November 26, 2020 — No, my cover picture is not posted as a political statement. Instead, it’s a statement for turkeys. I genuinely love the tradition where the President pardons a turkey before Thanksgiving. Seriously. In fact, I’ve always wanted to have the pardoned turkey, to make him or her my pet. Maybe someday. And that’s a particularly cute turkey. Oh and actually, I’ve pardoned all turkeys this year.

I had planned to go to New Mexico and meet up with my brother, his son, and even my dad, but then I decided I can’t afford it. That sent my brother into a search for a junk camper that we can use as a “hotel”. Without any real plan for Thanksgiving dinner on this trip that didn’t happen, I supposed I had planned on having Sonic for Thanksgiving; the Sonic is our place now in Aztec, NM, although my dad had found a place offering free Thanksgiving dinner. I then thought about making the Southern dish, chicken and dressing, freezing it and taking it to NM (hoping it didn’t get too warm over the 12 hours of driving). But then I thought, no. It really was destined to be a Sonic Thanksgiving. And Sonic as a Thanksgiving dinner is far enough away as a concept from turkey that I thought, hey go farther. Let me pardon as many animals as possible. Okay, no, it’s not vegan, but my planned dinner of mushroom tart and tomato-bean-spinach-stuffing casserole that include dairy products is as close as I can get right now. And no, the turkeys are already out there, so I technically haven’t pardoned one, but I’m thinking my turkey was the very one that President Trump pardoned. Yes, I’m going with that.

As for the reason for the holiday, I don’t buy into the outrage over the holiday. Yes, I guess that is a political statement. This morning I saw DLR’s Thanksgiving painting — a mounted Native American looking on at the Mayflower, and I wondered if DLR knew the natives got the horses from the Spanish who came 100 years before. Oh and the acquisition of those horses was not always peaceful. Pushing that political thought aside, my thoughts as to the purpose of the holiday are emblematic in the name. Thanks. That’s what I always believed this holiday was for.

And I am very thankful this year.

I am thankful to still be here, in all respects. There hasn’t been a day this year that didn’t follow a sleepless, worry-filled night. But each day, brings … enough. So I am thankful for 2020.