolve around a murder or two that were never prettified, and writing that was unsparing in the depiction of the pain and loss and sorrow and anger and rage that surrounds any such death.
Many years ago, when I was living in Cambridge, I went to an event where P.D. James spoke. It was held in the sanctuary of a church. Afterward, she signed a copy of her latest book for me. She was highly intelligent, charming and funny, a wonderful speaker.
Rest in Peace, P.D. James. And thank you for years and years of reading pleasure. You set the bar for all who followed you.
An appreciation of P.D. James written by Louise Penny.
Happy Friday.
We too had a quiet non-traditional Thanksgiving. We were to go to our daughter’s house in Oklahoma on Wednesday. Instead we spent part of Tuesday in our local ER and then my husband was transferred to Kansas Medical Center in Wichita. After doing a heart cath and a lung CT he was given a clean bill of health and we came home Wednesday evening. Our neighbor also ended up in the same place with kidney stones. They did out patient surgery on him and he came home Wednesday afternoon.
Our Thanksgiving dinner was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Later in the day we shared an apricot pie baked by a friend with our neighbors.
We too enjoyed our quiet non-traditional Thanksgiving and visiting with our neighbors. We have a lot to be thankful for. We will wait a few weeks then make the 3 hour drive to see our daughter and her family for a few days.
PS I am finally reading Louise Penny. I think you have talked about her in the past. I’m enjoying Still Life.
So glad you’re enjoying Louise Penny, Claudia. But even gladder that your husband is doing well! Thankful, indeed.
Staying home was probably the sensible option.
We could certainly use Don and the snowblower here this morning. Twelve inches of snow last night and the same on the way today. If only it weren’t so cold!
How thrilling to have met P.D. James. I watched “Death Comes to Pemberley” and am now reading my copy of the book. (I usually do the reverse, but I’m a huge fan of Anna Maxwell Martin.)
I’m curious as to why you were living in Cambridge. (My late father was a visiting professor at Cambridge when I was in middle school.)
Stay warm and rest your back today. :)
I suspect you think I’m referring to Cambridge, England? Cambridge, Massachusetts is where I lived while I was on the faculty of Boston University. I lived just down the street from Harvard. I absolutely loved living there!
Of course! (Smacks forehead.)
My co-worker’s daughter is studying in Boston at the moment and just loves everything about it.
As I’ve said before, a quiet celebration with loved ones is the best celebration of all.
I too grew up watching the JLHudsons parade on TV. It wasn’t untill I was in my mid twenties that I actually went downtown and saw it live. What an amazing sight watching from the steps of the Institute of Arts building !! To this day I’ve never liked any other parade except the “Hudsons” parade. There’s just no comparison.
Try not to shovel too much snow today and stay warm.
Vanessa
You’re absolutely right, Vanessa! No comparison at all. I think I also saw it live at one time, but it’s just a distant memory, so I’m not sure!
Morning, Claudia. Glad to hear you had a nice Thanksgiving [me too]. And I so agree with you about the NBC parade. Bore-ring! Not to mention, endlessly self-promoting. When I was a kid here in the northeast CBS used to air a portion of 4 different parades on Thanksgiving morning. Macy’s in New York, Gimbel’s in Philadelphia, Eaton’s in Toronto and JL Hudson’s in Detroit. TV started for me at 8 am with Captain Kangaroo, who would always end his show by setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner with Mr Green Jeans, Bunny Rabbit, Mr Moose and Grandfather Clock. I admit, even when I was in college I’d tune in to see the Captain set the table on Thanksgiving morning – it was a great childhood memory for me. Then the parades would start. Just straight coverage of whatever was going past the cameras at the time. No Broadway show numbers, and no “canned” music [as my Dad would say]. Just the real parades as they were actually going off. The only celebrity I remember was Santa. PS – to be honest, I wasn’t familiar with a single “celebrity” I saw during the very little I watched of the parade yesterday. Guess that confirms that I AM OLD! LOL – and enjoy your day.
