Thanksgiving Musings

Thanksgiving musings:

Thinking about people gathering and those who don't have family. And a country of abundance and those without enough food or water, and traveling, and paid holidays, and highway fatalities, and over eating, and Jean and Janice, whom I haven't chatted with lately, and Jane's skinny ankles, and books and movies. We are thankful for our children, our families, and when we stop and think about it, our jobs.

I'm thankful I work with eighteen different nationalities and races. Black, white, Asian, Filipino, Muslim, Mexican, Korean, and Okie. All these people, born in and out of the USA, working together, drinking coffee together, laughing together, griping together.

Sometimes we are thankful for our problems. What is the old homily about if everyone put their troubles on a big football field and then we could go and handpick the problems we would want to be burdened with, we would go pick up the exact problems we just laid down. They don't seem so bad by comparison. I don't know if that is true, but it is interesting to think about at a time of gratefulness.

Thanksgiving from the heart, sharing a meal, cooking for family. Uncle's favorite, so and so doesn't like oysters so leave them out of the stuffing, just come on over we have plenty of food. Trying new foods, roads, experiences, traditions, or appreciating old food, roads, experiences and traditions, or jump ahead three spaces to a new job, romance or home. We are thankful.

I'm thinking of me in my cozy wee condo and Mary in her new home. Thankful, thankful. Thankful for religious freedom and a car that runs in just about equal measure. I'm always thankful for that hot shower I mention so often. One of America's most taken for granted luxuries.

I saw the presidential motorcade blaze out of downtown the other morning, yes I was smoking in back of the building where it overlooks the I-5 corridor, but what I appreciated, what made me smile, was the 200 or so motorcycle policeman getting to ride escort. It was a precision parade of blinking light splendor, and I wondered, assumed, there had to be some pride for these local folk.

I'm thankful for my computer and book markers, and reading, and authors who write books for reading, and people who make books, and libraries, and book stores, and Mrs. Horton who taught me to read, and the Puritans who believed in teaching children to read at about the same Thanksgiving time we are now celebrating, and how that informed this country and endures.

I'm thankful for friends lending books, and breakfast with Claire and coffee with Jo-Anne, and all the raging radicals in my family, and men who read and fish and cook. I'm thankful for Michael riding his bike, and Nora and Amber bossing people around, and Judy smiling, and little princess warriors, and dancing Connor.

I'm thankful for people with pets, and people with red hair or no hair, for getting up in the morning. I'm thankful for a world that spins, and wild ponies, and wheat, and jumping frogs and that America endures.

Thanksgiving is complicated for Americans. Always abundance, usually wanting more even if it is a faster car lane or a better mall parking spot. We want to share what we have and protect what we have. The biblical "widow's mite" comes to mind. Every country, race, tribe, group has some kind of tradition for appreciation, gratefulness, Thanksgiving.

And so this is ours. We are all, everyone, thankful Thanksgiving endures. So does plastic, but that is another story.

Bo says she is bringing an apple pie to our Thanksgiving dinner and that the apple pie has a story.
I'm thankful for stories.

Fifty Shades of Family part II

...and finally does anyone know anything about Tal?

Has he ever danced naked, ridden a bull, jumped off a cliff, played horseshoes, played a guitar, played dress-up, played musical chairs, played nice?

...and Jason answered my blog query on Facebook. In case you missed it: Jason Taylor I have never sky dived, but Claire and I saw Richard E. Grant in London once. Judy has fed an elephant and a giraffe. Hope this helps. We love you.


...and finally I remembered my third Starbucks story; whew that hurt the old brain cells, they are still black and blue and bruised.

#3.  Usually I don't chit-chat when I ride the elevator down to go outside and smoke, but for some unknown reason I say to the dude standing inside, "I looked out the window and it is really raining." He answers in his reasonable elevator voice. "Starbucks." I look at him with a reasonable blank elevator look wondering what Starbucks has to do with my weather report.

...and he continued; "I was trying to decide whether to go to Subway or Starbucks." Mind you, Starbucks is in the building and Subway is across the plaza, down the steps, down the block, through the busy intersection, and across the street. "Now I think I will just go to Starbucks."

...he might have noticed when he emerged from the building that it was pouring down rain, but for me, I think I saved his bald head from getting wet that day.


