Text Box: Text Box: Thanksgiving 2009 We will never forget Thanksgiving two years prior in 2007 when while seated with our guests and exchanging stories about “Our favorite Thanksgiving” Thomas informed all present of his days in Montana when he didn’t Celebrate Thanksgiving due in part to the fact that he didn’t have any food. His honesty captivated the entire dinner party of twenty five strong. One glance up and down the length of the table indicated few amenities omitted from the ladies adorned in gold, silver and diamonds their male counterparts imitating the successful “Sign of Taurus” or Big Men’s look. The beverage list of freshly ground coffee, iced tea, coca cola, pear, strawberry, cherry, apple or blueberry sparkling ciders served in Christmas tree adorned flutes. One super sized honey and orange glazed turkey slow cooked all night in one-half of a double gas oven. The other Turkey of equal or greater proportion smoked outside for almost eighteen hours and stuffed with New Mexico Chili accented stuffing. A spiral sliced slow baked ham of succulent texture was offered as an alternative to the traditional fowl. Side Dishes included fresh yams baked and topped with brown sugar and marshmallow the heat synthesizing to completion a masterpiece of gooey decadence, giant mushroom caps painted with liquid butter loaded with crab meat then baked, signature habanera seasoned stuffing and traditional mild for those feint of heart and tummy, garlic mashed potatoes the gravy created from the drippings of both birds, home grown almonds for sprinkling on asparagus baked in fresh lemon pulp, an assortment of other vegetables, soft and chewy home made rolls, several salads including the traditional romaine topped with tomato wedges and cracked pepper to the succulent ambrosia consisting of sliced bananas, seedless grapes, strawberries, pineapple and coconut strands hand mixed with home made whipping cream, and not to forget cranberry orange relish. The desert menu offered pumpkin pie from home grown fruits, freshly baked pecan and ice creams of many textures and flavors served alamode on slices of either or both pies. Dinner, desert, conversations and lingering guests elevated this thanksgiving to a record eight hours in duration each second to be forever cherished. Much has changed in the last twelve months and the great decline is upon us. Many of our friends speculated in real estate and or stocks and lost big. We benefited from the previous volatility and intense point swings of an erratic stock market but admit we were clipped for fifty thousand U.S. in a mere seventeen seconds. We sold our home in October of 2007, rented until our landlord sought bankruptcy protection. We resided rent free in an exquisite area of Northwest Las Vegas until speculators purchased the property in June. We advised our friends from this last January to evacuate Las Vegas as the economy is not stable and subject to further decay possibly of substantial proportions. Deflationary pressures throughout the national economy especially in wages, housing and locally in strip room rates will only exacerbate the decline. It’s time to thank the Lord for what we all know is most important in life. One of our monitors loops repetitions of our photos of family, friends, pets, holidays, and travels. Although an early true believer to the omnipotence of the Lord and appreciating his presence always at our side with every threat to which we were deployed we are grateful now more than ever for the gift of faith. We are grateful for our marriage and the gift of true love. One of us is grateful for our enemies who have forced us to elevate our craft and learn the ways of the predator to convert predators. Thanksgiving is a time of sharing! Just think of all the headaches of preparing a feast for people we don’t even know. People who can never pay us back. People who wouldn’t do the same for us if the situation were reversed and people who can and will take advantage of our hospitality especially now! Wouldn’t it be fun! This year let’s reach out to accommodate those around us who are living an existence of forced humility one day at a time independently of recovery promoted thinking. If we are going to break with the physical materialism that binds us to dead assets then we need to practice letting go. Hosting others in the intimacy of our homes is a great first step. If we can’t bring ourselves to allow others into our private domains and lives just yet then gifting whole meals to local pantries represents surrogate service without personal attachment or we can pack a plastic baggie with a prepaid phone card, a thirty day bus pass, cash and a local shelter or recovery contact info. roll your window down at the stop light and hand it to someone with or without a sign but in distress. The lines at local shelters and soup kitchens across this great country will be long this Thanksgiving. Our politicians have failed us yet again. This time our brothers and sisters are suffering like never before and require our assistance. In Nevada alone over twelve thousand people have exhausted their unemployment benefits. What is to become of them? What is to become of us? Now like never before we can open our homes, pantries extend our hospitality and add a moment of uninterrupted presence in their lives. This is America the Beautiful isn’t it? The last time we checked, we the sons and daughters of Almighty God are his hands on earth and we reside in the most beautiful part; his spirit! Are you in?

Black Crowes

Before the Frost

2009.7

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Where there is no vision the people will perish