Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Hello all.  I hope that those of you in the U.S. are having or will have some relaxing time off with family and friends over this Thanksgiving week.  Looking at things from the perspective of last Thanksgiving to this one, I have a lot to be thankful for. Last year, for the first time in decades we couldn't spend time with any of our extended family or travel to any fun vacation destinations. This year, we're trying to juggle how to get together with two sets of grandparents and several of our extended family, along with checking in with some friends we haven't seen in way too long.  Last year we lost a member of our extended family shortly before the holidays, along with not one, not two, but three very long-term pets.  

 

This year, despite Covid's ongoing global rampage, all of our family and friends are arriving at Thanksgiving safely and we've spent a year going through the welcome aggravation of training a couple of Covid rescue puppies.  This time last year I was going through a chronic physical problem that finally resulted in a major surgery.  This year I've been climbing mountains and moving heavy weights in the gym.  I'll probably repeat this recap in greater detail around Christmas, since for some reason I tend to measure my yearly progress from one Christmas to the next, but even though I've never really been that into Thanksgiving, I do recognize that after the global train wreck that was 2020, I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I hope you do was well and that you enjoy whatever time you get with friends and family. If you're traveling, be safe.

 Happy Thanksgiving.

 


 

8 comments:

  1. Dan

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours: i believe 2022 is going to see the end of our long national nightmare ( Covid, not Trump). The anti virals targeting Covid are going to finish it off by spring -- although we may have a rocky winter to get through. I don't think anyone in this generation living trough this and the fissures it revealed in our society will ever forget it.One of the most reliable lessons of any post war are the large and unexpected changes that come.We have been through the equivalent of a war and we are going to see some of those changes.Indeed we are seeing them already. But for now we can be thankful that ( to paraphrase Churchill, badly) we have reached the beginning of the end and tha end is in view
    Alan

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    1. Alan, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, too. I think you're probably right that we are closer to the end than the beginning. Though, as you say it's going to be a rough winter. I live in a state with relatively high vaccination states, and yet our hospitals are once again overwhelmed. The arrival of antivirals will help. I just hope we don't end up with a variant that can get around them.

      I agree this as been the equivalent of a large scale war, and that's not all bad in the long term when you consider the positive direction that took over after WWII. I do think we are likely to end up with more resilient supply chains. We've obviously had a decade or two of medical advances crammed into a two year period. Hybrid work places with more work from home options are family friendly and probably good for the environment. So, like you, I do hope we come out on the other side of this stronger and more resilient.

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  2. That sentiment on pets really tugged at my Heart Dan and thanks for posting.
    Our pets give us so much and ask for so little and even though their life span is short they managed to cram so much love and find memories into ours.
    Have a happy Thanksgiving with your family....and watch out for Anne's bath brush !

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    1. Yeah, I'm a sucker for sentimental stuff about dogs, but something about that particular meme really got me. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

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  3. I'm another dog lover. Their lives are way too short.

    Happy Thanksgiving, Dan, and all who contribute here.

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  4. Happy Thanksgiving, Dan, and Club Members. We have always had a dog as a member of our family as well - appreciated the meme. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season! --al

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  5. In reference to the cartoon of the wall I am curious which parts of the native culture you feel we should have assimilated. Is it slavery? Or maybe pedophilia? I am sure you know that when one tribe would war with another the victor would take women and children as slaves. Most of us are familiar with the Shoshone interpreter that was on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Here is a bit about her from biography.com.

    Sacagawea, the daughter of a Shoshone chief, was captured by an enemy tribe and sold to a French Canadian trapper who made her his wife around age 12. In November 1804, she was invited to join the Lewis and Clark expedition as a Shoshone interpreter. After leaving the expedition, she died at Fort Manuel in what is now Kenel, South Dakota, circa 1812.

    What the Europeans did to the natives was not very nice but it was very human. In fact this sort of thing is happening right now in many parts of the world. Thankfully we have managed to end slavery in our country and that should be celebrated.

    Now I know you don't advocate for slavery or pedophilia but you should know that when Americans advocate for assimilation we are advocating personal responsibility and freedom, among other things, and that is what has made our country a great place. Advocating for that type of assimilation is a good thing. Without that we may as well be Iran or another "shithole" country.

    As to the dog meme, it is great. I have a 16 year old pup and the meme is spot on. :)

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