Today is Sunday, November 25 and there are 368 days until Thanksgiving. Now you know how much time you have to finish up the leftovers from this past Thursday. Today we remember the birthdays of Andrew Carnegie, Joe DiMaggio and Ricardo Montalban. On this day in 1715 the first English patent was granted to an American, for processing corn, in 1817 the first sword swallower in the US performed in New York City and in 1963 John F Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. In Surinam it is Independence Day and in the US it is National Parfait Day.

As you know, this past Thursday was Thanksgiving. I have always enjoyed this holiday. It is a day to be with family, eat too much food, sit around for a little while so that you can be ready to eat dessert and to start playing Christmas music. I, of course, started earlier than Thanksgiving, but there are traditionalists who wait. I don’t usually watch the big parade (referred to, by some, as the Macy Day Parade), but I tried to watch some of it this year. The reason I did was because they were predicting strong winds and I wanted to see if anyone would be carried off by a balloon. No one was and I missed the part where the Grinch balloon attacked the crowd. Oh well.

It was quite cold this year – in the 20’s, not including the wind chill – but there were large crowds out to enjoy the show. I was surprised by the size of the crowds. It seems that people want to go see the parade regardless of the weather. I was content to sit in the living room, drinking coffee, wearing comfortable fleece-lined slippers and not having to be concerned with where I was going to find a bathroom.

News reporters were talking to people, asking why they were there. I would have thought the answer was obvious. They came to see the parade. Fortunately, the people all had better answers than I would have given. Some go every year, as part of a holiday tradition. Some people said it was on their bucket list. One family that they talked to had travelled up from Florida to see the parade. I imagine it was quite a shock to arrive in New York just in time for a polar blast to come through and realize you would be standing out in one of the coldest Thanksgivings on record. Next year I hope their bucket list is to see the 4^th of July fireworks over the Hudson. It will be much warmer then.

People make such a big deal out of their bucket lists. They always want to go to exotic places and do crazy things. Barbara has a bucket list that is realistic. I have helped her accomplish several of the items, including visiting New England states and seeing Niagara Falls. There are some other places that we will be working on in the future. My bucket list is more down-to earth. I want to walk into a room and remember why I went there. I want to be able to get out of bed in one movement, instead of in fits and starts. I want to be able to put on my socks without grunting and working up a sweat. There are other items, but some of them are more personal. If you are going to have a bucket list, it should be filled with items that you really want to do and are possible, based on your age, budget and ability. When you are 72 years old and living on Social Security, one of your bucket list items should not be to travel to Nepal to climb Mt Everest.

One thing that occurred to me Thursday, between dinner and dessert was that we were only 33 days from Christmas. I have got to start scheduling the various things I need to do between now and the 21^st, when we leave to drive to South Carolina. I have shopping to finish for my grandsons and for Barbara. I have baking to do for Christmas and for the cookie exchange we are involved with here in our community. I have packages to wrap. I have music to learn for when I go to my brother’s church to sing with his choir for their Lessons and Carols service. I have to iron my Christmas Hawaiian shirts. I am exhausted just thinking about it. I may have to go lie down and take a nap. Daily naps are on my bucket list, too.

This week our fact tells us that an ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated. First of all, how does one tell if an ant is intoxicated? What is the preferred beverage to get an ant drunk? I have watched ants walk around. They do not walk in straight lines to begin with, so how would you know if one is intoxicated. It’s not like you can do a breathalyzer test on them.  I had an aunt who laughed a lot when she was intoxicated, but I never actually saw her fall over. Next question is why would you take the time to get an ant drunk and then watch to see which way it falls? How many ants were watched to determine that this was a fact? Which way do other insects fall?