It is Sunday, November 22 and Black Friday is in 5 days.  Get out the sleeping bags, dehydrated snacks and riot gear and get ready for the special sales that offer only two of an item and you have to be there by 6 AM to have even a chance of getting one.  Remember what I have said in the past – wait a couple weeks and the sales will be much better.  Today we remember the birthdays of Erasmus Reinhold, George Eliot and Benjamin Britten.  On this day in 1809 Peregrine Williamson of Baltimore patented a steel pen, in 1910 Arthur Knight patented steel shaft golf clubs and in 1990 Margaret Thatcher announced her resignation as British Prime Minister.  In Guinea it is Portuguese Aggression Day, in Lebanon it is Independence Day and in the US National Children’s Book Week begins tomorrow.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day.  It is a favorite holiday of mine for several reasons.  First it ushers in the Christmas music season.  Next it ushers in the holiday eating season.  It also is one of the few holidays where you are expected to eat way too much, then sit around with your pants unbuttoned and fall asleep watching football.  The best part is that when you wake up, it is usually time to eat some more.

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer. Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations.

In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been part of the menu when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

So there you have this year’s edition of Thanksgiving information.  I hope you are thankful for the brevity.  

I was in a quandary the other day.  I heard one time that if you wear vertical stripes it makes you look taller.  I also heard that if you wear horizontal stripes it makes you look fatter.  When I got dressed, I put on a shirt that was a window pane plaid.  So now the question is do I look fatter, but taller?  Stop by and I will put the shirt on and you can tell me your thoughts.  If you are like the lovely Elaine your thoughts will be along the lines of “he gets nuttier every day.” But, you will just give me the look.

While I was looking in the mirror trying to determine the effects of my shirt I noticed another aging issue.  I have been striving to lose a few more pounds or at least keep myself at a decent weight.  Included in that effort is walking two miles a day whenever possible.  I have had some positive results.  The problem comes when I realize that, because I am not so young anymore, my body does not recover the way it used to.  As a result, the skin does not tighten up after weight loss.  What I noticed was my neck.  In looking at other people in my age bracket I see the same issue.  Specifically, I look like I have a double wattle.  

The only way to cover that is to walk around looking down to hide it or looking up all the time to stretch it out.  Of course if I do that then people will just think I am nuts (I get that a lot).  I am going to have to think about which way to go on that.  I can always blame it on my age, especially since so many others have the same problem and some are younger than me.

This week our fact tells us that slugs have four noses.  That would explain the slimy trail they leave behind when they crawl around.  Use a tissue!

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving filled with good food and family.  Be sure to take a few moments to give thanks for all the good things you have.  If you get an opportunity, donate food or funds to your local food bank or soup kitchen.  Remember, not everyone has been as lucky as you.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Gobble, gobble (as in the turkey sound, not what you do at the dinner table).