The turkey is done

Thanksgiving among the palm trees in the Florida Keys was weird and wonderful. Until now, it's always been the old "Over the River and Through the Woods" kind of crisp, chilly, deciduous-trees-with-the-last-leaves-falling kind of time. Except for two years in London, I've always spent that best of American holidays on the east coast of the U.S.-- somewhere in or between Virginia and New York.

This year, having quit my job and vowing NEVER to raise funds for ANY reason ever again (after 20+ years), I had a true sense of freedom among the sand pipers and pelicans and other critters that hung out on the beach in front of "our" cottage. (They didn't ask for anything from me, but they gave more than I could have asked for.) The week made me realize how truly cruddy my life had been for the last couple of years and also reminded me that my family is the best thing I've got going. This particular group of 16 (out of a much larger clan) came from as far away as Alberta Canada and from as close as an hour away-- ranging in age from 9 months to 69 years. I have such neat children and siblings and nieces and nephews, and most of them have really neat friends, spouses and significant others. They're all smart, talented, and (most important) funny. How lucky is that??

This is a boring blog, but I just thought I'd write it down so I would remember how great my Thanksgiving was and my family is. When life begins to be humdrum, annoying, or difficult-- and I feel like ripping somebody's face off-- this could be as good as a nice glass of red. Oh yeah. Along with the conch chowder, oysters, clams, shrimp, and fish, we ate lots of sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and... turkey!