There's good news on the home front as The Hub was able to whip the wall into pretty good shape. My brother calls him "Marty Stewart" (i.e. like a male Martha Stewart) because of the way he can make scrap lumber into...well, just about anything. In this case he made a very nice piece of crown molding out of it, which is going up over the "paneling". It's actually T-111 siding the stuff they use on sheds, but it's great texture and grain looks like a million bucks when it's painted. The Hub first saw it used that way in one of those "Dream Homes" people used to be able to tour. Note to do-it-yourselfers everywhere - it's WAY cheaper than paneling, you just have to prime it before you paint it.

But, we're still not ready for the "swan white" paint.

One of the things I'm giving thanks for this year is that I don't have to make Thanksgiving dinner, or even any part of it, it my demolished kitchen. The Hub's sister has invited us to her beautiful new home on the Eastern Shore, and told me not to bring a thing.

You don't have to tell me twice, though, of course, I'll bring flowers.

'Course, it's supposed to snow on Thanksgiving. (Remember my all black wooley worm?) I'm not thinking that driving over the Bay Bridge in ice is going to be a good time, but perhaps it really won't snow.

Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday. It's like an unwreckable holiday - though the retail tradition of "black Friday" on the day after is enough of a wreck to derail all kinds of good intentions. Nothing quite ushers in the spirit of Christmas, "Glory to God...and peace to people of goodwill" quite like crazy people beating one another up aside the head with cabbage patch dolls at Wal-Mart. Maybe this year it's X-boxes. Ouch.

But Thanksgiving? It's untouchable. It practically can't be commercialized. Well, I take that back, because it IS actually, but the commercialization it has with it has become so fosilized (i.e. the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and all the revenue generated by the football games)that almost nothing else can happen to it.

It's appeal lies in quintessential "New Worldness". It's a sacrosanct tradition you can celebrate any darn way you please.

Right winger? Good news! You can have your turkey the old fashioned way, roll out the canned the cranberry sauce, green bean cassarole, and the pies made by dear old Mom who hasn't sat down to a hot meal in 20 years so she's not missing anything at Thanksgiving either. You can yell at the football on t.v. while the "womenfolk" enjoy their time cleaning the kitchen ( Hey, I'm down with the fact that some women really do enjoy the comraderie of clean up. And if I was faced with the choice of that or sitting in the den with overfed, conservative men watching football you could bet I'd pick up the steel wool and get started on the nastiest pot. No contest!)

Christian Right? Good news! This holiday has old time religion roots, and many churchs hold services. Or you can pray at home. Just try not to let the food get cold before you get to "amen".

Left winger? Good news! Tofu turkey gets easier to prepare each year as more and more grocery stores stock vegetarian items. If your family is ailienated by your tattooed tounge and recently implanted horns, you can serve food to the poor at your local homeless shelter and the only judgement you'll get will be "hey that's great!" Or you can celebrate with your friends and neighbors. They're Jewish, Wiccan, or from Mars? Well, who cares? America is a melting pot. All are welcome!

Communist? Good news! The original Thanksgiving was a potluck!

Recent immigrant? Welcome to the party! Eat your traditional food or our traditional food, or some of yours and some of ours. Okay, at least let us try some of yours. American's are always looking for something new to eat and, as a democratic society, we don't really care if kimchee goes with turkey or not. There's plenty of houses where we say "well, it works for us"

Atheist or agnositic? Good news! You can just thank the cook and use your day off to yell "Flying Spaghetti Monster!" at the people coming out of the church up the street. If you accidentally start a riot, you can always claim it was a touch football game that got out of hand, the church folk would probably go along with it. Nobody would want to admit that they got in a fight about something that silly.

Racist? Well, just put your dark meat on a seperate plate and go out hunting. Without a safety vest.

Lets see, did I leave anybody out? This blog is an equal opportunity to be offended! If I left you out please call the ACLU and tell them to sue me. It'll be about as effective as anything else they've done lately.

And no matter what "wing" you are, please leave a turkey leg for me!