STUFFED!!!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone once again, and I'm sure the Pilgrims are turning in their graves at the excessive amounts of food that were consumed right here in the good old US of A. In my house alone, enough food was eaten to feed at least one small village in Asia. Every year, I promise myself that I'll watch what I eat, and each year I keep that promise. I watch the food all the way to my mouth. As usual, the problem is that we are blessed in this country with the best cooks on earth. My wife outdid herself yet again with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and all the trimmings including multiple desserts. I dreamed last night that I was diving into a pool of Alka Seltzer.

The best thing about Thanksgiving is that our family gets together (which is increasingly rare), and we all seem to have a really good time. I am thankful for my wife and kids and grandkids and brothers and Mom and everyone who admits to being kin to me(which is also exceedingly rare). The second best thing about Thanksgiving is the great blanket of quiet that settles on the house after everyone has gone their separate ways. The leftovers are put away, the doors locked, the fire lit, and the bed is warm and comfy.

Here's hoping all of you had as fine a Thanksgiving as I did. And as for the Pilgrims, let 'em turn!
I'm going to make me a turkey and cranberry sandwich.

Onward to Christmas!

Technology Just Falls in my Lap!

My old computer (referred to hereafter as the Dinosaur) has been steadily going downhill lately. Aside from the fact that its keyboard constantly misspells words, it has gotten slower and more aggravating with age. My wife thinks it is mimicking me. It also growls randomly while it is on standby, especially at night. In the dark. While I'm in bed.

My wife decided that I needed a new and improved model (computer, that is), so we went shopping for a laptop. She asked how big it needed to be, and I looked at my lap and said, "Oh, about two and half feet across." She didn't ask me anything else. Soon I was the proud owner of a super duper mega-gig whirly-jig with a screen full of icons and a memory like a steel trap.

All good things must come to an end, however. She informed me that I, the last techno-Neanderthal on Earth, had to install the software, transfer the files, feed the RAM, sharpen the bytes and all sort of other unintelligible things. It's been three days now, and I'm typing this on the Dinosaur.

I have managed to set up a password and choose a background picture, and last night, with help from my son, I downloaded a music-sharing program. I even obtained a song! "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" by George Jones. I don't need a rockin' chair, either--just a computer programmer!

Whether you are using a new, high-tech laptop or a hand-cranked Black and Decker 100, remember to keep on cranking out the words. Keep writing!

Fall Has Fell

I love this time of year, with the leaves finally showing their true colors in one blazing flash before turning brown and curling into the fetal(fatal?) position. Everywhere, the smell of leaf fires and the scrape of rakes on lawns signals the start of Autumn. Deer hunters in these parts are finding new and creative ways to ready themselves and their submerged deerstands for the gun season. My wife and I were in the woods earlier today to retrieve some rope from our johnboat which was tied up on the 4-wheeler trail to our deerstands. The river and her backwaters have taken over the woods where we usually hunt, so plans are under way to hunt the 'highland deer' this year. Oh well, the ducks ought to be happy.

I spent some time talking and visiting with good friends from Helena last night, both writers and storytellers. It is good to absorb some of the excitement and energy of other writers who truly love what they do. It reminds me of why I started to write in the first place--to share the thrill of storytelling with others. You can write and write and keep it hidden, and in the end, you have denied not only others the benefits of your work, but you have denied yourself the opportunity to receive input and feedback from others who care. I'm always fired up about writing after a good meeting/discussion with other writers.

I survived one more year of growth today. I turned 56 on Veterans' Day, and I don't feel a day over 76! Inside, where the REAL me lives, I feel like I'm 16 and scribbling three-page short stories on spiral notebook paper for my friends to read at lunch. As long as the REAL me keeps feeling like that, I'll keep on writing.

In honor of veterans everywhere, here's a short poem:


Veterans

On a bench
by the war memorial they sit,
stiff as stone—
two old men,
feeling the same as they did
on the ship heading home
all those years ago—
just happy to be here.




Thank you, Veterans!