Musings & Thoughts for Wednesday, November 22, 2023, or: Thanksgiving Eve News, Pre-Moving Mixed Emotions, and All That Stuff

Late Morning/Midday, Wednesday, November 22, 2023, Lithia, Florida

Rain in Tampa – Rain & Snow in Madison

Hey, there, folks.

Well, here we are on the day before my last Thanksgiving here in the Tampa Bay area – and my last major holiday in my native state of Florida. And since we’re on the countdown to Moving Day (M-Day), I’m not only aware that tomorrow is, like it or not, a day of finality of sorts, but I have mixed feelings about leaving – and the reasons for the move.

The weather outside is adding to my somewhat somber outlook. A gray veil of clouds covers the sky and the temperature outside is 80°F/27°C. (The heat index, if you must know, is 81°/28°C, thanks to the 70% humidity and 12 MPH/20 KMH southwesterly sea breeze.) The light that leaks through my closed blinds is gray and dim, and if it gets darker, I’ll have to turn on my lamp. It’s going to be a rainy day, according to today’s forecast for the Lithia/Fish Hawk area – rain showers are expected later this afternoon, and the high temperature will be 81°F/28°C.

Meanwhile, in Madison, New Hampshire, the weather picture is wintry indeed. As I write this, it’s raining and snowing up there, and the temperature is a chilly 35°F/2°C. Today’s forecast for my future town of residence calls for more of the same; the high will be 38°C/4°C.

No Hay Novedad…No, Really, There Isn’t!

I don’t have much to report today; the packing process has taken a back seat to Thanksgiving dinner preparations, though I can’t say for sure that there won’t be any activity on that front at some point today. I’m not in charge of that process, and I can’t predict how today will go.

I also didn’t work on Reunion: Coda yesterday. I opened the file for the manuscript to look it over and identified a few places where some minor edits are needed, but that’s all. I wasn’t in a good place mentally to either add any new emails to the Jim-and-Maddie epistolary chapter or do any of the “minor edits” I must do on the existing material. I need a calm, clear mind and a “can do” attitude in order to write or edit, and I’m not feeling it as of late.

Today marks the 60^th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas. I was only eight months old on November 22, 1963, and Mom used to tell me that she and I were in Bogota, Colombia so that the rest of my family – on my mother’s side, anyway – could meet Baby Me. Of course, I don’t remember 11/22/63, but I’ve had a life-long interest about that tragic day and its consequences since I was a kid. As a result, I always feel sad and melancholic on this day; JFK wasn’t a saint nor the “the best President ever,” but he was my first President, even though I learned that well after his murder.

Anyway, it’s not raining now, so if I want to get my daily walk done, I must go out now, before the rain gets here. So, until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.