Thanksgiving Day here at Joe's Pond looks like a really nice one - lots of sunshine, not too cold at 35 degrees - but it's still early and the weather could change. 

We look forward to a quiet day watching the parade and maybe some football on television.  We had our Thanksgiving with Bill and Monika and our two lovely granddaughters last night.  Today we can all chill except Monika, who will be on duty at NVRH.

Last night as we sat at the table with turkey and ham and all the trimmings, we each expressed our thanks for the life we have here in Vermont; all the things we have that make life wonderful, and for the anxiety we don't have because we live in peace and safety.  

Monika knows first hand what it's like to live in a war-torn country, having experienced that growing up during the turmoil in Namibia, Africa.  We talked about that last night - the horror of knowing her young brothers and friends as young as 12 years old might be taken away any moment to serve in the army; having friends disappear without warning and never seeing them again because they had been captured and possibly killed, or they had left with their families in the secrecy of night to try to find a safer place to live.  She is thankful her family is now safe, both here and in Africa.  We are thankful for the service men and women who keep us safe here in America and for their effort to end the strife in other countries.  It may not seem to be our business, but protecting people from tyranny, and keeping that tyranny from spreading, should be everyone's business.  

Enjoy your day, hopefully with friends and/or family, and count your blessings.

We wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Fred & Jane