BobLee Is Thankful For …..

BobLee
January15/ 2000

……  I’m not sure I’ve done a column like this among the 1,300+.  “What I’m thankful for” …. A random list of stuff, things, folks, and circumstances that I’m thankful have intersected my life.   Like most everything on this website, it combines the Three Ss ….. Sappy, Serious & Silly.   You can decide what goes where.  I toss’em out and you can shuffle’em as you see fit.

If there is any order to this list, it is unintended and purely coincidental.  You are free to agree, disagree, send to your entire contact list or declare unconstitutional and attempt to ban.  This list is not meant to be complete ….. it is simply a list I put together in the past 24 hours.

I, BobLee, on the occasion of Thanksgiving 2009, am thankful for ………

Christmas music …… I roll my eyes as retailers move Christmas into late October, but I do love Christmas carols on the radio.  I’m thankful they have not been banned ….. yet.   Silver Bells is a favorite.

Quesadillas …… Beef or chicken doesn’t matter.  Easy to eat and the ones Missus’ buys at Harris Teeter are simple to grill up.

My In-Laws .…. I have THE BEST COLLECTION there is.   Not a clinker in the bunch of’em.  Solid citizens, good souls, quick wits and 94.9% right-wing fanatics !!!  Yeee Ha!

Barry The Greenwich Village Idiot ….. admonishing me not to waste my time with board monkeys and assorted Internet lunatics.   No more than cyber porn and equally as destructive to one’s mind.

Keurig ….. I know several of you have your favorite coffeemaker.  I like getting my morning going so easily and effortlessly.

Broadway Musicals ….. We’re going to see Phantom tonight.  Wicked is just incredible.  And all those Rogers & Hammerstein favorites.  Missus was “Annie” of “Get Your Gun” fame so we know “there’s no business like show business”.  Belting out an aria to a packed house ….. what a thrill that must be!

People Who Have Thankless Jobs …… like City Managers, Athletics Directors, Airport Managers, and cable TV technicians.  Someone has to do these jobs to keep our society from total anarchy.

You Buddies & Babes ….. I didn’t know where to put “you guys” so I figure I’ll just drop you here in the middle.  That’s where you usually are in my columns any way ….. right in the middle.

My F-150 Truck …… nearing 170,000 miles and still solid as a rock.  I occasionally fantasize about some sporty little number then I remember I’m not a sporty little number and do love the roominess and reliability of “my truck”.

Baby Boomers For Jesus ….. the Thursday fellows who meet in Kenan’s Ann Franks’ Attic.   60 or so guys who are 60 or so in age and just appreciate those 90 minutes of fellowship each week.   Albert & Danny started it but now it’s a sustained entity by all involved.  It’s a good thing.

My Favorite TV Shows …… Castle, NCIS, White Collar, Lie To Me, Mentalist, Criminal Minds.  Each of those shows has an underlying theme of some human qualities I find admirable.   I’d like to know the characters ….. I probably do.

The Orange Line …… that first down line on TV.  I read once how they “do it”.  It made no sense to me.  I don’t have to understand.  I just like it.

Sports’ Good Guys …… Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer, Peyton Manning, Colt McCoy,  Albert Pujols, Tim Tebow, Carl Edwards, Mark Texeira ….. there are plenty of others I’m sure but all these are high-profile “good guys” and among the VERY BEST at what they do.

FoxNews & Talk Radio ….. the thought of non state-controlled media being banned or limited in this country scares me more than most anything else going on.  I realize why the current administration wants to ban them, which is why I am sooo thankful for these voices.

The Popular Young Chancellor ….. I had given up on my alma mater until Holden Thorp became its Chancellor.   The University had made it abundantly clear it did NOT like “people like me”.  I’m pretty sure Holden “likes me”.  That’s a start I think.

Jeans, boots, & my leather jacket ….. they all fit comfortably and “are me”.  I appreciate that it’s not the attire of choice for everyone.  Luckily I don’t have to dress like everyone …. Or they like me.

Guy Fieri, Paula Deen & Rachael Ray ….. The Food Network has upbeat hosts who really seem to enjoy their “jobs”.  Yes, they are somewhat over-the-top and eccentric.  So am I.  Maybe that’s why I like them.

