Happy Thanksgiving

...to one and all.

May your holiday be filled with joy and laughter and fun and family and friendship, and if football is your thing, add it to the list!

May you eat too much and have a nap and wake up and eat some more.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for today and every day:

My family - my husband, our son and daughters, our granddaughter and our extended families.

My friends - from those nearby, like Catherine in the corner unit to those far flung, like all of you who have become more than just text to me.

My home - not just the coop in the city, but my rural roots. The grandparents who had a gaggle of grandkids swoop in on them for weeks every summer that kept us grounded and gave us a sense of permanence and place.

American citizenship - and the Constitution on which it stands. While it has been cheapened and debased and degraded the last seven years, it is still worth fighting and dieing for, and it will take more than aWol Bush and Darth Cheney to destroy this country. To that end, I am thankful that 1/20/09 is coming.

I am thankful for people who step up and serve. People like my father and father-in-law, my husband, my nephew, my cousins and aunts and uncles and friends. People who realize that there are things bigger than themselves and that those things are worth standing up for.

I am thankful for the internet that brings us all together, and lets us find our like-minded brothers and sisters. I am humbled that so many of you come by here every day to read my ranting and offer your own feedback and perspectives. I strive to inform, and it's a two-way street - I learn from you all every day. And for that, I am truly thankful.