I remember that! I watched some of that coverage as well.
And I loved Captain Kangaroo. Never missed it!
It seems like you & Don made the right decision to stay in on a snowy Thanksgiving Day. Often it is in the quiet, simple things of life that we are able to know true gratitude. I’m sorry to hear of the passing of PD James. I’ve read most of her books and especially enjoyed her Adam Dalgliesh novels.
I did, too, Debbie. She was such an important writer.
Your day sounds wonderful and I always love your trips down memory lane.
S
xo
Thanks, Sue!
How lucky you were to meet P.D. James. I have loved all of her books and was very sad to hear of her passing. I’ll be happy to let you keep all of that snow up there. xo Laura
You sure you don’t want me to ship some down to you?
I used to love Hudson’s too – can never find anything at Macy’s. There is still a parade in Detroit along Woodward and it’s not too commercial beyond the float sponsors – still lots of bands and Santa too. We either go or watch it on TV as an alternative to Macy’s.
I’m glad to hear there’s still a parade, Vicki – what do they call it now?
America’s Thanksgiving Parade – I think it is televised in other markets, but I’m not sure here exactly.
Claudia, Your pictures are great. Love the sky one thru the trees. Happy you did not lose your power. I did have a good day with my family….but was tired when it was over. Blessings to you, xoxo,Susie
Very happy we didn’t lose power, Susie! Rest up now.
What lovely photos of the snow! It sounds as if the Thanksgiving of 2014 will go down in the history books as one of the best. How perfect it all sounds to have turned out, despite not being planned for. What happy memories were brought to mind at the mention of Captain Kangaroo!
Gosh, I loved that show! I wanted a Bunny Rabbit hand puppet, but alas, I never got one!
As soon as I read the news about P.D, James, I wondered if you had met her. Which of her books did she sign for you? I would have loved to hear her speak. I read she was working on a new book. Wonder if it will be finished by a ghost writer.
I’m glad you, Don and Scout had a nice Thanksgiving. Isn’t it always best when it’s relaxed?
Be careful if you must go out today.
Hugs,
Deb
I can’t remember which book and it’s in the shed, if I can find it. You can imagine that I’m thinking of that book right now!
Love, love, love that picture of Scout. What a doll. I am happy that you were with her on Thanksgiving. My border collie loved the snow, as well. He would listen for mice, with that head-tilt, ears forward, and then pounce. Listen, pounce, repeat. Never caught anything, thank goodness.
Your photographs of the snow and winter sky are so pretty. I can almost smell that fresh, clean, winter air when I look at them. Of course, all I have to do is open the door for that same air; we have snow on the ground, as well.
I wonder if P.D. James saw the recent adaptation of “Death Comes to Pemberley.” If so, I hope that she was happy with it.
Thanks for another lovely post, Claudia.
It aired in England before it aired here, so I imagine she saw it. Hope she liked it, as well!
Our hometown Department store was Daytons’s. For me, and many others of my generation and earlier, it was a real experience to shop at their flagship store. A close friend of mine grew up in Detroit like you and has fond memories of Hudson’s and says that Daytons and Hudsons were comparable. Today, all the Dayton stores are Macy’s and they cannot hold a candle to Dayton’s. A bygone era!
It was sad to hear of the death of PD James. She was an inspiration. Both because of talent and because she wrote late in her life. Great writing is great writing, whatever the genre.
Wasn’t it Dayton’s – Hudson’s and then, eventually Dayton-Hudson’s? Or am I remembering that wrong? At any event, they are both Macy’s now. Not a fan of Macy’s.
Sounds like you had a pretty wonderful Thanksgiving! Me, too. Although ours was more traditional…it’s wonderful to gather with family and/or friends, talk, play games, and in our case….watch a little football. We tried watching the parade too…but you are right….too much! I’m glad Don had fun with his new toy…but I’m even happier that some of your snow will melt quickly….ours too! ;)
I think Sunday and Monday are going to be warmer, so I expect some of the snow to melt.
