Of course, some of us see it as the best time of the year, but it sure can wear you out.
For instance, this is being written and posted on the day before Thanksgiving, with preparations under way for about 20 guests tomorrow. You may be engaged in something quite similar. Bless you. And remember, this time tomorrow, it will all be worth it!
And then there’s Black Friday. And if you go to a church that follows the liturgical calendar closely, you have the First Sunday of Advent. Then Cyber Monday. And you know what comes after that, so… take a deep breath, and don’t worry. That, too, will be worth it in the end.
And perhaps this is a good moment — if you can afford to take a moment — to reflect on how far we’ve already come since the unbearably steamy days of August.
First, there was the beginning of football. That could fully fill a blog post and far more, so we’ll move on…
Those first games were pretty hot, of course, but eventually, a blessedly cool day came, just now and then, and you started breaking out clothes that were not just shorts and T shirts. Which can be nice, when you run across a favorite sweater you hadn’t seen in awhile.
Then, the World Series! We hope you are a Rangers fan, considering the way that turned out.
But before the Series ended, there was the kids’ big day (and increasingly, a huge event for adults, especially if they’re into decorating the lawn) at the end of October. Finally, all that worry and brainstorming and work involved in concocting the perfect costume had paid off in the form of a thoroughly unhealthy amount of sugar.
With all this activity, there often isn’t the time to drive into the hills and see the finest show of the season — the fall leaves.
While delayed a bit by global warming, the peak of that occurred in the high altitudes during October, although you can still see it here and there in the lowlands, particularly to the South.
If you did miss it, except for our beautiful neighborhood, make definite plans to check it out thoroughly next year. To help with that, here’s a nice list that The Charlotte Observer published several years back — and we assume the planet hasn’t changed enough yet to make the suggestions irrelevant.
A few of the suggestions:
- MARSHALL PARK, 800 E. 3rd St. — Yep, right Uptown.
- FREEDOM PARK, 1900 East Blvd — Located about 10 minutes from Marshall.
- CROWDERS MOUNTAIN, 522 Park Office Ln, Kings Mountain, NC 28086. A bit farther away, but this 5,126-acre state park is worth the trip.
- ANNE SPRINGS CLOSE GREENWAY, 104 Adventure Rd Fort Mill, SC 29715 — Just a few miles farther than Crowders Mountain — maybe half an hour away.
- BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, Blue Ridge Parkway — If you’re really, really serious about seeing some beautiful leaves, the two-hour trip is definitely worth it. This is the big enchilada.
And of course, we have a pretty magnificent park right next to us.
There’s more in that story from the Observer. So no excuses next time.
In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving!
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