Merry Christmas!

I know I'm a day or two late, but the sentiment should be the same year-round, correct? Moo made it down for Christmas, which was wonderful, since he's moving to Spokane in two weeks, and I'm not sure how long it'll be before I get to see him again. MY Christmas gift came in the form of not getting anything terrifically wrong during the Christmas program, thank the good Lord. I also got the gift of illness, for the first time in three years, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't from God. Dorothy made me lovely little lime-green lace wristlets and I've been wearing them as I sit in front of the computer with my Thera-Flu and knitting, watching Eureka, a very entertaining show that Moo, Inc. is loaning me. Anyway, I hope that everyone else is doing well, and again, I wish you ALL a Merry Christmas!

Thankful

I'm thankful:

- that I have a job. Even if it drives me nuts, at least I'm employed.

- for the Community Health Center! Maybe getting my hours cut was a blessing in disguise.

- that I can knit. I don't know what I would be doing for Christmas presents this year otherwise! As it is, I'm not sure everything is going to get done in time and I can only stay up so late and still function in the morning!

- for friends and family. In my case, they start to blend a lot!

- that I have a place to live and very warm flannel sheets.

- that I have enough food to eat, and it's food I like. A lot.

- for enough self-control to usually get most of my bills paid before I go crazy with my money. Because when I don't have it, I get into plenty of trouble.

- that I have luxuries in my life like tea, books, expensive yarn and a computer that works.

- that I'm alive and able to walk, see, hear and speak without any help. It seems like a no-brainer until you think of how many people don't have that ability.

I thought perhaps it was time to just remind myself of how good I really do have it!

Medford Mail Tribune..... questionable intelligence

So, I just heard that our own, beloved Medford Mail Tribune wants to print a list of all of the people in the county who have a concealed carrier's permit. First thought in my head?

"Now there's a good reason to not get my concealed permit and just carry illegally."

I mean, honestly, what on earth are they thinking?? There is no reason at all that a list like that should be made public knowledge in such a blaring way. I'm sure they're going off the whole "public safety" angle based on the high school teacher case, but believe me, the people they need to be worried about carrying concealed aren't going to be on that list. I would go so far as to call this behavior harassment of people who have enough belief in our government and its policies to admit to carrying a handgun.

What are they hoping to accomplish? Do they want to shame (ha!) gun owners into changing their ways? Do they know where they are? This is Southern Oregon, and no amount of froufy vineyards or wonderful arts programs (I love Britt and OSF) is going to change the fact that the Rogue Valley is still populated by loggers, construction workers, hunters, rednecks and their children.

The Medford Mail Tribune, if they continue to pursue this, are stepping waaaaay out of line in their pursuit of "journalism." This isn't journalism; this is persecution.

Fog

I have ambivalent feelings about fog. It's cold and wet and repressive and very, very depressing sometimes, as those of you who live around here certainly know. But other times it's alive, mysterious and lovely. I especially like it when it's blowing in shreds around the trees or when I'm in the mountains and the fog is sitting in the valleys. This morning, though, I had one of the really good fog moments. I was driving in to work and the fog was burning off in one area and the sunrise was apparently coming over the mountain, because the fog I was driving through was rose-colored. Instead of being cold and oppressive, it was (from the interior of my car) warm and inviting. I think that even if I'd been outside, walking through the pear orchards, it would have seemed warmer. And it was lovely.