Sounds like a very cozy Thanksgiving day, with good food, great company, and all the comforts one could want.
xo
Poppy
It was – a very nice day for all!
The picture of your little red shed in the snow is so beautiful Claudia. Sounds like a nice Thanksgiving. I was alone, but it was a nice day. Among others, I watched a documentary on the Beatle’s secretary called “Good Ol’ Freda”. Wow, what an amazing thing to happen to a girl of only seventeen! Love “Mystery Science Theater”, so hilarious. Hope the snow leaves you soon!
I want to see that documentary. Don’s already seen it, so I’ll have to watch it when he’s not here.
You are correct Claudia; it was Dayton-Hudson. I am not a fan of Macys either.
Inferior to Hudson’s and Dayton’s in every way, Carolyn Marie.
Hi Claudia and happy belated Thanksgiving to you, Don and Scout!. We had a nice day with way too much food at my sister’s, made our annual run to the cemetery to decorate for Christmas – which was the first time I had been back to there since the funeral, so it was a little traumatic. But the first of many firsts I’m sure that will be sad.
Tiffany (Granddaughter) and I are getting ready to leave and drive down to Texas to see my son for a day or so. It will be good to get away. I have a neighbor who is coming to stay at the house with Bella. I will still worry about her tho.
Be careful in the snow and bad weather. It’s beautiful here.
Hugs,
Judy
I know that everyone of these first occasions will be hard, Judy. I thought of my mom this Thanksgiving and especially on my birthday. Thinking of you, dear friend. Glad you and Tiffany are getting away, Judy!
Scout is such a love. Her scarf is cheery. I admire everything you do for her, to make her comfy and safe and adored. We try to do the same for our shep mix. Her two canine companions have passed on now, so she just has us, but we all seem to be enough for each other, for now. I can’t quite imagine a life without a dog.
I can’t either. We will do everything we can for her. She’s our baby. I know you understand.
We were very lucky with the snow..only about 3 inches..6-8 were predicted..There’s nothing like a snowblower..You must have had one sometime in tour lives but just in case…Blow major storms after 5-6 inches..Don’t let it get too deep..Or..Just take half of the width at a time…I’m pretty sure you know this but I had to learn it the hard way…Have a great weekend..
Don went out that first day and used it, and was fully prepared to use it again yesterday, but not that much more snow had fallen. Thanks for the tips, Missy!
I’m with you on the Christmas parades. I want to see the bands and the floats and balloons, not all the celebrities that I don’t even recognize. We used to go to my aunt’s house in Detroit for Easter & Thanksgiving and always watched the Hudson’s parade too!
After dinner everyone gathered around the big table and we all played rummy. So much fun.
Now it’s just my parents & me, very quiet but good food and nap afterward.
Pretty snow and I’m so glad the snow blower is going to make life a little bit easier! Staying home sounds like a good decision. I had a great time with my Mom and my friend Carter. I enjoyed cooking as I haven’t had Thanksgiving at my house in a long time. I have come to HATE the Macy’s day parade, just boring and not fun to watch!!
P.D. James, I’m not sure I ever read a book of hers. I will remedy that soon. She sounds like an amazing person and author. Thanks for writing about her passing.
hugs,
Linda
Oh such lovely pictures Claudia! I have to agree about the parades, I don’t watch them anymore either.
I love the pictures of your shed in the snow. I think they would make beautiful Christmas cards. So simple and peaceful, quite breathtaking. Thank you for your daily post I look forward to them each day.
Oh, the Hudson’s parade! This Detroit born an d raised girl has the BEST memories of that! I know we’ve chatted before about the downtown Hudson’s–eating at the mezzanine restaurant and the Maurice salads! Somewhere around here, I’ve got old black and white photos of that building–and maybe even of the parade; I’ll have to try to remember to look for them and share them with you!