Another Thanksgiving Dinner Come and Gone ....

I get a little depressed the day after Thanksgiving ... my favorite holiday.  I think it's because when my grandparents were alive, they made the holiday every year quite special for me.  My Grandma was the best sweet potato and pumpkin pie baker ever, and her cornbread dressing was so good, you kept eating until you couldn't stuff another bite into your mouth and the gravy .. oh how divine.  She also crafted southern "fried pies" that she'd make when she felt like it (fried in a cast iron skillet in an inch of grease).. sometimes they'd show up on her every day "dinner" table as she called it (lunch to us moderns) and we'd eat them 'til we had to push ourselves away from the table.  When we were kids, my cousin Donald and I competed every time the fried pies showed up to determine who could eat the most .. he usually won but I was a contender.  Anyway, these days, decades after both grandparents left us, my children are either married with inlaws or living in another city .. Thanksgiving doesn't have the same warm and fuzzy feeling as it did when I was younger.  Yesterday I had dinner with my son, his wife and his inlaws.  Not at all like sitting at Grandma's table.  However, I continue to give thanks because God has blessed me and my family.  My cup runneth over.  I do miss my grandparents every day though, especially on Thanksgiving.

Getting things off my chest

A couple of things lately:

I am the middle class. I was born into and raised in a middle class family. I was taught to believe that you offer an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. When there is no work, you keep looking until you find it.

As a result of my upbringing, I have a strong work ethic, I AM the 99%. I understand the feeling of powerlessness the OWS folks feel. We've been lied to, cheated, sold a bill of goods and the other side can't understand why there's a revolution afoot?  P - L - E - A - S - E ..

You talk about Carnegie and people of his caliber .. arriving in this country with a nickel in his pocket and subsequently turning that nickel into a staggering fortune only to give it away to the people. Imagine our country without Carnegie Hall and all the libraries his money built. I understand he died a pauper. In my book he died a very rich man indeed.

This Past Week ~ Herman and His Brand

I've paid close attention to the news this week and am fed up with most of what I've seen and heard.  The Republican presidential "stable" is clearly at the political stage where they're throwing each under the bus.  It's every man (or Bachmann) for him or herself.  I remember watching the first debate and thinking uh huh wake me when it's over .. each of them was milk toasty and after having seen this kind of entertainment during many presidential election cycles, I knew it was just a matter of time before they'd begin to show their true selves and the "liberal" media wouldn't skip a beat in reporting the gaffs, flip-flops and out-and-out lies spewed by each of them.  Yep .. it happened and continues. 

What's with the conservatives anyway?  If you listen to Rush or Hannity or any of those two-voiced voices (seriously, do you believe they believe what they say?), they're all sponsored by Fox News, the God of the conservative media, which is in direct opposition to the liberal media.  If you listen closely to both, use your common sense and any political savvy you may have acquired over your years in these United States, chances are most of you are somewhere down the middle in your political views.  I know I am.  Years ago, I was fairly left of center.  The older I get, however, and the more of life I live, the more people I know, the more moderate I become.  The capper this week was when I heard Cain say of the Koch Brothers, "we're brothers with a different mother" or some such hokey baloney.  Cain is a greedy black man who grew up during the beginning of EEOC in the 60's when blacks were getting the hand-up while white men and women were getting the hand in the face.  Oprah has said it herself that she'd never have been what she is had it not been for the time in which she came of age.  The culture was ready for her and she was ready for us.  If Cain is so self-focused that he can't see the truth and his supporters are so enamored with him and his brand, then God help them.  In my view the best candidate is Huntsman .. though I know the conservatives think he's boring and one of Obama's henchmen.  Too bad.. he's the smartest of the bunch and would make a fair president..... in my opinion.  I'll still vote for Obama .. I think he deserves another term to get his agenda done.  I just wish he'd grow a pair and take a page from the old Democratic Party and ACT like a Democrat.

Reminds me of something I read years ago: Democrats and Republicans both believe in climbing the ladder of success.  A Democrat will get to the top and reach his or her hand down to help the next guy up.  A Republican, however, will reach the top and kick the ladder away so no one else can climb.  The divide is getting wider unfortunately.  Something's gotta give.

Offspring

I went out to dinner last night with my son and new daughter.  I refer to her as my new daughter, though legally she's my daughter-in-law.  Over the years, my son has made some shall-we-say interesting choices.  I'd like to state in print that choosing Allison as his wife was clearly one of my son's top two best decisions.  Not only is Alli more degreed than he is (3:1), she's smart as a whip (which keeps him on his toes), but she's beautiful .. sort of Mediterranean beautiful, thoughtful and quite wonderful.  The best decision my son ever made was the one that brought him to San Diego 10 years ago.  Clearly, they'd never have met otherwise.  I look forward to many beautiful grandchildren .. some may be redheads, some may be brunettes, but they will all be fabulous!

Not to be left out of the discussion, I also have a daughter daughter.. light of my life, who lives in Seattle.  I recall that old Irish adage, “A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life.”  Oh yeah......

God bless all three.

Greetings and Salutations

My first blog post on this site.  Happy to be here and I welcome you.  I chose "Is a Puzzlement" as the title of my blog in deference to the song from The King and I sung by the masterful Yul Brynner.  I love that song .. I remember the first time I saw the movie, this song stuck out in my mind.  I was a kid, I had never heard the word "puzzlement."  Over the years it's popped into my mind from time to time especially when I think I'm sure I have all the answers ............... then screeeeeech!  Uh no.  I don't.  My journey more than likely resembles yours .. we're all here to find out answers to the millions of questions we have.  It's ironic .. the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.  Is a puzzlement.

I hope you'll return once in a while for a dose of my musings about life, love, children, music, politics, etcetera etcetera etcetera.