In my mind...

...there used to be a break between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My mother, or my wife, ever rushed out the door before dinner was served to shop at some big sale at J J Newbury or McClellan's.  At some point we've reached a time when the "thrill" of the sale has become top dog in many households.  We lose a little bit of our history every year.  No wonder they call it Black Friday!
  Do people honestly believe that rushing around at midnight or 4:00AM is worth the effort.  My goodness, people pepper sprayed, or crushed when other people rushed in a door, or even shot; all to save a dollar!  Something is missing; is it peoples common sense, or my mind?

This is fun?

It's just about winter now.

Christmas is flying right at us!

But, look around, there's still some time left.

Leftovers..

...isn't always talk about turkey sandwiches.  How about left over money?  Got any of that?  With the feds cutting Low Income Heating Assistance you could make a donation.  Got any kind thoughts?  All of our troops out in the field and on the water, could use a few kind thoughts.  I just read about an Army unit "at the tip of the spear" in Northern Afghanistan, they built a small road even though they are an Infantry unit The Wolfhounds; it costs 8 American lives for that road, kind thoughts for the troops, it's what they need.
  Of course if you have any leftover time, you could go stand in line at Wal-Mart, or Toys R Us.  I personally, cannot imagine why people do that, oh wait, I think I can - remember Cabbage Patch dolls?  Rhonda was 8 or 9 then, we couldn't get one, but her Aunt and Uncle Brad and Charlene were able to.  I'm sure this year there is some other toy or electronic item that's a must have - I have no idea what it is.  Boy, do I feel good about that.  All I have to do is take a walk, drink some coffee, run a couple of errands and go home, life is good for the geezer!

A traditional leftover sandwich.

This is a burger with turkey and cranberry sauce.  Don't think I'd like it, how about you?

Aren't you glad...

...that today is Thanksgiving, at least here where I am, in the good ole USA.  And I have plenty to be grateful for.  The holiday was originally set aside to celebrate the harvest season and to express our thanks for all that good stuff that grows up from the ground.
  Some people call it Turkey Day because turkey seems to be the meal of choice for the day, I don't know the origin of that, but I like it.
  When I was a young kid Thanksgiving was a bigger deal, food wise, than it is now.  My family all went to my grandparents house, all of my aunts and uncles, cousins too.  There were usually about 30 to 40 of us.  The adults had cooked two turkeys and one roast, usually pork, for my mother and uncle Fred who didn't care for turkey.  There were big bowls of vegetables, biscuits and gravy (my favorite), and four or five kinds of pies - those ladies knew how to bake pies!  These days my wife and I still enjoy the day, but I no longer ice skate on Nesbit Pond with my cousins.  My wife makes better pies than all the rest, so it's a grateful day indeed.
  I am in hopes that all of you have an enjoyable day!

I know he's in here someplace!

Do you really......

NOTE: Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, the blog won't be posted until mid-morning, just so you know.

...want to eat turkey?  A real turkey?  Probably not, the REAL Turkey is a wild one and they don't taste too good I'm told.  That is probably right, any bird that loves whole acorns can't be too good tasting.
Wild turkeys have been here long before we were, they were hunted to being almost extinct, but have made on heck of a comeback.
  In the 1980's it would have been a rare sight to see one of the birds, no now, 20 years later, we see them here in Maine in large numbers.  On my way home from town I take the scenic route, traffic on the straight road home is heavy and fast at 7:15AM.  As I pass through several fields where the corn was recently cut (cows have to eat in the winter), I frequently see large groups of turkeys.  Yesterday a group of maybe 60 were in for the feed.  I have seen 8 or 9 deer at a time there, but always turkeys in large groups.

Peek-a-boo, a turkey in the straw

Our local paper, the Bangor Daily News, has a photographer that contributes about once or twice a week; Dave Small of Photos by Chance, is a bird watchers and hiker.  In yesterdays, or today's, issue he shows photos taken during a fishing trip in Lincolnville.  His entries included the following:

Practice for the Thanksgiving Parade

A turkey takes to the air.  Turkeys' can fly fast but not often, they prefer to walk.

Tools of the trade

  Tools have been with us for probably thousands of years, ever since some guy decided to pound something with a rock.  Personally I still haven't mastered very many in a useful way.  My grandfathers were both men who used tools very well, one of them was a finish carpenter among many other things.  Being skilled at many things is sort of a Maine way of life, you do whatever you can to feed the kids.  My dad and my brother were or are good with tools, my brother still make furniture for people.
  Of course tools in Maine go back a ways, a long ways back.  Antique tools still make it to market but some now reside in museums.  Union Hill Antique Tools is sort of both, as fine a collection as you will find in one place, to look at, touch or to buy at a decent price. NOTE: That's the Maine use of the word decent; it means maybe reasonable but expensive.

Scroll saw, it's laying down.
it's laying down because I can't upright it in the program sorry

This Scroll Saw, foot powered could probably still be used.  My dad used to go to a dentist when he was young that used foot powered drills.  The drills and this say would have been almost interchangeable.

A hand drill for small work, or fine work

Heck!  We used one of these when I was a kid, but then again I'm an antique too.

An adjustable Saw-set

Both grandfathers had one of these.  It was used to re-set the teeth on a saw into the correct position, so it could be sharpened.  Yep.  People actually used to do that!

Where did the words go?

  When I was a kid, and my family went somewhere (other than church), if they had hot dogs we were asked if we wanted tonic.  The answer was always yes.  I loved tonic, the green one and the birch beer were my favorites.  Tonic was the word for what is now known as soda.  Where did that word go?
  When I was a new baby my mother took me to a neighbors house (there weren't many), the neighbor remarked that I was cunning, but so homely I was cute.  Cunning and cute used to be the same thing. Where did that word go?
  My dad would tell me to "go get a wheelbarrow full of pine sprills", he was referring to pine needles, they used to be sprills.  Where did that word go?  A lot of Maine words no longer exist, words like going down cellar, or "get me an elastic!" (rubber band) aren't used.
  I guess the loss of locale is nationwide now; do they still put your groceries in a sack down south, or a poke?  Probably not, local store have been replaced by national or regional chains, people move away, or people from away move here, or there and language goes, or comes, with them.
  It's too bad that things like that leave us, homoganized maybe but we're still here.

How come that one County in North Dakota is separate? (click to enlarge)

A Maine invention, but now it's owned by a company in New York, but we still drink it!

  Okay then.  I guess I'll see ya tomorrow Mr. Man.

New ideas and other stuff

  So....this is really how it's done!  I had no idea!  Well, to begin with I thought one or two ideas I had weren't all that bad, now, I wonder.  This is number 912 of this blog, if I'm counting and reading right.  I am running out of ideas to keep writing, but I really want to get at least 1000 days in here, or longer.
  If you have any ideas, and I know you don't like it, but there is always the comment box at the bottom of each entry; try it out and let me know what you want.
  When I end for today I have a photo of the man/woman that injected the other women's butts, you can tell from the photo why he/she uses Fix-A-Flat (a tire sealer).
  The weather this morning is inviting me to walk, of course I still haven't had any coffee or breakfast, so that comes next, this is always in the first hour I'm supposedly awake, maybe that's why I run out of ideas.

That's a thought!

  I could run for President, nah!  All those television things, I wouldn't like that! Ugh!  Out of the question.

  I don't fly very well on my own power, so no top of the building for me.

You see, use that comment box!  I'll promise you won't have to see me in person, you're completely safe when you give me ideas.  Aren't you?

And here, the missing photo from yesterday, see anything unusual?