Monday | 30 November 2020 | La Quinta, California: The kids returned for a month-long visit last week. We have all quarantined for weeks (and weeks...) to ensure we are all safe. Leo and Lucy had the entire week of Thanksgiving from school, so we really had a lot of fun without having to deal with Zoom School.
Not to mention all the free child labor. The kids are able to ride their bikes around our neighborhood, golf, and swim... though we now need to heat the pool.
Lucy was super-excited to bring her "sports shirt" so she could go golfing with Bubba.
There has been a lot of baking, a lot of cooking, and even ice cream making. Lucy wanted strawberry ice cream. Leo wanted chocolate-chunk. I combined the requests, and it turned out well.
I made a bit of effort to decorate for the fall holiday, though "fall" is really not a thing in the desert. Palm trees under sunny skies, instead of leaf raking.
Yeah, this is kinda all we have. A florist delivered a centerpiece for the dining table and a pretty bouquet for the coffee table.
Thanksgiving was a cornocopia of football, appetizers, and then the usual: turkey, dressing, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
My Mom's relish tray 
Baked brie from Love & Lemons
We really enjoyed the past ten days or so with our grandchildren (and their parents). Leo and Lucy have grown so close, since they are their only companions.
Lisa has the fancy Dyson blow dryer, and used the machine on my now-long hair:
Even with COVID, there is much to thankful for in 2020. It is often difficult to be positive, but we are thankful for our health. We are thankful for a new President. We are thankful to be able to spend so much time with our family, and that we have a home to hold us all. We are thankful for sunny days and open spaces to play and exercise safely. We are thankful for promising vaccines, and all the healthcare professionals fighting this disease.
How was your Thanksgiving? What are you thankful for? Please comment below.
Until my next update (which may not be soon - I'm back on Cafeteria Lady duty again), I remain, your thankful correspondent.
Thankful for our 40+ year friendship! ❤️
I am thankful for my safe, non-covid family members. Your hair looks fantastic like that, hire Lisa as your private hairdresser! 😉
Your hair is very pretty like this.
I am thankful I am able to work from home and can get grocery pickup. I can visit with friends and family on zoom and FaceTime. I can still take the dogs walking.
Thank you for the update. Your blog is always a bit of sunshine in my day.
Oops! I forgot one more thing to be thankful for in 2020: we both became eligible for Medicare this year.
I have been on Medicare 5 years but my husband wont be eligible for a few months. Can’t wait till we are both on Medicare and plan N. I can’t believe I wasted so much money on plan F for 5 years before recently switching to N.
Funny you should mention Fall in the desert! Laughed my head off seeing a picture of a big, dead palm frond sitting on the new, green grass with a caption “Fall Arrives in the Desert!”
We are thankful for our health, and the many choices and options we enjoy that aren’t open to others. And to people like you and DT, who share so much of yourselves “paying it forward” in so many ways!