Another Missing Holiday - Thanksgiving

I went into a Hallmark store over the weekend to try and find some Thanksgiving related decorations.

I have a fondness for animated seasonal toys--and I realized that I have many for Christmas and Halloween, and Valentines Day. But none, for what is one of my favorite holidays--Thanksgiving.

I was thinking of animated turkey which sings "Turkey in the Straw" or some equally folksy theme.

Do you know what I found?

Christmas!

The store was Christmas-heavy with only one small shelf unit adorned with some very weak Thanksgiving items.

We have allowed the retailers to take control. We are losing contact with our past and with a holiday which should unite all Americans--from a purely American perspective devoid of religion--although the holiday was based upon religious precepts. Thanksgiving provides a time where we can gather to give thanks for what we have and what has been provided to us as a result of those who have gone on before.

But, as a society, I worry we have lost our sense of history--and our recognition of the struggles and victories of our forefathers, their hard earned victories are now seen as our entitlements--something we no longer really think about. We don't give thanks because we do not recognize how we became such an entitled people.

It has already happened to other holidays--Columbus Day and Veteran's Day to name two. Days when even the schools--which are government institutions fail to take time to teach the students, who are our future, to remember our past (good and bad) and the sacrifices of those deserving to be remembered. It is our past which brings us to where we are today and serves as the springboard for the future.


Happy Thanksgiving! It is coming. And while you are at it, don't forget Veteran's Day--it is tomorrow.

Monday Musings - November 9, 2009

1. The headlines (newspaper and electronic) this week were really downers. Tragedy everywhere, it seemed. Why can't we behave as adults in our world and help others out? Here is a sample from Friday:

- U.S. unemployment rate hits 10.2 percent in October, the highest rate since April, 1983. Job losses total 190,000.
- 12 die in Army rampage (now 13)
- Waiting to learn who pays Dixon's legal bills. (Baltimore City Mayor)
- Health battle nears fever pitch (we know what happened here!)
- At least eight people have been shot in an Orlando, Florida, high-rise office building, CNN affiliates report.

2. Another football weekend is over--I did pretty bad--again. All of my teams were in the losing column: Maryland, Syracuse, and the Baltimore Ravens. Remind me why I watch football again? Oh yeah--because baseball season is over.

3. God provided a stunning weekend weather-wise. I am glad that I could enjoy it and be outside in the sun. It was great--the sun was so bright that I could not read the Sunday paper while sitting outdoors. So, at Chris' suggestion, I took off my shirt and just sat there enjoying the warm rays. Was it really November?

4. What is the primary rule of computers? Back-up, back-up, back-up.

5. There are about 27 million people around the world living as slaves! If you are interested in learning more--follow the link to the International Justice Mission. I was shocked to learn this. We think we live in a kinder gentler world--but reality is anything but kind and gentle.

6. Sunny Sunday autumn mornings, crisp and clear bring cheer to dreary, weather challenged souls.

7. Looking forward to the week ahead, I have strategically positioned a day off on Thursday to have new windows installed at the house. It does two important things--improves the house while qualifying for a tax credit AND gives me essentially a mid-week weekend since I have Wednesday off to celebrate Veteran's Day.

8. So the first stew of the season is history--yes--it is the time of the year for heavy, hot, stews. Chris made a fabulous one for Sunday, only, fortunately, the weather did not cooperate and it was warm and nice--definitely not stew weather. Can you spell leftovers???

9. We drove Kitty to church Sunday. It was good to have her out on the road for a bit. I've started calling her the "old lady" and Chris rankles at that. Maybe she want me to call her "my old lady?" Probably not.

Jobs

I received this news alert from CNN--

"U.S. unemployment rate hits 10.2 percent in October, the highest rate since April, 1983. Job losses total 190,000."

I thought the government just said that we saved over 265,000 jobs?

Don't the 190,000 people who lost their jobs know that their jobs were really saved? If we save 265,000 but lose 190,000 jobs does that mean we really saved 75,000 jobs--or does it mean we really lost 455,000 jobs?

I'm so confused!

Does Congress have any idea that we are talking about real people and families here and not monthly numbers on a spreadsheet report?

Each job has a face--and possibly many faces attached to it.

The Congress is talking about a health care reform package which we cannot afford while the people who need it the most are losing their jobs and won't be able to get health care in any form.

2010 is an election year!

Right now my vote is for anyone but the incumbent! We need to restore accountability to Congress.

Question:

And who is the Congress accountable to? "We, the People . . ."

