• Latest

Thoughts of November

November 7, 2016

Dirty Harry (1971)

January 21, 2021
F&W’s 2021 Conservation Camp Registration is Open

F&W’s 2021 Conservation Camp Registration is Open

January 19, 2021
Ice Fishing FUNdamentals How to Enjoy Yourself and Stay Safe on the Ice This Winter

Ice Fishing FUNdamentals How to Enjoy Yourself and Stay Safe on the Ice This Winter

January 19, 2021
This Old House

Mouse in the House

January 19, 2021

Buffalo Plaid Fundraiser to Support Local Nonprofits

January 19, 2021

Free Tax Filing at Capstone Community Action for Tax Year 2020

January 19, 2021

Leahy-Led Bipartisan Bill Promoting Affordable Health Insurance Is Signed Into Law

January 19, 2021

Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO Hires First Female Executive Director, Signaling New Direction for VT Labor Movement

January 12, 2021

Vermont Mutual Distributes $1,000,000 to COVID-19 Relief Efforts

January 12, 2021
Hunters Take 6,136 Turkeys in Vermont in 2020

Hunters Take 6,136 Turkeys in Vermont in 2020

January 12, 2021
Additional Ounce, Priority Mail and Postcard Stamps Available Jan. 24

Additional Ounce, Priority Mail and Postcard Stamps Available Jan. 24

January 12, 2021
One Credit Union Donates $12K to Make-A-Wish

One Credit Union Donates $12K to Make-A-Wish

January 12, 2021
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Thursday, January 21, 2021
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

Thoughts of November

vt-world by vt-world
November 7, 2016
in George Shuman
0

By G. E. Shuman
Today I’d like to think about what I think, about the month of November. To me, November is a sort of unexciting month, in many ways. Here in the North it is gray, most days, and that grayness is amplified by the fact that the leaves are off the trees, and all that gray bark on all those naked trees is showing through, all across our state. This saddens me a bit, because I love both the green leaves of summer, and the red and golden ones of fall. At my house those fall leaves have fallen, too, and, when you read this column, I have either spent a day raking them up, or need to do so. My back is either killing me, or it soon will be. Such is life in Vermont.

This increasingly chilly month also makes me think of many good things. As the weather turns colder, there is some sense of, and even some actions, involving a subtle ‘tucking in’ that occurs here, almost ritualistically, at this season. Windows are sealed, air conditioners are stowed away, and wood is stacked and prepared for the coming winter. Other fall rituals also take place up here. Local hunters hone their skills by shooting fake deer and beer cans in the back yard, but some will still blame the sight on their rifle when that big buck gets away. People line up at the tire stores to have their ‘snows’ put on, and discuss how much snow we’re ‘supposed’ to get this year.

The warmth of ‘indoors’ can be a very good, and satisfying thing right now. I think of the scents of the wood fires that heat so many homes here, and of a closeness that is, somehow, borne of, sort of, ‘having to be closer’, within our homes, with our families. In November, each year, we seem to learn all over again how to stay in more, out of the cold. Out come the sweaters and quilts and comforters, to bring comfort when cold winds howl outside our windows.Ę

The scent of those wood fires can be wonderful, this time of year, and, also the scents of kitchens, as more things are cooked there, now, as we northerners abandon the backyard grills of summer. This is the month of the ‘feast of all feasts’ for most families, and of my very favorite holiday, Thanksgiving Day. On that day, a celebration with family, including a table decorated with reminders of fall, usually features the best scents of all, including the unmistakable aroma emanating from the kitchen, of a huge, slowly roasting turkey. Yum!

I suggest that you, just for fun, when that holiday comes, ask the youngest of your group what the word Thanksgiving means. Some might actually say ‘turkey’, as an almost interchangeable ‘T’ word. You then might discuss something we old English teachers would tell them, that Thanksgiving is a compound word made up of the words thanks, and giving. Then have those little ones tell you what each of those words means.Ę

Thanksgiving: a day of giving thanks, and of being truly thankful for all that we have been given. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,” James 1:17, Holy Bible. To me, those gifts are my family, my friends, my home, my career, and my free country. For such things, and others you may name, let us be truly thankful. The best bumper sticker I ever saw, proclaimed: “Gratitude is the best therapy.” Being grateful, being thankful, in the cold and often gray month of November, can really bring out the sunshine!

Previous Post

Veterans Day

Next Post

Reiss’s Pieces

Next Post

Reiss’s Pieces

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Dining Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In