What I'm Thankful For:

That Mom is healthy and doing well. We've come a long way since last year at Thanksgiving when Glenaire had first contacted her about the apartment and I made her cook that all-out holiday dinner and use all the china one last time.

In these uncertain times, for having at least one job between us, health insurance, cars that are paid for and a little money in the bank

For crockpots, ATMs and Pay-at-the Pump gas stations

Gerald's Tire Service

For an incredible view out my window every morning; for the cranes and egrets, but not so much for the racoons

Gas at $1.78/gal

For the constant entertainment, if not the affection, of Eloise

For Duncan's affection which more than makes up for Eloise's lack thereof

Two good women I know beat off breast cancer this year. Yea!

For the loom, the sewing machine, origami paper and my library card

For the fixed heat vent in the bathroom so that now, when we stand at the vanity, heat blows on our feet. Ahhhhh!

For living in a place that doesn't get too cold, too often

For work, when I can get it

Duncan has said over and over that he is thankful he doesn't have to mow the yard anymore

Morning coffee

In the category of "Thankful for small favors" last week a refund check arrived from IRS for our 2006 return in the amount of $1.37

The State of My Things

There was a 2nd interview a couple of weeks ago and I didn't hear anything and didn't hear anything. Last week I interviewed for a development position at a legal aide-type office. The whole thing was like a legal aid office on a TV sitcom-- creepy office, creepy man, sketchy story about potential of continued funding. And I heard that hated line: "This job doesn't have benefits, and of course we are a non-profit so, the salary's not great." OK, no thanks. So I called the Senior Center where I had 2 interviews and they had indeed, offered their job to someone else who, while I was great and had great skills, was just a little more qualified. Whatever that means.

The stock market is tanking. Unemployment is at a 14 year high. Today's paper says retail stores have more applications for part-time holiday positions than they have jobs. You have a greater chance of "getting into Harvard than you do getting a part-time job in a store this Christmas". How did this get to be my life? Well, I don't know, but it is. It is very discouraging. Everyone is telling me to keep my spirits up -- that the right job is out there for me. And you know, I guess that is true. It makes no sense to operate on any other premise. So, keep looking.

The holidays are coming. Get ready for that. I am about to finish the Annual Report for the Silver Crescent Foundation -- for which I will get paid a nice sum because I've been working on it forever. I need to work on the Fiber Guild's website. We have some very good programs planned for 2009 -- including an African-American quilter featured in the last issue of Charleston magazine who does "story quilts". We will go to NC for Thanksgiving, and then I will spend a long weekend in Black Mountain with Kathy and Lee. A small craft show in Dec. at St. Francis. Things to do, people to see. Chin up.

The Day After

I worked the polls yesterday which turned out to be rather grueling duty. At our place, we had 2 precincts and a steady 2-hour line all day. I pretty much kept my head down and focused on what was right in front of me the entire 12 hours. We felt lucky that we did not have people in line when the polls closed at 7 PM so we did not have to stay late. I came home exhausted and followed a little news. I called friends who were at a raucous party hosted by die-hard Democrats in their neighborhood and was on the phone with them when they announced Pennsylvania for Obama -- but I soon went to bed. The clock radio went off this morning about 4:30 (??) and I half-asleep listened to NPR for an hour. It registered in my dreamy brain that Obama had clinched it and I went back to sleep until time to get up. Rather anti-climatic for such a big event but it's OK.

Inauguration day will be a moving because of all of the historical significance and oh yeah, because the war in Iraq will end sooner, and we might start negotiating and working with the UN and we might begin to address global warming and change the deal where the richest 1/2% of the country absorbs any economic progress we manage to make and healthcare might stop eating us alive and the Supreme Court might uphold that the Government should not accompany me when I visit my doctor and you know, stuff like that.

Since nothing happened in South Carolina yesterday that couldn't have been predicted a year ago, I have enjoyed watching what is happening in North Carolina. Beverly Perdue! Kay Hagen -- from Greensboro! At play in the Presidential race and ultimately going for Obama! These are huge changes!

The big disappointment is that Suzanne Reynolds did not win her race for Supreme Court Judge. Apparently she ran a great campaign in what should not have been a competitive race and she came very close to winning, so I'm sure great opportunities are ahead for her. But still. . .