Thanksreading

While some people are crowding the malls getting early Christmas deals and listening to carols on the radio, I'm looking forward to the nearly forgotten non-commercial holiday closer at hand: Thanksgiving.  Whether you're looking for something on the Internet to help you plan a festive table for a crowd or a warm and fuzzy read just for yourself when you have a moment of peace, there are plenty of different things out there.

For those who are really ambitious (or just pretend to be), take a look at the following websites that can help you with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner:

• Delish  Great for an elegant turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
• Martha Stewart  Hey, it's Martha. 'Nuff said.
• Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Menu  If you want to make something good in a short time.  

Of course, if you have no clue how to cook a turkey but don't want to pick up one cooked by the supermarket, there's always the food experts at Butterball Turkey Talk-Line to help you with your turkey 911 questions.  Just try not to ask them questions like these that make me re-think the notion that there is no such a thing as a stupid question.

If cooking isn't your thing or if you're lucky enough to be going over the river and through the woods to somebody else's house for dinner, maybe you're looking for a good book to snuggle up with.  Try some of these titles to help keep you cozy:

• The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)  You got caught up in the phenomenon, read the book, and watched the movie.  Maybe it's time to re-live the story or enjoy the heart-pounding thriller for the first time.
• Death Comes for the Archbishop  (Willa Cather)  This book isn't as morbid as it sounds.  If you want a feel-good spiritual book set against the backdrop of 19th century New Mexico as seen through the eyes of a French clergyman, this is it.
• The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz)  Looking to gain some perspective on yourself and others?  This book explains it all to you in a way that calms your soul.
• Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)  Who doesn't like a Gothic romance every so now and then?  This one is an oldie but a goodie, complete with great plot twists.
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)  So what that it's a kids book?  Aren't we all kids at heart?  Experience Narnia again with Lucy and her siblings.

So this Turkey Day, don't worry about those early Black Friday sales and take the time to enjoy the bird.  Slow down with some reading, online or in print. 

Happy Thanksgiving from the perch.

 

It's Election Day--Vote!

If you don't know today is Election Day, you've probably been living under a rock for the past 2 years with no access to TV, radio, or the Internet.  Today is the big day when we finally get put out of our misery from seeing all those ads, hearing those jingles, and getting flyers in our snail mail.  I don't know about you, but I'm definitely feeling election fatigue.

Like most elections, there's a lot at stake, including the choice of a new president.  And like every presidential election since 2000, Americans are pretty much divided between the candidates.  Many are heated up over either the Democrats or the Republicans.  I'm not going to tell you which side is better or for whom you should vote, but what I will tell you to do is simply vote.

As people have been coming up to the perch today, I've been asking them whether they've voted.  Thankfully, a number have been telling me that they have while some have told me they haven't.  I realize that a lot of people, including myself, are frustrated with the election process, the politicians, and what's being done (or not) in the country.  I realize that a lot of people think that their votes won't matter much, but that's where people are wrong.  Every vote does count and it's important that your voice be heard.

If you still need help deciding which candidates to choose, stop by the library.  We have newspapers and computers on which you can link to the League of Women Voters and other websites that list the candidates' positions on different issues.  No matter who you decide on, just vote.  It's exercising your right to vote and contributing to the democratic process that makes a difference.

And just for the record, I voted.

Patriotically yours from the perch.