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November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on me this year, even though the reminders have been there for weeks. Walking home from work last Friday through a light dusting of snow. The annual invitation to join my neighbors for turkey.
But the sagging economy and, just last night, the carnage in India have dampened my mood this year. Fortunately, Shelby came through and gave me a wonderful Thanksgiving gift. Although stiff with age and chronic bladder issues, she greeted me this morning by making several circuits around the bird room, then eating her morning pellets with great gusto. What a champ she is!
As I write this, Kramer is sunning himself by the living room window, no doubt waiting for his lady friend Molly to join him. The birds are chattering happily, bellies full from vegies and pellets.
I have a lot to be thankful for this year and a recent email from Terri couldn't have made that fact any clearer. She and Jeremy are in Galveston this Thanksgiving. Jeremy has a three-month assignment there helping to get Galveston back on its feet after being devastated by Hurricane Ike. She wrote:
"The island is trashed. The hotel sits right off the freeway surrounded by houses that are all destroyed, either knocked down by the hurricane or now demolished. The hotel is still fixing the rooms on the first floor, but upper floors are fine. I believe it was still under construction when the hurricane hit. The devastation is just amazing. We drove through the historic district last night where all the cute little shops are/were... it's very sad. There are one or two small places that are reopened already but the vast majority are still digging out. And some of the coastal roads are washed away. Many of the traffic lights are still out and they've got temporary stop signs installed at the intersections. Some of the restaurants are open - had great Italian Sunday night, awful Chinese last night - but many are not. We're trying to eat on the island as much as possible to support the local economy. I want to explore a little this afternoon and see if I can find a few shops open. Our waiter at the Italian place said he was born/raised here, owns some rental properties and worked at another restaurant his whole life. His rentals are tagged for demolition and his restaurant was destroyed. I can't even imagine that."
So give thanks for family, friends, and the critters that give us so much joy. And say a prayer for those less fortunate and for our troops serving overseas.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Posted by Sue at November 27, 2008 7:40 AM