Anakena Carmenere 2008 Rapel Valley - Review

I looked forward to uncorking and tasting this usually great, moderately priced wine. Previous vintages have been a favorite to serve to friends and family.

I was disappointed. This is a very young wine and it failed to meet my expectations.

The bouquet was bland --it did not provide the enticing odors to get the palatte ready for the wine.

The wine was very peppery with hints of tobacco, lacking the usual deep fruitiness of the South American varietals of this wine. There were dark berry hints in the flavor, but the peppery spicy flavors over powered them. And I like peppery, spicy wine--but this just didn't come together for me.

The color, however, was magnificient. Deep purple and enticing.

Recommendation: Even at less than $10 per bottle, I have to give an AVOID to this wine. There are better examples of carmenere out there--Concha Y Toro being one.

People You Pass Along the Way

Sadly, I learned the other day that I may have been blocked on Facebook by former friend--with whom I have never actually been a friend with on Facebook.

It hurt a bit to think that we can be so small minded.

I thought it was a social interaction site anyway. Kinda hard to interact when you're blocked and it wasn't like I was spamming. We never even had contact on Facebook--so it was a preemptive strike.

Sure, there were unresolved issues--but, hey--I'm available to discuss them and get over them. Have been for a while now. My previous attempts to rebuild the burned bridges were rebuffed.

I don't know why I care that I've been blocked. It isn't like we have had any contact. I guess it is just the idea that the communication pathways have been torn down. I've been declared PNG before--but I really earned it. And it was mutual. But this was different. I always hoped that cooler heads would prevail--after time healed a few wounds--and I am healing. This episode however reminded me that I am not healed. I still hurt.

Hey--it's a jungle out here--we need to take better care of our relationships.

World Serious Thoughts

And so it was decided Wednesday night.

The Yankees resume their presumed throne atop Major League Baseball as the champions of the world by winning the World Series in six games. Or at least champions of North America, well except for maybe Cuba.

They just seem to be a lot of highly paid mercenaries, who don't play the game for the "Love of the game" but for the fame and fortune it brings.

I guess I'm just being difficult because the distance between the 28th best team in baseball, the Orioles, and the best team, the Yankees, seems so great a chasm.

I love baseball, but I just could not bring myself to watch the game after it became apparent when the score inched up to 5-1 that the Yankees were going to win. I reached a decision point: go to bed or stay up and watch the Yankees consume the Phillies. Go to bed won.

Don't get me wrong--the Yankees have some great players. Some that should have been Orioles! But in my mind they represent the worst that baseball has to offer--except of course for winning a championship.

And so now, I am without baseball--another summertime friend has packed it in for the winter. I get to watch the Orioles as they struggle for respectability during the off-season--and maybe next year even sport a winning record--82-80 would be a huge improvement.

Sigh. Baseball, when there are no games being played is statistics and dreams. I have lots of dreams but lack the statistics to bring them to reality. But--February is coming. And when catchers and pitchers report--it is a sure sign that no matter what the groundhog says--Spring is here and summer is not far behind.

So for the next year--we will have to suffer through the words--"and now the World Series Champion New York Yankees"--attached to everything baseball. But the winds of change are moving in the American League East--and the dreamer in me says--watch out Yankees--there are a bunch of Orioles from Baltimore that are looking to replace you!

November Frost

The frost kissed pumpkins on the lawn confirmed it.
Yeah--winter really is closer than I want to believe

We had moved the plants inside in anticipation of the frost

They, like me, don't like the cold either

Hibiscus and Palm trees--

Imagine warm weather plants

trying to survive in the frosty northlands

Probably not going to happen without intervention

The heat kicked on in the house

as we dipped below the 62 degree bottom threshold we set.

So it was warm when I got out of bed

But the thought of sending more money to the BGE made my head spin

They charge too much for electricity

The trees are losing their majestically colored robes
which now lay strewn in ever growing piles on the ground
waiting for me to move them off the grass that I enjoy mowing
a reminder of the summer past
when they were green still on the trees and doing their job
of providing shade for parties and play

The truck started without problem
I remember olden times when I had a car which would not start in the cold
Kinda like me--I have trouble getting going in the cold, too
I would spend the whole charge on a battery trying to get that 1970 Ford to start
Only to need a jump from a friend or relative
I'll probably need a jump start soon, too

So there it was in plain sight
No doubts at all
The frost on the windshield, the house tops, the trees
The hint of snow flurries by the weather forecaster
And the cold reality that I probably should have worn a coat

According to the calendar
November is wholly part of the Autumn season
But that is only a cruel joke
November is really is the foot soldier of Winter
The harbinger of the snow and ice and months of darkness
We need to light warm fires in the fireplaces of our hearts
To remind us that April is only five months away!

