Phew! Time to move forward.

The battle is over, but I’d bet the war is far from being over.  That would be a safe bet.  After all, it’s about politics and in politics battle winners rarely simply walk away with the spoils.  The debates, the controversies, the ever changing of America will continue.  And so it is.

It’s hard to believe that we’re well into November and that Christmas is now only about a month and a half away.  We’ve got some stuff to get through in that time, though.  Next Sunday is Veterans’ Day when we honor all the men and women who have served in the Military since our country began. 

And, of course, there’s Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 22^nd, another day of Thanks, but this for our own blessings that we have received during the past year. 

In my day, the Christmas Shopping season began the day after Thanksgiving and continued right into Christmas Eve.  In those days, the time was even shorter as so-called Blue Laws prevented many department stores from opening on Sundays all during the year.  Those laws have long since been eliminated as has that wonderful, happy short season of shopping. 

Shucks, the Christmas sales and decorations began showing up in our local stores as far back as last summer.  Even the Gator family begins its household decorations this coming weekend.

 I’ve heard some folk say they’re now anxiously looking forward to the arrival of some snow.  Snow in November is not uncommon in Maine.  I’m not among those snow-wishing folk, though.  Snow now scares me as my bones have become more fragile with age and I don’t want to fall and break something.  I do still love snow, especially snow that gently falls Dec. 24^th and leaves a nice, pretty, clean white coating for Christmas itself and then leaves the on the 26th.  I call that a good snow season.

Wow!  Have I ever gotten away from the present!  A change of pace is nice, though, don’t you think?

Dave