Thanksgiving isn’t until the end of the month, but I have decided to start listing what I am thankful for, beginning with: “I am thankful for the autumn leaves.”  Even though the recent rains on the east coast have loosened many of the leaves from their branches, much still remains, as the pictures I took this past Sunday show. (The first two are from the back of our condo.)

November is National Diabetes Month, an illness that affects millions of Americans and does not seem to be slowing. Since my mother had diabetes, as did other members of my family, this issue is of great concern to me. Because sugar seems to be one of the culprits in diabetes, I hope to do a special report on sweeteners: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  What I have learned is that sugar is a negative calorie, taking away energy in the long run, even though it gives you a boost in the beginning….very seductive.

I will also review a diabetes workbook by a local resident, Janet Saunders, I met at the gym.  See cover below.

November is also the month when I start thinking about soups and stews to warm me on chilly evenings, so I hope to combine diabetic, Thanksgiving, and chilly night recipes that almost anyone can enjoy. I think that Thanksgiving is probably my favorite American holiday because it is an equal opportunity holiday, that is, anyone can celebrate it, regardless of race, color, creed or religion.  So why not start your list of what you are thankful for?

While traveling throughout some of rural PA with my husband on a business trip two weeks ago, I came across this memorial to war veterans and decided to snap a photo in honor of Veterans’ Day, November 11th. I know this may sound corny, but I am thankful that we have men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line in order to keep our country free.

I took this in the village/town/hamlet of Kunkletown, PA.

Finally, while the pictures above are representative of what still remains of trees at their peak, many trees have lost their leaves, so I penned a little rhyme to acknowledge that Fall is a time of transition when the leaves flutter to the ground and winter waits in the wings.  Whatever your trees are doing, remember that they are merely going to sleep and will blossom again in Spring.

LEAF GRIEF

The wind & rains have come again

The leaves are all aground.

Their colors bright take gentle flight

And fall without a sound.

I love the Fall, despite the chill

And knowing winter’s near.

The brilliant trees fill me with glee

Can’t wait til Fall next year!

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