Thanksgiving cometh
23/11/08 07:05
These are hard times and getting harder by the day. I was heartened to read this morning that a local food pantry had a surplus of turkeys on hand for the anticipated rush of last minute requests. The republican in me thinks that the needy and scurrilous types ought to pull themselves up by their boot straps and get out and get a job and buy their own turkey's. Then, I suppose, the food pantry employees would be out of a job and they too would be looking for relief in some way, shape, or form. The moderate in me says that giving is good and there will always be needy types to care for as long as man continues along his current path of imperfection. And then there are the children. They ask for nothing but love, food on their plates, and a place to rest their heads at the end of the day. For those children who have either too little or not nearly enough of any of the above, my heart goes out to them. More families than ever are living in shelters today due to the current economic environment and these folks need both our prayers and our turkeys so give willingly and give often if you can. You never know when you or I may be in their position. God willing, not anytime soon.
The price of gas at the pumps is below $2 a gallons in the last week compared to the summertime highs of $4.50. I can fill the tank in my Matrix for below $20 where it used to run me close to $50. There are stories about folks who signed contracts with their oil suppliers for the winter heating season wishing to lock in prices at close to $5 who cannot now get out of those contracts. That's a bitch. We've got lots of firewood and gas in the snowblower so I say, bring it on. I'm contemplating buying snow tires for the wife's car for the first time in many years since she expects to spend more time rather than less bringing the boys skiing this winter. Interestingly enough, snow tires are in short supply around town since Quebec has a new law requiring that vehicles on the road in the winter have snow tires. Apparently, the locals are rerouting their stocks north to Quebec. I wonder if the current exchange rate favors suppliers in this regard. I guess we know the answer to that question since snow tires are as scarce as hounds teeth here on the seacoast. Maybe I should wait to see if I get to keep my job before I sign off on tires and the like. I like my job so I hope the verdict goes in my favor when the time comes. It's the anxiety that waiting brings that makes me uncomfortable. I try not to think about it. And then I think of the comment made by a good friend at work that gives me comfort. He says to anyone who will listen, "the folks who need to worry least worry the most". I will admit to being a fretter.
I am doing my level best to transition my exercise routine inside for the winter months but it has been a little difficult. As recent as two weeks ago I was still riding my bike every day after work. that is, until daylight savings time came along. When that happened, I took to the treadmill every day after work and got my miles in even if it meant delaying dinner. I asked Nancy not to have dinner on the table because I would invariably have dinner and it would all be downhill from there. I rode my bike on weekends if, and only if, the temperatures were in the forties. I would even tolerate rain if it wasn't coming down horizontally. In fact, I like to ride in the rain if the rain is soft and misty. I have the boulevard to myself and it is nice. I don't go as far but that's okay too. This weekend, with temperatures not getting out of the 20's, I will not be riding my bike and that saddens me. I will keep my bike in the garage rather than storing it in the shed for the winter in the hopes of getting at least one day out of each winter month when the weather allows me to get back on the road. Since I usually ride hard, and you never know when the baby Jesus is going to come calling, I now carry my wallet in the pocket of my shorts in case I suffer a coronary or worse while riding. That way, my family won't have to wonder what the hell is taking me so long to get back home once the darkness of night has set in. If the good lord is willing and the creek don't rise, they will see me before I end up in the morgue. In that event, I hope they will say that I went out doing what I loved to do best.
The price of gas at the pumps is below $2 a gallons in the last week compared to the summertime highs of $4.50. I can fill the tank in my Matrix for below $20 where it used to run me close to $50. There are stories about folks who signed contracts with their oil suppliers for the winter heating season wishing to lock in prices at close to $5 who cannot now get out of those contracts. That's a bitch. We've got lots of firewood and gas in the snowblower so I say, bring it on. I'm contemplating buying snow tires for the wife's car for the first time in many years since she expects to spend more time rather than less bringing the boys skiing this winter. Interestingly enough, snow tires are in short supply around town since Quebec has a new law requiring that vehicles on the road in the winter have snow tires. Apparently, the locals are rerouting their stocks north to Quebec. I wonder if the current exchange rate favors suppliers in this regard. I guess we know the answer to that question since snow tires are as scarce as hounds teeth here on the seacoast. Maybe I should wait to see if I get to keep my job before I sign off on tires and the like. I like my job so I hope the verdict goes in my favor when the time comes. It's the anxiety that waiting brings that makes me uncomfortable. I try not to think about it. And then I think of the comment made by a good friend at work that gives me comfort. He says to anyone who will listen, "the folks who need to worry least worry the most". I will admit to being a fretter.
I am doing my level best to transition my exercise routine inside for the winter months but it has been a little difficult. As recent as two weeks ago I was still riding my bike every day after work. that is, until daylight savings time came along. When that happened, I took to the treadmill every day after work and got my miles in even if it meant delaying dinner. I asked Nancy not to have dinner on the table because I would invariably have dinner and it would all be downhill from there. I rode my bike on weekends if, and only if, the temperatures were in the forties. I would even tolerate rain if it wasn't coming down horizontally. In fact, I like to ride in the rain if the rain is soft and misty. I have the boulevard to myself and it is nice. I don't go as far but that's okay too. This weekend, with temperatures not getting out of the 20's, I will not be riding my bike and that saddens me. I will keep my bike in the garage rather than storing it in the shed for the winter in the hopes of getting at least one day out of each winter month when the weather allows me to get back on the road. Since I usually ride hard, and you never know when the baby Jesus is going to come calling, I now carry my wallet in the pocket of my shorts in case I suffer a coronary or worse while riding. That way, my family won't have to wonder what the hell is taking me so long to get back home once the darkness of night has set in. If the good lord is willing and the creek don't rise, they will see me before I end up in the morgue. In that event, I hope they will say that I went out doing what I loved to do best.