A Month in Summary - November 2025

Depoe Bay, Oregon

November 2025

So, who has their Christmas tree up and decorated?? With Thanksgiving falling so late in the month, I decided to put our tree up right after our guests went home. We're hosting a small Christmas party for friends on the 9th, so I want to have the house decorated in time for that event. 

November was a pretty busy month for me. A few trips over to Salem and Corvallis (90 minutes each way), visitors at the beginning and end of the month, our anniversary, various doctor appointments, and a trip to the ER. (Rod has Bell's Palsy, which isn't great, but at least it wasn't a stroke!) In spite of all of that, I managed to get quite a bit of reading in. Focusing on the Nonfiction November Challenge, I knocked off seven books from my list. Most were exceptional, but there are a couple that I won't hang onto for a second reading. 

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (4/5)

Safekeeping: Some True Stories From a Life by Abigail Thomas (3.5/5)

Altitude Adjustment: A Quest for Love, Home, and Meaning in the Tetons by Mary Beth Baptiste (3.5/5)

The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward by Melinda French Gates (4.5/5)

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (4.5/5)

I Am I Am I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell (4.5/5)

Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett (3/5)

Movies & TV Series:

Black Bag - Fun espionage movie starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. We enjoyed it!

The Beast in Me - A gripping thriller, but very disappointing performance by Claire Danes. Her exaggerated grimaces grew very tiresome, but Matthew Rhys manages to save the show with his stellar portrayal of a sociopath. Fun fact: Matthew Rhys is married to Keri Russell (of The Diplomat). 

Visitors:

My aunt, uncle and cousin came out in early November, visiting from Durham, North Carolina. It's always great to see them!

Thanksgiving was also very enjoyable with two of my three brothers here with their families. Our next door neighbors were also included for dinner that evening.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Rod & I celebrated 37 years this month. Twu wuv! 💕 (Poor guy is suffering from Bell's Palsy. He really was smiling on the inside!)

Wishing you all a calm and joyful December!

A Month in Summary - November 2023

Elk Falls Provincial Park

Campbell River, British Columbia

September 2023

Just as the bear in the photograph above is preparing for winter, I found myself slowing down in November, curling up with my books more often than I usually do during the summer. We celebrated our 35th anniversary, enjoyed a visit with more relatives mid-month (I think that brings the total number of visitors in 2023 to a whopping 43!), and hosted a few of our neighbors for Thanksgiving. The RV is tucked in at the storage facility for the next few months, and the rainy (and windy!) season has arrived, so I see more time for reading and trying out new recipes in the coming months.

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson (4/5)

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (4.5/5)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (3/5)

Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard (5/5)

Bella: An Appalachian Love Story & Jagged Dawn: Logan's Beginning by Valerie Davisson (4/5)

The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill (3.5/5)

The Push by Ashley Audrain (4.5/5)

The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls (4/5)

Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe (3.5/5)

Movies & TV Series:

My Texas Rangers' T-Shirt from 1998

Texas Rangers are the 2023 World Series Champions! When we lived in Fort Worth (1998-2000), we fell in love with the Rangers (and their ballpark). It was also the season of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, so we watched A LOT of baseball. I loved going to games and have always been a fan of the team (which has been around since the year of my birth). Well done, boys!

Unforgotten (Season Five) - Lots of characters and threads to keep track of, but we enjoyed it, in spite of the convoluted finale.

Vera (Season Three) - We really enjoy this series, especially since each mystery is wrapped up in a single episode. I love seeing how the friendship between Vera and Joe continues to develop.

Anika (Season Two) - Lots more (dry) humor in this season than in the first, but overall, I didn't love it. 

Bosch Legacy (Season Two) - Another follow-up season that disappointed us. Actually, the Legacy spin-off of Bosch isn't nearly as good as the original. 

We celebrated 35 years of marriage on the 6th. I am so fortunate to have such a great husband and travel companion! Twu wuv. 💖

Thanksgiving Feast:

Most of our family came for visits this past summer and early fall, so with no relatives coming for Thanksgiving, we invited a few of our neighbors to Thanksgiving dinner. Only because I couldn't find a smaller turkey (from the company I prefer), I wound up with a 24 lb beast! I've never roasted a turkey that large and was afraid it would take all day to cook. Surprisingly, it was finished in under four hours. (It was actually slightly overdone, but that's better than an undercooked turkey, and, with enough gravy and cranberry sauce, nobody cared.) I do a lot of prep the day before and serve the majority of hot dishes in crockpots. I was even able to carve the turkey well before our guests arrived, holding it at a safe temperature in a large crock pot. And yes, we have a lot of leftovers which are in the freezer for future meals. Turkey soup, turkey tetrazzini, turkey enchiladas, turkey sandwiches, and turkey tacos, to name a few. What's your favorite turkey leftover meal?

Christmas Gift Idea:

I received my first item from MAYSON the label and I'm in love! The color is stunning and the cashmere fabric is so luxurious. If you need a gift idea, you can't go wrong with this scarf. It comes in six colors (cappuccino, navy, heather grey, skylar, black, and white sand) and after much deliberation, I ordered the skylar. It was tempting to get one in every color. ;) 

On second thought, treat yourself to an early Christmas present. You deserve it!

Wordless Wednesday

Celebrating 31 years!

30 Years!

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life, my rock, my confident, my best friend, my in-house computer geek and my RV co-pilot. I wouldn't want to take this journey with anyone but you. Here's to many more years of love and laughter and getting lost! 

30th Anniversary

 Road Trip 2018

Wordless Wednesday

Today is the day Annie came to live with us in 2007. Happy Adoption Day, sweet girl!

Click here to see last year's post with more photos.

Annie Girl!

Today is Annie's "adoption/rescue" day! She came to live with us on November 23, 2007 and I often think it wasn't she who was rescued, but rather it was us.

Things Annie loves:

Pretending she's a lap dog
(and cuddling with Deb)

Leading the pack

Hunting chipmunks with her bestie 

Hanging out with her boys,
 Suki, Sundance and Bandit
 

 Going for walks in her park

Teaching little ones to be brave

 Ear rubs and cuddles
(notice she's hugging him!)

Having her coat brushed

 Belly rubs

 New friends who come to visit

 Sharing pig ears with Sundance

Having her very own chair

 (and couch, guestroom bed and dog bed)

Warming up my side of the bed

and

Chasing squirrels, rabbits and cats

Licking the egg bowl

Peanut butter on toast

 
Things Annie dislikes:

Thunderstorms

Fireworks

Bows on her ears

Having her picture taken

and

People with hiccups

Crows

Blenders

Smoke detectors

Such a goofball!
 

Thanks for choosing us to be your family, sweet girl!
You are so loved.