There’s something about saying goodbye to November and hello to December that creates a sense of mourning coupled with a sense of hope. It could be that Jack Frost is taking a bow to Old Man Winter who soon will sweep across the hillsides and valleys and dusting his magic on fir trees. The various shades of brown will disappear beneath blankets of snow and thoughts of Christmas and a New Year fill our minds with good tidings and hope and resolutions. Whatever the cause, goodbye November! Until we meet again next year…..

As a child one of my favorite places to go to be alone was the barn. There were no animals in our barn other than our cats and dogs and rabbits so it was a quiet place most of the time. The previous owners had cows and probably a couple of horses as there were milking stanchions and stalls on the bottom floor.  Oftentimes I would sit in the hay and wonder what it was like to be Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would watch the dust particles as they drifted through a slit of sunlight or the mourning doves that perched in the rafters.  Looking back, the barn was a place that I developed the thoughts that turned to actions that made me who I am today.