On My Mind Today

As I look out at this dreary gray and rainy late October morning, visions of November are in my mind. November, one of my least favorite months (with March being the other); so gloomy with little sunshine to warm our bones and brighten our spirits. Even though fall will be with us for another eight weeks, I refer to this time as the last dance of fall. The cool winds coming through over the next few weeks will blow the brown and drying leaves from the trees. As they are pulled from the branches, they will do their last dance as they are tossed through the air. As this transpires I will imagine they are ballroom dancers floating and gliding across the floor; my way of seeing the beauty in this bleak in between time. Once again, we have put into storage all the things we have enjoyed over the summer and early fall. No more relaxing on the back deck in the hot summer sun. Outdoor gatherings are over until the long cold winter passes through; we will have to create our fun in the close

It's always amazing to see what something looks like in reality vs the image we see on television. It's either much grander than we thought, or so much smaller. We had the pleasure of visiting New York City over the weekend; my first time experiencing this great city. It was a short two day trip, and we fit in as much as possible. Our hotel was across the Hudson in Jersey City with a spectacular view of the New York City skyline. Beautiful in the light of day, and stunning at night as the lights glistened like diamonds. On the first night we were in the Manhattan theater district. We enjoyed a nice dinner sitting outside at a sidewalk table, watching as people scurried by on the way to their destination. Other patrons were talkative and eager to share where they came from, and their knowledge of the city. The primary reason for our trip was to attend a play; something I had always wanted to do. We saw My Fair Lady, and it was amazing and magical. The orchestra played wi

"Love - strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; warm attachment, enthusiasm or devotion." Love, a short simple word that encompasses so many meanings and emotions. There is the love we have for our spouse/partner, the love for our children, and the love we have for our dear friends. Each one so important and so complicated at the same time. Love stirs strong emotions that usually warm our heart, and because of the strength it holds, it can also easily hurt us. When we love someone, every day is not smooth sailing. There will be times that our loved ones hurt or disappoint us, and sometimes we will do the same to them; testing our bond to one another. Our love for our spouse/partner will go through many stages; new and passionate, comfortable and close, and at times cool and distant. Each phase is a natural part of the relationship. In the end, the strength of our love, and even friendship, will be the things that get us to the partners for

From Just a Pinch Recipes, this was submitted by Brenda Watts. The original family recipe was for pumpkin pie, which later became sweet potato streusel. Her daughter then decided to become creative and changed the recipe to acorn squash streusel. I have not had the opportunity to try this one yet, but I have no doubt it will become a favorite. Any pumpkin or squash pie usually gets my stamp of approval. If you decide to make this one, please let me know what you think. Acorn Squash Streusel Pie For Pastry and Filling: 1 refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box (or you can make your own pie crust) 2 cups cooked and mashed acorn squash (or one 17 oz. bag of frozen acorn squash, thawed) 1/2 cup sugar 1-12/ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup evaporated milk or dairy sour cream For Streusel Toping: 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 1/3 cup firm butter or margarine 1/3

The good ole' boy network, boys will be boys, or whatever terminology they want to use, it's apparent that once again women are being disparaged and dismissed. Mocked by men in power as ones who should not be believed, and even worse, in the same breath excusing or defending the men who have been the abusers. For every step that has been taken forward, in the end so much remains the same. I wonder at times what it's going to take for this behavior to be unacceptable; not only to men, but also the women who have not believed what their sisters have gone through.  W hen men came out after many years to say they were abused by priests nobody questioned whether it happened, or why they didn't say something years ago. So why is disbelief the first reaction people have when a woman comes out to say she was sexually assaulted in the past? Their abuse was just as traumatic, and as difficult to talk about; plus the fear and shame they felt at the time prevented them from speak

As the cooler weather approaches in New England, I am looking for new comfort food recipes for our dinners. Of course I have my traditional ones that are used every winter, but it's nice to prepare something different. This comes from Taste of Home magazine and was submitted by Susan Robertson from Ohio. We love German food so I decided to give this pot roast a try. The recipe says to prepare in a Dutch oven, but I used my slow cooker and cooked it for 6-8 hours. It was delicious and definitely will be added to my recipe collection. Bavarian Pot Roast 1 boneless beef chuck pot roast (about 3 pounds) 2 tablespoons oil (I used safflower) 1-1/4 cups water (for slow cooker use 1/2 to 1 cup less water) 3/4 cup beer or beef broth 1 - 8 ounce can tomato sauce 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon vinegar 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Cornstarch and water, optional

Incivility: rude or unsociable speech or behavior; rudeness, discourteousness, disrespect, insolence, impertinence." There is no doubt when you observe what is taking place in society, that incivility is out of control. All those years ago when our government was formed, I'm sure there wasn't a single person who could have imagined we would end up where we are. To quote Dr. Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer: "Our founding Fathers had a deep and abiding belief in self-governance: the idea that power ultimately resides in the voices and wisdom of the people." I have to believe our founding Fathers would be extremely disheartened to see what has become of their belief in self-governance. According to the National Institute for Civil Discourse website: 78% of Americans think incivility and political dysfunction prevent our nation from moving forward, and most don't know how they can help. Congress is more polarized along ideological lines than it's ever been, and

Forgiveness: the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven; mercy, exoneration, absolution. Many times throughout our life we have either felt betrayed, or we have betrayed someone else. As much as we want to do the right thing all the time, human nature makes us falter every now and then. Doing the wrong thing, or betraying a family member or friend, leaves everyone feeling bad. The one responsible for the act feels immoral, and the victim feels wounded. Nobody walks away unscathed. When we become the victim of betrayal, we have a choice. We can either hold on to the anger and hurt or find a way to forgive and move forward with our life. Sometimes it's difficult to forgive and let go as we fear being hurt again. However, in order to avoid letting the fear control our life, we need to stop running from it. If we don't forgive the long term effects can be detrimental to our health. Not only does it weigh us down emotionally, but the stress can affect our sleep, bl