Happy Gobble, Gobble...

Well, amazingly it's almost Thanksgiving. Yup - who would have thought it, but it's here and boy did it get here fast. It feels like it was just summer and we were sitting by the pool or at the beach, enjoying the sun and heat ---ahhh the good ol days.


Anywhoo, with two days to go until my favorite holiday (yes - it's my favorite:no need to buy gifts and spend tons of money, good food and just a warm, fuzzy feeling of family, friendship and happiness..) I thought I'd once again share my wisdom and wealth of knowledge with my devoted readers (1- I probably don't have any devoted readers but one can dream and 2-maybe not my wisdom, but it's someones and I'm sharing it, so who's checking!). 


So, instead of boring everyone with wonderful memories of Thanksgiving's past, I'm going to share some fun facts about this splendid holiday (feel free to use any of these at your family gatherings this week!):

• In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.
• Each year, the average American eats somewhere between 16 - 18 pounds of turkey. (hello elastic waistbands)
• Although Thanksgiving is widely considered an American holiday, it is also celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada. (Liz- this one is for you!)
• The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.
• Male turkeys gobble. Hens do not - they make a clucking noise. (always good to know)
• Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly. (that's just sad and wrong - why don't they deserve to fly)
• Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks. (Poor turkeys - gobble, gobble)
• Turkeys have poor night vision. (maybe they need night goggles!)
• A 16-week-old turkey is called a fryer. A five to seven month old turkey is called a young roaster. ( a little foreshadowing there?!?!?!)
• The pilgrims didn't use forks; they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers.

Now that the fun facts are out of the way, and boy they sure were FUN, one more treat and then I'll bid you adieu.  For just about every holiday/occasion, Google creates an ingenious tribute on their homepage and they've succeeded once again - www.google.com - check it out!

OK, that's all I've got for today. Hope everyone has a healthy, happy and hearty Thanksgiving!!

Till the next post .... Gobble, Gobble and Happy Turkey Day!! 

Do You Believe in Resolutions?

(Editor's Note - I wrote this for the last New Year, but just re-read it and decided why not share my wisdom and insight from last year, now. So I am - you can thank me later!!)


It's 2011. A new year. A chance to wipe the slate clean, start over, and hopefully do things differently than in the past. For many, when the clock strikes 12 or in the days leading up to or after that moment, the task of making resolutions begins. Lose weight, be a better person, find a new job or partner, fall in love.......you get the jist. We all do it and we all head into the new year bright eyed and bushy tailed, full of hope, good will and lots of positive energy believing that this year will be different. That is until its not.


Now trust me, I know you're sitting there reading this thinking - bah humbug Mr.Grinch or Scrooge or whatever name you choose - but come on, really!?!?!? What is it about the resolution and this time of year that makes us all just a little crazier than usual?  Is it the changing of the calendar year (new year, new you?), the celebratory mood that screams - good will, peace, joy - making us want to change for the better or just something we think we're supposed to do? I just don't know - do you?


Please don't misunderstand my ranting about resolutions. I think making goals, achieving them, bettering(that's probably not a word, but I'm gonna run with it) yourself and helping others is AWESOME - sign me up. I guess I just wonder how many people woke up on January 1 with a whole lot of unrealistic resolutions, resolutions they most likely won't attain and by February 1 (give or take) will decide they've failed, are miserable or who knows what. Who wants to be that person? I sure don't.


So, here's the deal - is it about the need to better yourself or the need to say you made a resolution - whether you accomplish them or not? Do we need to more honest with ourselves about setting realistic goals/resolutions or do we sabotage ourselves with things we can't attain? Is that why we often fail at resolutions - because we know they're INSANE from the start but give us something to strive for?(I definitely don't have the answers - I just like to ask the questions. (and yes, today's post has many of them). 


So, to wrap things up - however you choose to approach the New Year - just remember that life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." (yes I stole that from Ferris Bueller). Danke Schoen and Good Night!!!