2008 Norton - Wine Review

The 2008 Norton from Keswick Vineyards is a pleasure to drink. I especially enjoy the strong tannins of this young wine--but truly wish I had bought more so I could enjoy it as it ages. This is a Virginia wine and if you thought only really good wines come from places other than Virginia (as I did once) then you need to spend some time visiting wineries in Virginia. These winemakers know how to make wines which are spectacular for the region.



I opened a bottle the other night and remembered why I bought this wine.


It has magnificent color--a rich, dark, full purple which makes the mouth water even before bringing the glass to the nose to enjoy the fragrant bouquet. Understand--this is not a light wine--but a full body wine for people who like a wine that can stand on its own.


The bouquet is inviting especially with the eucalyptus which draws you deeper into the wine. The taste has hints of raspberry and coffee and spices--but the wines youth, right now, is really in the tannins which will really improve the wines complexity as it ages.


I am going to take one of the other bottles I bought and put a note on it--do not uncork until 2014! I loved it the other evening--I can only imagine what it will be in a few years.


Recommendation: Buy this wine, cellar it and enjoy now and enjoy it more in a few years. At $21 per bottle it has the makings of a great wine for the future!

Makayla the Wonder Pup Turns One

Unbelievable. My hot dog.

It is happy birthday to Makayla! She turned one this morning and it truly is an amazing feat.

From the tiny furry pup that was barking for me under last year's Christmas Tree, to today she has brought a complete change in life for Chris and I while reminding us how much we love dogs.

Can I just say that next to the bicycle I got when I was a kid--she is probably the best Christmas present ever!

Not just a gift--but a companion and friend who truly loves to be with us.

She jumps up on the couch (shhh!, don't tell Chris) and plays with me while I am watching TV. She wants to go places with me--no matter where. And she is just around.

She also forces me to get out for long-ish walks to enjoy the outdoors--even though it is along a street.

She is also probably the reason we didn't go bike riding this year--because we couldn't take her along--but I think we may try to get her to run alongside the bikes next year.

Oh yeah--she it too smart for her own good.

And some in the family think she is too high octane--her secret nickname is "animal" from the Muppet's!

She is becoming a first class watchdog--anything that moves withing a hundred yards of the house is alerted on! And that is not a bad thing.

Thanks to all who participated in the let's get Dad a dog for Christmas secret pact. And thanks for letting me choose the gender--even though I had no idea at the time that I was doing that.

Monday Musings - November 2, 2009

1. November already. Where did the year go already. It seems as if we were just celebrating New Years, only yesterday!

2. The World Series has devolved into a Yankee love-fest! Ugh! Since I cheer for a team which occupies the cellar in the American League East--I get more than enough Yankee-love every season. Let's hope the Phillies can get the horses running and turn the series around!

3. I hurt my back on Columbus Day-- and I can't seem to get over it. I rested yesterday and it seems a bit better--but in reading on line today--they say that continued activity and stretching is the best thing for strengthening and overcoming lower back pain. So no pain, no gain is a reality I guess!

4. Football weekends are much sweeter when the teams you are cheering for win! (or don't play)

5. Halloween, at least among small children, seems to bring out a lot of fun. Too bad the day is also associated with so much negative activity.

6. I continue to be amazed by people who believe that creating more laws and regulations will make life better. I remember the person who won a huge lawsuit for being burned on McDonald's coffee. I kind of like the way the Australians do stuff. If someone does something stupid and gets hurt or killed and then a law suit is filed for damages--they take the approach: don't do stupid things. people need to be responsible for their actions and the consequences thereof. Case dismissed. It certainly helps keeps costs down. We are all still paying for the damages awarded in that lawsuit.

7. My dog was a hotdog for Halloween. Makes me smile! Next year she is going to be Superdog!

8. It was a rainy autumn weekend this past weekend. Yet, we found lots to keep us busy. Putting energy into improving the quality of our living area keeps us in a state of constant urban renewal, but also keeps our interest in updating our lives.

9. We were advised of an upcoming celebration of life for an old friend this past week that we have been invited to attend. He was a member of the church we left almost two years ago and I have been thinking a lot about him and I am hopeful that the memorial service may heal some of the rifts that have developed in some of my relationships over our decision to leave that church. I have been reminded of many unresolved issues over that decision. They just kind of hang there like the "elephant in the room" waiting for resolution.