(Waggy-butt dog in my face, won't let me type. Oooh, dog smooches!)

My cup runneth over, today. With love and gratitude for so much, but particularly for the following:

1. My family, given and chosen, and the love they show every stinkin' day.
2. That hard work does pay off, and, specifically, that I can do good work even when removed from the support system I always thought (feared?) defined my life, paved my way.
3. The goodness of people in general.

A prayer from Beth:

O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look he granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound,with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out out His will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord. -'Abdu'l-Baha

PLUCK : FAWN
vim : wince
nerve : presume
humility : vaunt
banjo : strum
frugality : economize

I love the humility of this-- asking for the long winter, instead of dreading or resisting it. And I would like to have a patient mouth, you know? I'd like to be a part of the swirling, astonishing, gorgeous madness of it all but to stay calm and grounded at the same time. And pride: Help me remember and hold on to (and act according to) the important things I know about myself.

Today, Thanksgiving, is my favorite holiday. Why? Family and Food. It's Christmas without the craziness, without the exhaustion from rehearsing and singing and playing, without the stress of silly gift-buying. Thanksgiving is a day for card games (pinochle or rummy), for tromping around in the woods or playing Frisbee with cousins. It's a day to be together without an agenda, except to eat! Thanksgiving means pumpkin pies made from Mima's recipe, and mashed potatoes and broccoli casserole... Thanksgiving also means everyday family things, like someone playing the piano, loud laughing and sometimes arguing, the guys holing up in a quiet room to read or do computer stuff. I do love Christmas, and Easter, and any other excuse for family get-togethers and general mayhem. But, without a doubt, Thanksgiving will always be my favorite.

-9 tonight, and I am wishing for a beach getaway... Maybe I could swing one somehow when I'm home for Christmas? That would be lovely. Either way, must find a way to go to Hawaii in the spring. (Anybody want to go? We could camp on the beach!! It would be warm!! There would be mangoes!! C'mon-- you know you wanna!!)

"Little Prayer in November" by Lee Rudolph,
from A Woman and a Man, Ice-Fishing.

That I am alive, I thank
no one in particular;
and yet am thankful, mostly,
although I frame no prayer

but this one: Creator
Spirit, as you have come,
come again, even in November,
on these short days, fogbound.

Here's the link to an MSN article called Little Things That Count (Each of These Will Make You a Better Man) by Duane Swierczynski. I don't really know how many men read this blog, but I'm pretty sure anybody can appreciate! Here are the first 3 in a list of 19:

1. Paying attention -- real attention -- to a small child. I still remember the adults who did that when I was a kid. They also happen to be my role models.
2. The lid on a jar of pickles. It's not that women really need your help twisting it loose from the jar. They could use a hammer. But they like to make you appear strong, even if you are built like Mick Jagger.
3. A breath mint.

http://men.msn.com/articlemh.aspx?cp-documentid=1032728&GT1=8784

P.S. Whoever posted the insanely long, holier-than-thou comment on the 11/11 blog is a poo poo head. Do NOT click their name to see who in the heck they are-- it could mess with your computer (like it did mine).

The frost on the lake is called surface hoar. It forms when the moisture in snow, or ice, is sapped out by even colder temperatures. This Wednesday, the high will be 11 and the low, 1.

I went cross country skiing on Wednesday! It was like slow-motion flying, gliding across sheets of crisp, cold white. The sun was out and there was a bear across the valley, lumbering around in the snow, satiated from eating a moose that he'd (she'd?) had for breakfast. All that just a 15 minute drive from my house...

That's Anchorage: cappuccino or citrus green tea from the Art Museum, then a jaunt out to the mountain for skiing and true wilderness wildlife-viewing, back into town for live music and Thai food, then home to plug in the engine block heater and read The Press (the Anchorage weekly alternative paper) in warm cozy bed!

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p.s. Happy 11 / 11!

This is looking North toward downtown Anchorage, from the coast at Earthquake Park. I think it was about 5:45 pm? On Sunday. While taking pictures there, I met a really nice guy- a pilot with UPS- who had just flown in from SDF (the Louisville airport) that morning! Such a small world, this one, and so many interesting people to meet.

Good ol Garrison Keillor. He speaks wisdom, stays the course, doesn't mess around, while entertaining and still managing to be a gentle soul. Here's a bit of an opinion piece he wrote for the Salt Lake Tribune this past Sunday.

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The Retiring Type? Not Me
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Garrison Keillor
The Salt Lake Tribune
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Saturday 04 November 2006
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It took me an hour to turn the clocks back an hour, coordinating all watches and digital alarm clocks and oven clock and kitchen clock and car clocks to Central Standard Time, during which a man starts to question the entire concept of promptitude, meetings, appointments, etc., which leads to thoughts of retirement, the End of the Trail, Old Paint, the part of your life when it doesn't matter so much if it's 9:30 or 10:05, or even if it's Tuesday or Saturday, when you drift along as most mammals do, eating when hungry, sleeping when sleepy and meeting whomever you meet whenever you meet them.

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To read the entire editorial, go to www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110606R.shtml

Just need to take a moment to recognize the truly fabulous guys in my life.

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How blessed I have been to know such amazing people! I have an extraordinarily wonderful dad, two amazing and kind grandpas, really lovely uncles (by blood and by marriage- my aunts have such good taste), an awesome brother-in-law, great guys met in college and beyond, fun and inspiring cousins and, finally, my Altar-taters (pictured above), Frank and Dave- two of the most decent, talented and good people I know!

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Sigh... :)