Clare County Review & Marion Press

Pat’s Bits and Pieces: Nefarious November has arrived

When it comes to the weather around mid-Michigan, November is definitely nefarious (wicked).
Typically, it’s cold nights and cold days, windy, cloudy weather, rain, and sometimes snow (which can arrive any time after November shows up).
The sun peeks out just to tease you a bit, but you can bet it’s pretty cold out there and the clouds will be back again in no time.
Meanwhile, Fall is OVER, and the leaves are coming down everywhere!
Well, it is unofficially over…fall I mean… and suddenly the countdown to Christmas is on! We noticed Christmas decorations were up in all of the stores even before Halloween this year!
So, now I will have to check out the display of Christmas trees next time we stop at Home Depot.
Jack’s comment: “Bah Humbug.”
Speaking of Thanksgiving, that is the best part of this beginning-of-winter month, that, and a few family birthdays to celebrate. Great-grandson Colton will celebrate his 2nd, and this is the month that our oldest great-granddaughter turns 12. She will celebrate her birthday on the same day as daughter-in-law Micki.
It’s also the month Jack and I got married – 56 years ago as of tomorrow afternoon.
I have no idea now why we picked November for our wedding. It was certainly not a pretty month for a party that year. Lisa and Terry did much better with a beautiful outdoor ceremony in September when we lived on the edge of the Tobacco.
Not us, we had to pick November! In fact, we were even late getting our license while we waited for an unexpected eight-inch snowstorm to melt a little, and roads to get plowed, before we could make the 16-mile drive from Concord (our downstate home) to the county building in Jackson.
After the wedding we left the snow in Michigan and headed south on our honeymoon in the lovely state of West Virginia. When we arrived back a week later, the snow was all gone of course.
Ahhh Michigan.
Despite the “snowy” start to our lives together, and many sad times along the way, it has been a journey worth taking.
We are still together – and we are still best friends (most of the time anyway) even with our different personalities. We agree to disagree and laugh at ourselves, and each other, often. From the two of us, this family has grown through the years adding more along the way until we are now the patriarchs of three children (and spouses) eight grandchildren (and four spouses and a couple of “significant others”) and eight great-grandchildren along with two “steps,” for a grand total of around 30 “characters” who don’t always get along, but are still family that likes to get together, especially to celebrate the holidays.
In a little over two weeks, although we no longer host it, once again most that live close enough will get together once or twice for turkey, all the trimmings and pumpkin pie of course – with a lot of whipped cream on it (and some sprayed directly into mouths) …followed by games and conversation and hopefully little ones having fun together.
Just one month after that it will be Christmas again and, except for my ongoing work on another quilt, I haven’t even begun planning, or shopping for that!
Next Friday is another special day in the month of November.
It is the 104th anniversary of Veteran’s Day, or Armistice Day, commemorated to celebrate the end of World War I on the 11th day of the 11th month each year.
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.
However, fighting ended seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Unfortunately, 100 years later we know it wasn’t the end of all wars for the United States, but each year we continue to honor the veterans of all wars on this special day.
Don’t forget to “thank a veteran” for their service throughout the year and especially on Veterans’ Day next Friday!

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