GIVE THANKS

I've been out in the garage the past two days preparing for Thanksgiving. No, ladies, NOT cooking. My Guy-Prep for Thanksgiving requires me to repair our creaky dining room chairs. These chairs are like our nations aging B-52 fleet, older than the people who sit in them. So, each year I re-glue and re-screw the wobbly joints. Sometimes I have to cannibalize a particularly shaky chair in order to repair others. Our original compliment of ten chair is down to a sad five count. When company comes we have to supplement with odd chairs from the kitchen table.

That said, this is a task I look forward to. There is something about working with wood that brings me satisfaction. Cars? ugh. Computers? Ahh! Yard work? no thanks. But wood? I can do that. Sometimes I think about the fact that Jesus trained and worked as a carpenter. I can identify with the challenges he faced (like, for instance, Who borrowed my tools?)

I am thankful that I still have the time and the desire to repair these chairs. I have no romantic illusions. I know that if I were in a higher tax bracket I would simply buy a new dining room set. But as it is, I have to repair these chairs periodically. I'm glad I can still enjoy it.

THREE CHEERS FOR THE MARINE CORPS BAND

Listening to "The Stars and Stripes Forever by the Marine Corps Band. What a great song. Stopped working on chairs for Thanksgiving Day and started marching around the garage.

WAAAAAIT FOR IT... WAAAAIT FOR IT...

The President has finally got a plan for Afghanistan. It's so good the American people are going to love it. It's going to finish the job. But he's not ready to tell it to us or implement it just yet.

I'll take a stab at what this plan is going to be: Declare Victory and Go Home. That's it. The media will love it.

THROUGH A LOOKING GLASS, DARKLY