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By Dave and Mary
Front Porch Appeal
November - The Grateful Month
Issue #119 November 2021
November is decorated porches, football, falling leaves, chilly mornings, Thanksgiving, and recognizing those who served our country - what an amazing month.
No matter the situation there is always something or someone for which to be grateful.
Melody Beattie said it best, "Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order,
confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Mary and I hope you find a few moments (preferably on the porch) every now and then this month to
let the everyday toils and trouble melt away as you reflect on the things for which you are most thankful.
We are very blessed and thankful for so many things, among which is thanking you, our dear loyal readers, for your support over the years.
We always enjoy sharing our love of porches with you.
"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."- Robert Brault
Inside This Edition...
We love that you are here and hope you enjoy these topics in our newsletter.
- The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month
- Honoring Thanksgiving Traditions
- Make Our Fun Turkey DIY Project
- Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone
- Thank You As Always
- We'd Love to Have You on Our Newsletter List
The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month
November 11th is Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day.
There are currently over 1.4 million military personnel serving here and abroad.
Each has pledged to give their all for each of us.
In addition, there are countless thousands who have already served and could be your co-worker, friend, a family member, your child's teacher,
a first responder, or neighbor.
From Armistice to Veterans Day
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - a day to
be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to honor those who served in World War I be thereafter celebrated and
known as Armistice Day.
In 1954, this Act was amended to include those who fought in World War II and Korea by replacing the word
Armistice with Veterans to honor American veterans of all wars.
The 11th hour was the time the Armistice was signed ending World War I.
What is Honor Flight?
Jeff Miller and Earl Morse established the Honor Flight in 2005 with the mission to take America's veterans to Washington, D.C., to view
memorials dedicated to their service. It is currently serving veterans who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
Honor Flight also serves terminally ill veterans serving during any era.
Mary and I had the honor of supporting an Honor Flight; an experience we won't forget.
Unfortunately, our fathers missed the opportunity to participate.
It is an amazing experience for our veterans.
If you are a veteran or know a veteran, we encourage you to use this link to learn more about the program.
Please Take a Moment to Thank a Veteran
We make it easy to recognize someone you know who is a military veteran.
Perhaps it is a family member, friend, or co-worker.
They would appreciate your thoughtfulness on November 11th.
Download and print out this free Veteran's Day card below.
Write your own personal message and mail it.
Someone will truly appreciate your kindness.
Instructions: Just download, print on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.
Then fold it and mail. You will make a Veteran happy!
And PS: (This is Mary.)
Dave is a 20 year USAF Veteran AND his birthday is also on Veteran's Day so I want to wish him a wonderful birthday where he feels so loved and appreciated.
Honoring Thanksgiving Traditions
Every other year our family gathers together for Thanksgiving at a state park.
We rent cabins and spend three days together playing games, sitting around a campfire, hiking, and just having fun.
Our tradition began many years ago when we were stationed in Alaska.
Since it wasn't timely to travel back to the lower 48 for the holiday, several families would share Thanksgiving
together at a cabin on the base.
We would go ice fishing, sledding, skating, and eating together, of course.
It was a number of years after we left Alaska when our sons had families of their own and lived in different states when
the Thanksgiving cabin idea was resurrected.
Since then, we've tried to make it happen every other year and as our families have grown, we've had to rent more cabins.
In a few weeks we will be gathering at a state part in Virginia to carry on the tradition.
This will be the first year two of our grandchildren will be traveling from colleges to join us!
Time flies for sure.
Thankful for Thanksgiving with Family
I'll be making a home-made noodle recipe my mother passed down to me and our daughter-in-love Rachel will be sharing her cranberry roll cutouts from her childhood.
Our daughter-in-love Heidi will bring a beautiful charcuterie tray with delicious meats, cheeses and fruits.
And I will tell a story my grandfather told us every Thanksgiving and everyone will laugh.
The kids will toss a large Styrofoam airplane that we bring every year.
We will also have a large bin of homemade bubble soap to blow giant, noodle-like bubbles.
Our grand dog Blue will want to chase every boat he sees on the lake.
And there will be singing and coloring and a rock, paper and scissors competition.
Of course, we will eat too much and enjoy each other as much as humanly possible.
Make Our Fun Turkey DIY Project
We show you how to make this adorable old-fashioned turkey you could use indoors or out.
The kids will enjoy helping.
Make this turkey decoration
Watch the Video of Our Turkey Craft
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving from Our Hearts to Yours
Mary and I are so grateful for too many things to mention; we hope this Thanksgiving finds you healthy, loved, and in good spirits.
We are truly grateful for you and look forward to hearing about your holiday season and love of porches.
Won't you stop by our Thanksgiving decoration ideas for your porch?
And we have some comforting ideas for staying warm on your porch this season via infrared heaters.
Thank You As Always
Our New Hampshire friend, Karen, creates a welcoming autumn porch
As we navigate through this wonderful month of November, we're very appreciative of well-loved porches and you, our kind reader.
We are ever so grateful for your loyalty, your readership with us, the emails you send us, the pictures you share.
You are the one who makes our efforts possible and the two of us thank you!
May you enjoy this month of gratefulness, the crisp autumn chill in the air, family, friends, robust health, and time to do things you enjoy.
If nothing else, may we all feel our blessings and be grateful for them.
Till next time, we hope your lives are blessed beyond reason!
We'd Love to Have You on Our Newsletter List
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Please enjoy browsing past issues of our newsletters right here.
Take a few moments of chill time.
Happy porch sitting from your friends,
Mary and Dave
Life is short. Enjoy your porch.
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You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.
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Jeff Miller and Earl Morse established the Honor Flight in 2005 with the mission to take America's veterans to Washington, D.C., to view
memorials dedicated to their service. It is currently serving veterans who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
Please 
