Today I am reminded that a year ago I was racing the calendar to get the kitchen appliances all installed in time to cook for the holiday! I am thankful it was done last year! I am thankful for a pup who while she's very interested in what I do in the kitchen, settles down to patiently wait for the oven to do its job!
For an "old man", The Prisoner was looking pretty spry on Sunday, perched safely out of Ember's reach.
Today I am thankful for the advancements in pet pest control! I remember "flea powder" back when I was a child. Nowadays, I just have to squirt stuff on the back of my cat's neck once every couple of months and give the dog a pill every 30 days.
Not only that... Ember likes the pill and gobbles it down like a treat.
Oh, and for balance of humor, here's Ember snoozing in typical labrador sprawl for her Sunday afternoon nap!
I've been in a little bit of denial about the US Thanksgiving Day. You see, "the kids" are traveling down to visit with my DIL's mom's side of the family. They are taking Carl along. People are flying in, and they went through the process to get permission to take FGC out of state for the occasion.
My older sis will be traveling, herself, to her daughter's family. I was rescued by my kid sis, the Ace, who invited me to join their small family for the meal. Which was good, because I had something to say to my son's MIL when she asked about my Thanksgiving plans.
She, in her turn, made it plain that I was welcome to join the bigger KC plans, anytime. But I don't really want to take that long a trip.
The plan is to be with the younger sister's family. A smaller group suits me. And being in town, I don't have to leave Ember crated for as long.
Ember, well-exercised and ready for a quiet evening and night's sleep time, snuggling at my knee!
She and Carl were happy campers. FGC organized a game of tag, which was pretty hilarious, as we counted the dogs, not just ours, but other dogs, as players. So if "Ember" was "it", and she bumped into Carl, he became "it", and the next person that petted Carl became "it", and so on. I tried to end the game by petting a great Dane that was on its way toward the exit, but then my son petted that dog, and he became "it", and the game continued!
Today I am thankful for long-term weather forecasts. I can now begin bracing myself for a "colder than normal" December! Seriously, being able to look ahead for a week to ten days and pick a day to plan outdoor things or even things that I need to load up the car and drive to "this time of year" is very welcome.
OK, they aren't always right about it, but more often than not they are. I'm a weather wimp.
Oh, and thankful that "the kids" think to ask what kind of birthday celebration I want to have, and I get the classic "trip to the dog park" whenever the weather cooperates on my birthday weekend. So today is the day. Ember and Carl can help celebrate.
Today I am thankful for the incredible range of the spectrum from chaos to order, and for all the people who work to move processes and states from the chaotic to the orderly. I am thankful for the human resilience that allows us to survive or even thrive within that spectrum.
Imagine the entire scope of human history, and how invention changed the course of civilization. Each succeeding generation saw modifications and improvements in processes. The ability to build shelters from different kinds of materials. The methods of transporting ourselves and our possessions from place to place. The control of fire and its transformation for use in various ways: cooking, home heating, transportation.
On the chaos side is its use in weaponry and destruction. On the side of order, its use in producing food and surviving the elements. Also in being able to cross physical barriers like rivers, mountains, canyons to establish new homes for our families and communities. It's pretty amazing stuff when you think about it.
This pumpkin was pre-started by a squirrel, but did not stop Ember from continuing where the squirrel left off. Unrelated to the topic, just because.
This is another classically easy day of gratitude. In fact, Alicia (Mamie Allie, not my sister) used this one for the 19th. I am thankful to be alive, breathing, above ground, etc. Why is that natural for me on November 20th? Because of course it's the anniversary of my birth.
I remember mom telling me that I was born at something weird like 5 a.m., which might explain why I'm a morning person... or not!
Mom always used to say that we kept on living while we had something more to learn, or something more to give. Sounds like a good reason to hang out... learning, and sharing!
Today I am thankful for alternative sources of information. The world is changing. What used to be trustworthy sources of news and facts are no longer guaranteed to be such. Things are chosen to be presented, only part of a story is told, or in some cases outright lies.
Either way, consumption of news is no longer a simple thing. Large grains of salt are required.
I am thankful that I am not "on the front lines", so to speak, and can sit between my two furry companions, in a house with heat, with hot water, with refrigeration and cooking means for food, with stocked shelves in a nearby grocery and the ability to purchase it.
I worry when I sit amid this bounty that my gratitude may slop over into the Pharisee's prayer from the gospels, where the self-righteous one is thankful he is not "as other men". It's tempting to believe we are deserving of all the good in our lives.
I am indeed blessed, but with blessing comes responsibility, to do what we can to help others. "Noblesse oblige" in a society of supposed equals applies to us all.
Tuesday November 25, 2025 Today I am reminded that a year ago I was racing the calendar to get the kitchen appliances all installed in tim...
