Return Of That Thankfulness Thing - 2021

 

A long, long time ago - which here means 2012 - there was this thing. All thirteen of my Facebook friends were spending November posting something for which they were THANKFUL each day. That was too much commitment for me, so I stuffed all 30 of mine into a single blog post. In 2013, I did it again. Then, in 2014 I broke it up into three easy pieces. In 2015, back to one post with 30 things. Then... I stopped. Suddenly, there was seemingly nothing for which to be thankful. Has it really been SIX years?

So. Let's do this. In three easy-to-swallow little pills of 10 things each. Since The Dark Times Of Not Being Bloggilly Thankful included 2019, I should start with...

In Washington, this is once in a lifetime.

 

1. The 2019 Washington Nationals. Over their first 50 games, they were 19-31. It was bad. People were calling for the manager's head. Then, 104-year old Gerardo Parro came to town, and Mom's favorite player Anthony Rendon caught fire - as did Everyone Else On The Team, and by the end of October, demons had been exorcised and the entire long-suffering DVM was covered in magic Nats dust. I'll never forget it.

2. Gotta get this one out of the way, too. Riddance. I am thankful for riddance. No, I'm not going to sing praises to Sleepy Joe or anything. I'm not thrilled with what we have in 2021, but I literally don't care what he does. I am thankful to be (probably temporarily) rid of the bloviating monster (of our own making) he replaced. That's all.

3. David Bowie. I hear his music every day, and I'm thankful that he existed, in all his glorious weird genius. 

4. 1982. I've already expressed my gratitude for 1981 and 1983 (it really was all downhill from there), so here's some love for their middle sibling '82. How can you not be thankful for the year that gave us "Desperate But Not Serious," and "Stand Or Fall," and OMG Romeo Void! And "Blade Runner." 'Nuff said.

Behold my fiery goodness...

 

5. Patio heaters. By the end of 2020, with all its outdoor and semi-outdoor dining and socially-distanced front-yard happy hours, millions of us had come to appreciate these awesome metal lifesavers. They make cold not so cold, and for cold haters like myself, that's just so wonderful.

6. Dehumidifiers. It's no secret to those who know me that I've always loved humidifiers, with their white noise and their gift for de-winterizing the air. This year, thanks the sudden appearance of some weird mold in my tiny house, I got to learn first-hand about the equal and opposite gift of the de-humidifier. I pull out the collection tank thingy and I just marvel. "All this water was in the AIR? In this room? Wow..."

7. Dialogue. As the author-- sorry, writer -- of ELEVEN little novels, by way of both National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and its summer version, Camp NaNoWriMo, I have come to absolutely adore writing dialogue, for its magical word-count enhancing properties. I also seem to be kinda okay at it. 

8. WHFS. The legendary DC area alternative radio station (before it was called "alternative") that started on Cordell Avenue in Bethesda, and later moved to New Carrolton. Google it if you don't know, but it was the David Bowie of radio stations - weird was okay, different was good, and NEW was gold. Even in the 80's, through their declining years. they were the best bunch of people playing the best music on any airwaves, anywhere. Thanks to deejay "Weasel," I know that John Doe of X went to Woodlawn High School outside of Baltimore, and I know who Difford and Tilbrook are. Useful!

Still here, boss. Need us to protest some more?

 

9. The protesters who aren't protesting anymore. I work at the Humane Society of The United States, so it's okay that this menagerie lives on my spare work space. They protested upside-down from about November 2016 to January 2021 (mostly they hated 45's Secretary of Agriculture, and his trophy-hunting moron sons), but now they're back on their furry little feet, and no matter how work-stressed I might get, when I turn around and see them, I have to smile.

10. The advice I got from my late Uncle Buddy, when I was separated and headed for divorce, back in about 1997 or so. I won't say that everyone else's advice wasn't good - it was. I got LOTS of good advice in those days. What I will say is that Uncle Buddy's advice was the best - and he imparted it in seconds. He was an awesome uncle.

There. Ten things for which I'm thankful, here at the back end of 2021. With any luck, I'll post two more batches of ten - sometime before Christmas...