Catching / Punishing Crooked Politicians ….. like cockroaches, we’ll never get rid of all of’em but everyone we do catch and punish is one who got what he deserved.

Annabelle Our Cat ….. She’s a tuxedo cat with an apple head.  She’s 10 years old and has been a key member of our family for 99.9% of her life.  When she hops up on the arm of my chair and pushes her head against my arm, I know she trusts me unequivocally. Sometimes she seems to know just when I need to have her at my side.  Or maybe she just guesses.

HDTV ….. I haven’t been to “a movie” in so long I can’t recall the last one.  I only have HD Channels in my remotes’ favorites now.   It really is very cool.

“Us” ….. Missus, Kid, Annabelle, our home theater, our gas logs and our 42” HDTV replaying one of the shows listed above ….. while eating quesadillas and drinking Coke Zero or a specialty coffee from my Keurig ….. works really really well for me.   I’m grateful for the “Us” we have together.

WPTF-680AM ….. Rick, Donna and Bill for inviting The Internet Legend on so often to share my foolishness with their listeners.

People who DON’T take themselves too seriously ….. God Bless’em.

Marching bands & flipping cheerleaders ….. as I contemplate my sports event “tipping point” I remember how much I do enjoy the band and the flipping cheerleaders in person.

My favorite mug ….. I have 4-5 mugs that are OK but one that’s my favorite.  Missus’ has hers too so we don’t have to fight over the one.  It took me a while to develop “my favorite mug”.

The Atlantis Lodge ….. It’s “our place at da beach”.  A kitschy 60s motel right on the beach and PERFECT for what we enjoy about da beach.

….. Brave soldiers ….. pretty girls ….. polite people ….. hot showers ….. cold orange juice w/ pulp ….. The Angus Barn ….. chili dogs ….. exciting ball games …… sunrises ….. sunsets ….. Missus being happy ….. my office neat & orderly ….. Kid being happy ….. old friends ….. new friends ….. happy endings ….. crisp bacon ….. ElRushbo kickin’ butt ….. fresh cut lawn …. azaleas ….. Johnny Horton songs …. good books ….. a Military drum/bugle corps ….. pictures of good times …..  MEZ …. my truck washed & detailed ….. Leon’s sermons ….. laughing w/ kindred souls ….. a full moon

Culling Our Herd …… Over the past 6-8 years Missus and I have “culled the herd” of unenjoyables among our acquainti .  I accept that the folks we “culled” are probably as relieved not to have to tolerate us.  I don’t spend much time thinking about that aspect of it.

Brad & Eric’s Tailgates ….. Every FB season for the past 5-6 years, Brad & Eric set-up a tailgate “in the shadow of The Bell Tower”.  They don’t have to do it.  I appreciate that they take the time and effort to do it.

Missus’ Holiday Decorations ….. Missus always decorates our house for the major seasonal holidays ….. the front hall, the mantle, tables in the living room/home theater, the front porch, etc.  She mumbles and grumbles as she hassles with the boxes in the attic et al but she does it.  It matters.  I hope Kid will carry on that tradition in her home.  I bet she will.

All the people and circumstances that molded me into who I am today ….. Good, bad and indifferent …. Pleasant and unpleasant …. We all are a product of what we’ve lived thru and who we’ve encountered along the way.  For all my assorted shortcomings I’m satisfied with who I am and how I deal with what I deal with.  I realize I process modern life differently from many people and not so differently from many people.  I’m more than OK with how that is shaking out relative to the people “like me” I choose to associate with.

Sure, I worry a great deal about the future of our country.  That “it will all be OK because it always has been” is a myth.  It “has been” due to the incredible efforts of brave men (women) and true.  “It” has survived because of a moral fibre and spiritual strength that is under assault as never before.  I’m not sure what I can do about that other than forward on e-mails about brave soldiers and keep my own courage up.

….. and write these goofy commentaries that let you know there’s a kindred spirit on the other side of your monitor screen.  I’m thankful I can do this.

……. Someone pass me the green bean casserole, please.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
BobLee
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x