KMC - the roof saga for your tenant sounds miserable (and chilly).
We are now in Davidson, NC. The people have been incredibly friendly and gracious - so I’m hoping someone will think to invite us. And if not, we’ll be fine.
@college_query, that will be a window on the culture of the area, though it may take a little bit of time. In some places, people are gracious and friendly on the surface but not actually welcoming and in other places, they will welcome you into their homes or into their lives. When we lived in NY, where people are not friendly or gracious on the surface, people invited us to their lofts/apartments regularly. In contrast, I have a friend who lives in Sweden. Worked at first for a big Swedish company, married a Swedish woman (now divorced), had a kid. He’s a charming, hilariously funny guy who is an ex-British marine who follows up his marathons with calisthenics and things nothing of a marathon cross-country ski weekend where after a heavy-duty day of skiing, he will strap his skis to his back and then climb a mountain. For years, no one in Stockholm invited him to their homes. Some places seem to foster a non-genuine kind of warmth in public. I don’t know North Carolina at all.
In the Boston area, I’d say that the natives when I first moved here were not warm or friendly on the surface and, relative to New Yorkers, were actually not that warm or friendly underneath either. I have not had to worry about this for two reasons. First, I am with ShawWife who is such a genuinely warm human being. She knows the names and lives of the pharmacists/techs at the drug store, the clerks in the town office, the people who sell fish and pastries and pretty much everything. We have lovely salt-of-the-earth New Englanders living next door. They don’t talk much, not even to each other. So, even the crustiest, most curmudgeonly New Englanders go out of their way to be nice to her. Second, most of the people we know here are members of the knowledge economy (professors, biotech people, consultants, investors, public policy gurus, writers, etc.) who have come here from elsewhere, so they are different from the old-time natives.
@shawbridge , I think it’s because we’re so new and most people don’t know that we don’t have anywhere to go. We’ve stayed in peoples’ homes, have been invited for meals (just not Thanksgiving), done our laundry in other peoples’ homes, been lent and offered stuff, etc. They have been above and beyond welcoming. That’s why I think it’s odd no one has asked us. Our across-the-street-neighbors asked yesterday if we had plans (was doing laundry there), but they’re heading out of town today to spend the holiday with their children. They offered us free use of their home while they’re gone, gave us the key/security system code, etc.
Happy to report we have now been invited for Thanksgiving dinner. To be honest, most everyone we’ve talked to is going out of town to celebrate with family elsewhere. We’re headed to a retirement community, which will be perfect - we don’t have to bring anything (we don’t have any of our kitchen stuff yet so I can’t really cook anything yet) and it will start and end at a specific time, so we don’t have to worry about how long to stay. After spending the past two months at my parents’ retirement community, we are very familiar with the company!
That’s great to hear! We are heading to DC to have Thanksgiving with older son and his girlfriend. They are cooking ( well, probably mostly she is)! We are bringing some wine, beer, and appetizers, snacks for the day. We usually do the cooking so this will be different. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Good to hear.
We are going out to dinner on Wed with D09 and her newly domestically partnered boyfriend, his brother (who attends college in Boston), and my 4 sons. On Thanksgiving, we are buying a rotisserie chicken and some sides as none of us are big turkey fans and will have a quiet day at home. D09 and entourage will be visiting some of his family, oldest boy will be with his girlfriend’s family, so it will be H and I and the 3 single boys.
We received two more Thanksgiving dinner invitations yesterday.
And of course, I feel selfish for whining about being invited for dinner. Honestly, we would have invited people to our place, except 1) we only have two (borrowed) chairs; and 2) we don’t have any kitchen stuff yet.
My mom is still in the hospital, but may be released to physical therapy today or tomorrow. Most of the time we were with them, my father was the one in physical therapy/nursing care, so this is a switch. I know they are getting really good care, since we observed it for the 2+ months we were there, but I know they are both struggling and it’s hard not to be there.
Grateful:
- D2 is in labor! 2 and 1/2 weeks early! Hoping to hear the big arrival news later this mornng!!!
Thanksgiving brunch and dinner are scheduled for here. I now plan to take food over to D2 and family! So excited!
We will have ShawSon and ShawD and ShawD’s BF, the BF’s twin brother and his wife (married this summer), his mother and her long-time partner. The BF’s father died when the twins were quite young — sad story — but I think the family is very close as a consequence.
@NorthMinnesota - !!!
Wow. @NorthMinnesota. Didn’t see the first line. Congratulations.
NM!!! great news.
We will spend the day with our friends who we are with every year.
It will be a nice day.
cq, hope your new place feels like home when you get settled.
@NorthMinnesota - I have been thinking of you, your D and baby! Hope all is going well and can’t wait to hear more.
Baby girl born at 2:07 pm on 11/21! 28.5 hour labor! She arrived 2.5 weeks early and both she and her mom are doing well! I got to hold her when she was 3 hours old and it was heavenly!
Hugs!!!
So Fabulous
Also,just saying, my C-section took about 30 minutes 
Congratulations @NorthMinnesota !
Happy (day early) Thanksgiving to all. I so enjoy keeping up with everyone on this thread.
Congratulations on the birth of your granddaughter, @NorthMinnesota! So fun.
Good to hear you’ve been invited to Thanksgiving dinner, @college_query. Hope you mother continues to improve.
We’re now fully ensconced in Cambridge for the winter. This past Sunday we had to run down to the beach to pick up the power boat from the marina where it had been winterized, bring it to the house and then play musical boats to get it and the sailboat stuffed into the shed. H is getting pretty good at backing up trailers – several years ago when we first did this there were lots of frustrating do-overs before getting things settled.
Per our usual routine we’re headed to central Mass to BIL & SIL’s for Thanksgiving. The same group has been gathering for close to 20 years and now we have several 3rd generation little ones running around. D & her new H are in MD at his parents’ – we get them for Christmas. And of course S is on the other side of the globe where he’ll hopefully get some semblance of a Thanksgiving dinner. So, H and I are very grateful to have our “Thanksgiving family” to spend time with. On Saturday we do our usual post turkey day pizza party with my side of the family in western Mass.
Several weeks ago we decided to go to NYC for a couple nights in December around our anniversary. When we did this last year for our 30th, we decided tickets to “Hamilton” were too expensive, so saw another show instead. Last week H again scoped out tickets to “Hamilton.” After discovering ticket prices for when it comes to Boston next fall are already more than in NYC, we decided to take the plunge. (@oregon101 - we got the tickets on StubHub.) I’m now listening to the soundtrack during my morning workouts. Great stuff! Can’t wait to see it. To compensate for the cost of the tickets, H says we’ll eat at less expensive restaurants. Ha! Is that possible in NYC? Fortunately we do have a great price for accommodations.
Congrats on your new granddaughter, @NorthMinnesota! But wow on 28.5 hours of labor.
Have fun for your anniversary in NYC, @CBBBlinker!
H and I are both working a half-day today. A new friend who lives nearby has her sister’s golden retriever for the holiday, in addition to her own. We have talked to her about “borrowing” them for a walk or two.