There is always SOMETHING to be thankful for . . .

Just in case anyone out there is under the impression that I am a bitter curmudgeon-in-training . . . well, there may be some truth to that, but . . . here is my annual list of things I am thankful for:

• Two healthy, happy children who are not quite yet embarrassed to be seen with me.



• A good, enjoyable job working with terrific people, many of whom I hope to be friends with forever.



• A clean and sober (two years now!) spouse with a smile on his face.



• My currently clean home. My currently clean laundry. My currently clean dishes.



• Friends. Old, new, nearby, far away, in-and-out of touch. There are so many of you that I feel like I could call at 3 a.m. and you would be there for me. I hope I never have to, but it's nice to know I could.



• The Mormon moms who are willing to take on a Scout den of 10-year-olds.



• Cloudy and rainy days.



• The JetBoil backpacking stove.



• Edward Norton and his movies.




• Stovetop Stuffing.



• Water in the desert.



• The smell of creosote and wet earth when it rains in the desert.



• The sign in my mom's house that reads: 'May those who love us, love us. Those that don't, may God turn their hearts. If He cannot turn their hearts, let him turn their ankles, so we'll know them by their limping.'



• Pine trees.



• Small cottages.



• Boxer puppies.

• The following fabulous locations that I am thankful I have had a chance to visit and/or live: Jerome, Arizona; San Francisco; Portland, Oregon and the entire Oregon coast; Misery Island, Massachusetts; Anchorage/Wasilla/Portage Glacier/Girdwood, Alaska; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Stone Mountain, Georgia. I feel fortunate to have been able to travel and have many more spots in mind for future trips.
• Spider Solitaire.
• Kettle Korn.
• Kindness.
• Excellent, engrossing books. Try Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, a trilogy by Stephenie Meyer.
• Being perfectly comfortable, and the perfect temperature, in that drowsy half sleep, knowing you don't have to get up anytime soon.
• My crock pot.
• Homemade bread.
• You.

Happy Thanksgiving.

FLAT

What gets you all riled up?

If you're me, the answer is not much of anything.

My mother rants about George Bush until she's about purple. For other friends global warming is their cause. What about political correctness run amok? I just read another blog that had a reprinting of a letter from the Seattle school district stating that Thanksgiving should not be mentioned in the classroom, because it offends Native American students, reminds them that their friendship to the pilgrims was rewarded with 500 years of death and dislocation. Sigh.

My main feeling is THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO OR WANT TO DO ABOUT IT. Most days it feels like all I can do is hold myself and this family together for another 24 hours.

I recently rented a movie called Year of the Dog about a woman who loses her beloved pet and it inspires her to get involved in the animal rights movement, and it made me think about all people who get wound up in various causes. Good for them. But do they really change anything? Is my flat lack of passion a sign of disregard for others and the world around me, or of chronic apathy in myself? Is it wrong to wish people would JUST GET OVER IT?

Happy Veteran's Day!

This goes out to my friend Davy (who's still in the Navy, and probably will be for life . . . thank you Billy Joel).

When you joined the Navy straight out of Mingus Union High School, we all thought you were NUTS! If there was anyone not suited to a regimented life, it was your stoner-rocker-long haired self. But here you are, twenty two years later, a Navy Chief, with a nice wife and a kid in COLLEGE for God's sake! While the rest of us look at still many years until retirement, you already have that retirement in the bag. Guess you were the smart one after all. You done good.

So thanks for your service, for your e-mails from all the far-flung corners of the globe, and your tales of the sea (and the port). Happy Veteran's Day!

THE NEXT BIG ADVENTURE

Since surviving the Havasupai hike, there has been discussion of making an annual backpacking trip. Becca and I have been tossing around ideas for a while now, which have included Yosemite, Yellowstone or Glacier National Park, and Alaska. Alaska was leading the pack for a time, but then we checked airfares . . . too far, too expensive, and in my opinion too many grizzly bears to be out bushwacking for three or four days.

We agreed closer to home might work out better. Becca wanted to do Havasupai again, but my toenails are just now after six months beginning to resemble toenails again. Plus I have a little bit of that "been there, done that" feeling about Havasupai. It is beautiful and well worth the trip, but . . .

So ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that the 2nd Annual Backpack Trip will be . . . the ZION NARROWS . . . in southern Utah, most likely the first weekend in June. Something to look forward to.