They say that people can be divided into two groups - those who get up early to drink mimosas and those who opt for the local Turkey Trot road race. We’re both around here, so our Thanksgiving started with the Borodash, a reasonable 4-miler that meanders around the downtown area and is the main fundraiser for several local charities. We’ve been doing it for years - my wife has run nearly all of them, starting with the first. As the kids have gotten older, they’ve joined in, and we added matching team shirts a while back just for fun. Some of us run, others wal,k or mosey along. Either way, the weather was beautiful. The mimosas afterward were good too.

The rest of the day was final food prep, kid-related chaos and noise, the parade and dog show, some sports that no one really watched closely, and, finally, a whole lot of eating. Topped it off with some of Stranger Things season 5.

Today is mostly just putzing around with some house stuff: getting caught up on laundry and other minor projects. I slapped together some nesting boxes yesterday to replace the ones that are falling apart. My carpentry is terrible, but if the birds will move in, that’s all that matters. We have a lot of bluebirds around here year-round, and I think that our boxes - which stay pretty busy throughout the breeding season - are part of the reason. The other project on my to-do list, probably over Christmas vacation, is a Two-chambered Rocket Box for bats. I have a spot in the very back of the yard, which would be ideal, so it just remains to hit Home Depot and do a little shopping. I also need to figure out exactly how I’ll be mounting it up as high as bats like, but I’m sure we can come up with something. A ladder is not part of the equation. I’m not risking my life for bat habitat.

I had a chance to meet with the pastor at my new assignment the other day. It was very good to see him again, get caught up a little, and hear his various thoughts on the parish, the people, and their pastoral needs. Very much looking forward to getting to know everyone soon. Between now and then, there’s a bit of travel for work, all of Advent, most of Christmastide, and - ha! - ordination itself. Trying not to get too far over my skis in terms of planning or thinking. There’s plenty to do in the present moment, right now. Staying collected. Intentional gratitude. Continual conversion. Work. Prayer.