clocked by a dachshund

Nick's been obsesssed with me since coming home from visiting my folks. Not that it's anything new for him to follow me around, but he's REALLY interested in everything I do and everywhere I go. He's just waiting for a lap to fall asleep in. I love his enthusiasm and sincerity. He's so uninhibited.

the most sincere use of the word blessed

It was a good Thanksgiving. Of course I was my usual sentimental self and missed a lot of people and times, but when I was in the here and now--it was all quite sweet. I ate a lot of my mom's excellent food, watched a parade on TV, watched MSU basketball, and went for a gorgeous 1.7 mile walk around my parents' sub-division. We walked past people playing football, a couple orange groves, a guy walking his dog, and some kids playing really loud Jamaican dancehall from a parked car. It was all so perfect and a nice cap to an excellent week spent with my folks. I have so much thanks to give.

putting the gobble back in thanksgiving

I've been a vegetarian for over ten years now, and every Thanksgiving I have people ask me what I eat, since I don't eat turkey. Well here you go: Tofurky, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, some rice casserole thing, and a salad. All courtesy of my mom. Veggies are easy to please, and I would have been just as happy with only a salad, but she took care of me in a big way. God bless her.

Kalkaska Florida

Twenty years ago, my parents, grandparents, brother and I went to Disney World for one of those big, special, Thanksgiving family vacations. Being Jon, I'm all nostalgic about it this holiday, and as a curiosity, my folks and I went for a walk through the trails at Fort Wilderness to see the campgrounds where we stayed in 1988. It made me even more nostalgic, only for the upper part of Michigan's lower peninsula, thanks to the pines and ferns. I'm thinking it's time to get back to Kalkaska. The walk was beautiful, I got chills seeing things I'd long forgotten, and I'm thankful my folks were up for the adventure.

blue is beautiful

One cannot visit my folks without being taken to Disney World. Or, at least, it's rare. We made a day of it yesterday, then went to a dinosaur-themed restaurant where we ate in an ice cave. It gave everything a beautiful blue tint. Very Disney.