Late, but still thankful

At the very last minute, we canceled our reservation for Thanksgiving dinner at The Plumed Horse. It was kind of a bummer, but the four of us decided that it was necessary to do.

Shortly after I canceled our reservation, I ran into Cynthia and Colleen at the chiropractor. When Colleen asked what we were doing for the holiday, I said, "Probably sitting around the house in my underpants eating ice cream."

[Just an FYI, that is the definition of a GREAT day.]

Colleen didn't like the sound of that, and invited us to her house to join her family for Thanksgiving. I pointed out that the four of us would be an imposition, a TERRIBLE imposition, but she insisted that it wouldn't be a problem. Later that night, Colleen called and let me know that the dogs were invited to Thanksgiving, too. (She insisted on this point.)

We had a great time. Mom and I helped Colleen in the kitchen, and I got to torment The Snackary with reminders on appropriate behavior in a kitchen. (I made him call his mom "Chef", and afford her all of the courtesies of that position. It was super-fun.) The dogs got to work the room, and came home EXHAUSTED.

We discussed politics and religion, we ate loads of food, drank wine, and no blood was shed. A great time was had.

Mom pointed out, on the car ride home, that we hadn't talked about what we're thankful for. So, here I go:

I am thankful. I am thankful for my stash, which has gotten me through layoffs, the dot-com bust, and the currently depressed economy. I am also thankful for (what Andrew calls) my "equipment fetish" for the same reason. I always have the right tools for the job.

I am thankful for my mother, who always supports my harebrained schemes because she believes that I am capable of doing great, huge, awesome things. I am also thankful for Sam, who is always quick to point out holes in my plots, or conflicts of ideals. He is no "yes-man", and that's valuable, even if it's obnoxious.

I am thankful for my dogs, who remind me daily that being silly is good for the soul, that there is always time for snuggling, and that honking toys are FAR superior to squeaky toys. I am thankful for joy and comfort they bring me. I am also thankful that they have little interest in yarn or wool- with the exception of the Tess Yarns Microfiber Ribbon. (The dogs have impeccable taste.)

I am thankful for Andrew. I have come to the realization that I have impossibly high standards for spousal behavior, and ladies, he's mine. You can keep your Woolophobic boyfriends and husbands who resent your stash and sneer at your handknits. Andrew makes a big deal about my knitting and spinning, and it's the type of attention this handwork deserves.

I am thankful for Andrew because when the chips are down, we stand together. We work together. We don't have to spend every minute together. It's the way I think a relationship should be. Also, it's pretty snazzy that he can reach things on the highest shelves.

I am thankful for the people who read this blog, and listen to our podcast. Kindness and humor go a long way.

Lastly, I am thankful for my friends. To the people who know when I am a few stitches short of a row, and have the grace to remind me to breathe. The friends who defend my parenting when I feel like a complete failure as a dog-mom. The friends who insist I go out when I'm doing my best impression of a mollusk.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(Oh yeah, and if you're here for knitting, I've got some wicked knitting content coming soon.)