Deer hunting, Thanksgiving, family

It's almost 9:00 on this Saturday morning in November. Weekly wash is on the clothesline and the noodle dough is done that I will make into noodles tomorrow. A lot of things will be done today that I normally spread across the 2 day weekend because it is deer hunting season and if Mike shoots a deer today, tomorrow we will butcher and that will take both of us all day (minus the time I need to make the noodles--have an upcoming order for them). My middle daughter got her deer last week on the first day of season--she has only missed one year getting her first deer of the season on the first day of season in all the 15 years she has hunted. She brought summer sausage and jerky to me Thursday evening. We will have our granddaughter for the night tonight. Christmas presents to make and she would like to do something special for her mom. I hid the evidence of the striped stocking cap that I am making for her and while she is here I will work on a knitted purse for her mother. So many things to do. This year, I am giving everyone a copy of the cookbook I am putting together from 2 old church cookbooks from this area. My grandmother and other neighbors and relatives now long gone contributed to those and I want my children to have the recipes. Have some clip art and more recipes to add before I am done, but it will make nice family gifts. Next week for Thanksgiving, there will just be 6 of us at the table. #2 and #3 daughters are going to Iowa for Thanksgiving with their father. My sisters have their families for dinner. So # 1 daughter, granddaughter and Mom and Dad will be here. Even though #1 daughter has been without work for a year and just recently got a 2 day per week job, we have a lot to be thankful for. All of us are healthy and we are certainly grateful for that. Dad had 2 hip replacements this past year and he is ready to run a marathon to hear him talk. Mom has had a few problems with a hernia that they are still working with, but she will probably be just fine. Mike and I have our jobs. #2 daughter still has her job although it is uncertain if her company will lay her off at the end of the year. #3 daughter is finishing her Ph.D. So, I would say, while it hasn't been very economically profitable and disaster still looms on the horizon, we will get through it. Very difficult to tolerate those who keep telling us that the economy is looking up, but that's my other blog.