Ea O Ka Aina: I’m thankful this Thanksgiving that...

SUBHEAD: We can still join with our neighbors to share a meal, a few drinks and a few laughs and then clean up the ensuing mess.

By Brian Miller on 23 November 2016 for Winged Elm Farm -

(http://www.wingedelmfarm.com/blog/2016/11/23/ten-reasons-im-thankful-this-thaksgiving/)

Image above: "Lord thank you for this turkey" cartoon by Steve Benson in 2015. From (http://theweek.com/cartoons/591095/political-cartoon-donald-trump-thanksgiving-cartoonists).

I’m thankful this Thanksgiving that …

The severe drought has made us grateful for the water we have stored in our cisterns and has made us more thoughtful about our usage and plans for conservation.
Several years of culling to improve our flock of sheep has paid off. The market wethers are fat and healthy. The ewes are pregnant and lambing season is still a couple of months away.
Our hoop house is complete, loaded with greens, and warm on a cold day.
Cindy, as my partner, continues to inspire me with her energy, skills, and willingness to share this life.
My father, after suffering a stroke this year, is still with us at 89. He continues to find the time to volunteer each week at a local church helping feed the needy.
My mother’s eldest sister is still alive and well at 96, the last surviving stalk of that line. She reminds me through her continuing penchant for reading that one’s intellect is a gift to keep and nourish.
The Republic still stands even as those on the right and the left trumpet its demise.
My blogging friend Clem, with his insufferable positive outlook, reminds me to not herald the end of the world, just yet.
My friend Rayna harvested enough pawpaw fruit this year for Cindy to make pawpaw crème brûlée for Thanksgiving dinner.
My brothers and I (and a brother-in-law) managed to find the time for a recent get-together. A weekend in the north Louisiana woods eating good food and sitting by a fire is a wonderful tonic for the soul.

See also from our archive:

Ea O Ka Aina: Thanksgiving with Trump & ISIS 11/22/15
Ea O Ka Aina: Thirty things for Thanksgiving 11/26/15

Ea O Ka Aina: Happy Thanksgiving Day 2013! 11/28/13

Ea O Ka Aina: Modernity Bites 11/26/12

Ea O Ka Aina: The Last Black Friday 11/14/12
Ea O Ka Aina: You Must Watch the Empire Bowl 2/9/11

Ea O Ka Aina: Why is the bird a Turkey? 11/24/10
Ea O Ka Aina: Gross All Over 11/22/10
Ea O Ka Aina: TSA Humiliations 11/19/10

Ea O Ka Aina: Wild Thanksgiving Food 11/30/09