...and Jean, I am now the proud owner of not one, but three Dream Product's bras. Thank you for the info.

...and I have cleaned out another two square feet of condo space.

...and book club list for those interested, thank you Sandy:

Dec - A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy.  A tribute to the author who passed away very shortly after writing this book

 

Jan - Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo.  A story of live love and survival in the Mumbai slums.  Very beautifully written.

 

After that, maybe an Alice Munro book? Or Mary Coin by Marisa Silver which was loaned to me by Claire via Jan.

 

...and Tikki is terrific, the second best behaved dog I have ever been around. The boys will be home this evening.

 

...and Julia, Roger has a fractured/strained toe and can't run for two months. Does misery love company?

 

...and now I'm going to go clean out another two square feet of space.

Fifty Shades of Family

On staying the same:

My favorite lecture, either number one or number two, is you don't change. You are always you.

I've been young/old, fat/thin, rich/poor, east coast/west coast, healthy/unhealthy, long hair/short hair, happy/sad, working/not working, no children/multiple children, yours/mine/ours, single/married/divorced/widowed. What and who you are, how God made you, or genes or DNA or whatever, is what and who you are. You are always you.

My other favorite lecture, either number one or number two, involves child rearing. Listen to every word your child shares -- and -- bribery. Bribery is the most undervalued parenting skill of all. Bribery works.

And that is all the lectures I own, but I do have three Starbucks stories.
#1.  I drove past a Starbucks at 8AM on a Sunday morning and there were NO cars.
"I passed a Starbucks and there were no cars, can you spell that without any 'r's'?"
#2.  A young smoking acquaintance downtown who works at Starbucks commented the other day, "Why are people coming to Starbucks to buy coffee? Don't their offices have coffee machines? They mostly just buy drip. I wouldn't spend my money on coffee." It reminded me of my tobacco man once telling me I smoked too much.
#3. 

If you scanned your eyes around your environment right now could you spy a penguin? China? Paper? Knick-knack? Cup holder? Blanket pattern? Slippers? Newspaper or magazine cover? Zoo calendar?

The weather man lied. It's not raining and 40 degrees this morning, it's brilliant and 30 degrees. The mountains are spectacular, the clouds are calm, the sound smooth, and the children at play.

Connor went with me to book club and I discovered he knows "out of the ordinary." Every squeak, groan, hiss, ping, rattle, every noise my car made, Connor heard, raised his head, cocked his ears and asked, "What's that?" Not only my car, but all the surrounding noises also, loud pops, screeching brakes, construction noise. Each and every whirring, whizzing, whispering, windy, clanging noise.

As for Connor's take on magic, interesting is all I can say. I took 438 Christmas stickers, and some old greeting cards and envelopes for him to mess with on our playdate yesterday. He was going to make me a card but I lost out to Santa. After he laboriously decorated a card, signed his name, addressed it to Santa and it was clutched in his hands he asked me where to put it so Santa would find it.

 I answered, in my reasonable granny voice, oh just put it under the Christmas tree or by the fireplace. Yes, granny, but how will Santa know it's for him? Well, Connor, because you wrote his name on it. Yes, granny, but how will he know it's for him?

I answered, in my reasonable granny voice, well Santa's magic, he will know it's for him. GRANNY, magic doesn't have any eyes and Santa doesn't have a wand. Final solution; he hid it in the couch cushions. I'm telling you, the boy knows magic, and whose to say he isn't right.

While Christian and Ian are visiting Bob in Texas, I'm caring for my grand-dog Tikki. Tikki went with me on my Connor playday, of course, and Tikki and Brandy got along fine until Roger came home and they heard the garage door open. Brandy knew to rush to the back door while Tikki charged the front door. Tikki realized the error of her ways, Brandy being more knowledgeable of the two, so she corrected her trajectory and went to the back door also. Brandy let her know with the sweetest little barkish growl that greeting Roger was her prerogative and to back off. Tikki did, about one half of a dog length, and they both yipped Roger into the house.

A lot of people have been participating in the "things you don't know about me" on Facebook? I can't play that game because everyone knows everything about me, but it did get me thinking about the things I might not know about family.

