Count Me Truly Thankful

As we enter the week of the Thanksgiving holiday, it is time again to remind myself of all I have to be thankful. This is my favorite time of the year when we are immersed in the season of fall, filled with its warm palette of reds, golds and yellows...even though it is currently raining cats & dogs!

Thanksgiving always means a feast with the family: turkey (deep fried at my house), cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, Mom’s dressing, gravy, pumpkin pie, the whole nine yards. I prefer to stay at home by the wood stove with a good football game on TV but this year the younger generation is taking over and we’ll be spending Thanksgiving at my niece’s in Beaverton, Oregon. She texted me numerous times yesterday to make sure I was bringing my famous homemade cranberry sauce and dessert (she doesn’t know I spent most of yesterday baking cookies, pumpkin bread, persimmon cake, etc., for the journey) And the wine, we always bring the wine. This year we’re taking local wine from the Alfaro family vineyards in Corralitos, CA, just a few short miles from our house. A superb Pinot Noir has been selected to accompany the bird. Friday night, we are looking forward to dinner at Salvadore Molly's in Portland, an interesting "pirate" themed restaurant we've been wanting to try. I'll have to Yelp! that experience.

I am thankful for the little things in life, the fact that the people I love are healthy and we are so close to each other. I am blessed to have people surrounding me who believe in me, and show me everyday how much they love me. I am thankful to have a roof over my head and a job, when many people today are not so lucky.

May this holiday season be a time to reflect, laugh and give! May the spirit of thankfulness and giving carry far beyond this holiday weekend into the lives of those you love!

Happy Thanksgiving! Even you bob.

May You Live in Interesting Times

I find it interesting that as soon as the Republicans get into power -only in the House- and at a time when people are frustrated about the economy, they immediately focus on health care and tax cuts for the rich.

Here's what's going to happen:

1) The GOP will overreach (they can't help themselves) and alienate their base with their preoccupation with grabbing power but NOT tending to the nation's business. McConnell's comments about the goal being to make sure Obama is a one-term President is the best example.
2) The internal implosion between the establishment republicans and the tea partiers (classic oil and water). Boehner does not have a plan for handling them; we'll see his face more often a shade of red than (phoney tan) orange.
3) The GOP will drive moderates and independents back to the democrats during this term by their displayed extremism and lack of accomplishments, just in time for the 2012 election. Obama will be re-elected, no problem.
4) The GOP is politically incapable of meeting their stated objectives regarding the budget deficits becasue these are the same characters and the same party that created it!
5) The democrats should be looking forward this cycle of endless and baseless "investigations" of the Obama administration, as promised by psycho Michelle Bachman, and instead of exposing any wrong doing, it will reveal to the American public the pettiness and wasteful political pursuits of the GOP, just like Ken Starr and Whitewater got Clinton reelected by comfortable margins.

My prediction: 6 months from now we'll see polls showing that the Republicans are more unpopular than the Democrats. Guess I’m not really that worried.

From the West Wing (still applies today)

" Because I'm tired of working for candidates who make me think that I should be embarrassed to believe what I believe, Sam! I'm tired of getting them elected! We all need some therapy, because somebody came along and said, "'Liberal' means soft on crime, soft on drugs, soft on Communism, soft on defense, and we're gonna tax you back to the Stone Age because people shouldn't have to go to work if they don't want to!" And instead of saying, "Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary, xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, Leave It To Beaver trip back to the Fifties...!", we cowered in the corner, and said, "Please. Don't. Hurt. Me." No more. I really don't care who's right, who's wrong. We're both right. We're both wrong. "


Scary ain't it?

Good-bye GAS!

Or Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as he is so fondly known by many here in the Golden State. With him in the driver's seat as our 38th Governor, California has become a shining example of the wrong economic plan and is a failed state where the rich are enjoying a tax free life while the poor are bottoming out with the economy. The Governor does not believe in higher taxes to the rich and therein lies the major problem. While campaigning, Arnold promised a “Hummer in every driveway” (he promised a lot things that he in no way delivered).

I agree with Democratic speaker of the California Assembly, Karen Bass, when she said “He’s an action hero, and he wants to approach political office that way. He wants to be the Terminator. We have to be careful he doesn’t terminate California.” Amen, Karen!

All in all, actors do not make good governors and this guy should never have run for the office. Thank God, he isn't eligible to run for President.