My favorite holiday…no presents, just good food and good company.  Settling down for winter, leaves have left the trees, geese and ducks are well on their way south, the sheep are right in the thick of breeding season and Orion is high in the sky. An intimate thanksgiving tonight, just David and I, (and 8 dogs )and far more really wonderful food than two people should have.  It is so nice to just hang out with the person you really want to be with, sharing food wine and laughter…some of those deep philosophical thoughts and some very silly ideas… remembering old movies and those tv shows from , dare I say it, the 50’s!  We worry for our Icelandic friends, and the very precarious state much of the world finds itself in these days. We are thankful for the promise of new leadership and hope for more peace and prosperity for all. Sitting here feeling sated with this dinner, I realize once again, that I have never in my life been truly hungry with no prospect of food or enough food for myself and my family. Never in my life have I feared walking outside my house, worried that my loved ones might be killed by bombs or guns right in our own home, never have I had to put my children to sleep on the ground in the open with no shelter from sun or rain or cold, never have I been cold with no way to get warm. We have not braved fires and floods and tornadoes and earthquakes and tsunamis, we have not endured hatred because of our color or religion or whom we choose to love. Our blessings are boundless and my gratitude not expressed often enough. May you all have enough…and sometimes just a little more than you need, so that it may be shared with those less fortunate.  I am thankful….Be well, Elaine