Has Jennifer made a dress?
Has Nora been to the top of the Sears tower?
Has Jason skydived?
Summer driven a motorcycle?
Michael eaten an artichoke?
Judy touched an elephant?
Claire spotted a celebrity?
Cathy climbed a mountain?
Chris made a wedding cake?
Brittany flunked a test?
Marc been to Turkey?
Amber jumped off a cliff?
Andrew got drunk?
Jacquie braided her hair?
Benjamin driven a truck?
Dan stepped on a rattlesnake?
Hannah dyed her hair?
Blaine flown alone?
Taylor bounced a drunk?
Clark skied?
Jordon been to Disneyland?
Jackson won a swimming race?
Roger played horseshoes?
Stephanie played a guitar?
Connor played with a Barbie?
Christian played musical chairs?
Bo played checkers?
Ian danced naked?
Julie seen a dog she didn't like?
Brandon bitten Tal?
Mark swallowed a fly?
Jake been lost in the desert?
Does Kenny like gum?
And anything about Janelle, Scott, spouses, and kiddos?

...and I can't remember my third Starbucks story. Oh the woes of ageing.
Love to one and all.

My kids are getting shoes for Christmas.

Oh Crap!

I went to the doctor today and I have to tell you I have a crap body. Crap diabetes, crap blood pressure, crap heart, lungs, ears, eyes, bladder. I'm like that old truck I used to drive, nothing on it worked but it just wouldn't die, it just kept on going. Not like the Energizer bunny going, but more like a crap old truck still going.

My sweet doctor told me what a good job I'm doing and to keep up the good work and THEN said stop smoking, lose weight and exercise. She's been my doctor for a good number of years now, doesn't she know by now I am not going to stop smoking, lose weight and exercise. She always calls me "my dear" and hugs me hello and goodbye, maybe she had a lesson in physical contact for the elderly. I don't know. But I will tell you this, crap I am and crap I will stay.

And speaking of weird movies:
here is my list of weird, watchable, confusing, strange, wondrous films;
Silent Souls 
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
A Shadow We Soon Will Be
Le Quattro Volte
The Mill and The Cross

Le Quattro Volte is about the four essences of man: mineral, vegetable, animal, human according to one theory or Pythagoras' theory of four successive lives we each much live. Wonderful film without dialogue.

The Mill and The Cross is about entering Bruegel's painting The Procession to Calvary. I can't even describe it. Again practically no dialogue.

Quote: Intelligence is terrible. It makes us do stupid things. Jean Renoir -- from another film altogether; French Cancan.  

Bo made the Korean feast she promised. I think she made one of everything. Everything was beautiful and then more beautiful. Sushi, kimchi. Kimchi made with spices her grandmother hand grinds in Korea. She made these little radish wrapped salads that looked like miniature Asian tacos overflowing with vegetables all kind of pickled and delicious. Miso soup, until you have had Bo's miso soup you haven't had miso soup. It had little octopus type mushrooms floating in it along with about eighteen other vegetables. A beef stir-fry thingy, a cold noodle pork thingy. She kept bringing in food and unpacking food and serving up food. My wee kitchen and no dining area hampered her artist expression a little bit, but the beauty of the food shone anyway. Bo did the cooking, but Christian said he chopped every vegetable -- and -- sliced the sushi.

Bo was busy unpacking and arranging food when Christian mentioned that the Seattle Seahawks were behind in their game. Bo continued with the dinner until Christian told her the Seahawks were two touchdowns behind, that is when Bo discovered I don't have a TV. When Christian informed her it was 21 to nothing Bo lost it and said. "Where's a bar?" and left. Not to return until the Seahawks had tied the game and she could continue with dinner. Gotta love Bo.

I believe in reality. It is a strange world living in the bounds of reality. We are like ancient mariners or Greek pottery from 3,000 years ago. Reality wraps around us, there and not there. Then and not now. Is reality any more real or less real because we are living through it? Alive now and not there or then. Where does reality cease to be reality? When does it drift so complete and transparent that it is gone?

Reality is the rhythm of days, of life. No purpose, no grand plan or scheme, just living, just being. That is what the Mill and Cross film was about, that is what the Bruegel painting was about. In the midst of, and all around great and momentous happenings, life goes on, with bread baking, playing with pets, birthing, sky gazing, cloud watching, going to the doctor.

Crap body in a beautiful world -- gotta love life.