Thanksgiving

Patrick and I just got up at 10 a.m. We are fiddling around the kitchen, heating English muffins and making coffee. Patrick began to make a list of things to be give thanks for: our health and having a home and lovely things to look at. He then put on an Albany River Rats baseball cap and gave thanks for American Hockey League teams with great team logos. He said he'd put on a Hersey Bears cap later.

The coffee's hot and tastes pretty good. A cd by Madeleine Peyroux is on our new Bose radio/cd player. Outside is gray, but not raining or snowing.

Some of the people in the building are doing a Thanksgiving dinner for family, friends and fellow tenants in the community room. But we are staying in our own apartment (with lovely things to look at) and having a quiet, private dinner.

I gave some money to Al Franken's campaign and am on Franken's e-mail list. Yesterday, Al's wife Franni sent out some favorite family recipes. I'm going to try Al's wild rice recipe, slightly modified, along with a chicken and root vegetables, basted in olive oil and maple syrup. The latter is not a Franken recipe. It comes from L.L. Bean.

I could say something cynical about faux community and getting one's holiday recipes from politicians and catalogue stores. But one of many things to be thankful for is -- I don't have to be cynical. I can simply be happy. The L.L. Bean recipe is from one of their employees and is terrific. Al's wild rice sounds darn fine.

Happy Thankgiving.