Thankful thoughts for the holidays

First, after making twenty typos typing the title and first sentence, I am thankful for spell check. My fingers are stiff from the cold weather, and although I can spell, my fingers are less than agile.

I am thankful for our wonderful neighbors who invited Daniel and me to spend Thanksgiving with them. We had planned on dining alone on Cornish game hens, with Mugsy waiting under my chair for a spill or leftovers. Instead, eight friends gathered, ate great food and had a lot of laughs and great conversation. Sorry, Mugs!

I was thankful for access to the indoor tennis courts at Whitman College-a great way to work off the big Thanksgiving dinner. So far this winter, the drive to Walla Walla has been easy, though I know the fog, ice, and snow are coming.

Although I am a novice gardener, it's the beginning of December, and we are thankful to be still dining on our home-grown tomatoes. Albeit there are only about four left, there are still no store-bought tomatoes for us this week.

I am sure many of us suffered the bombardment of Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads. They came on our phones, TV, radio, and computers. The buying season is almost over, and I am thankful I did not succumb to the temptation. I may have added a few things to an electronic cart or two. However, I have not pressed "buy" once!

I am thankful for Advil PM. It seems at least once or twice a week I am hit with a bout of insomnia. After tossing and turning, reading, playing Wordle, Connections, Sudoku, and other brain teaser games, I give in and take an Advil PM, which usually puts me to sleep. I am not used to having insomnia, and it's driving me crazy. But at least I've read some good books and have exercised my brain.

I am thankful my sister and cousins are ready to regroup and play online mahjongg again. We may not all be available at the same time until after the holidays, but even catch as catch can is fun.

I am thankful for my Costco thermal underwear; Mugsy is too. We can comfortably take our walks on cold evenings since he gets bored with our backyard.

I am thankful I have a supply of glue traps because the mice are back. I think they are looking for warmth in the attic and have successfully found it. However, I have been more successful in trapping them, and they will NOT get the better of me.

I think I am most thankful for our community. We have friends and neighbors who taught me not to hate gardening, who come to the rescue when we have dead car batteries, when Mugsy escapes, and are concerned about Daniel's safety as he returns home from twelve-hour days on his route in the hills. And on those nights, I'm also thankful for whisky!