Thanksgiving 2025

Time flies; this was originally posted in 2021 when the world was different but our thanks was not. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year.

For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have so much to be thankful for it’s hard to know where to start. So I will start with you - the MOTI who gather here. We are like family whose members don’t always agree and some times even squabble but are nevertheless connected by a deep common bond. Unlike real families our bond isn’t blood but rather the shared values and principles that our country was founded on and we learned to cherish. We are bound together by our Constitution, the guide to building an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish.

I am thankful for the many other things I have to be grateful for: I’m grateful I was born on the cusp of the 50s, when America was great and nobody was ashamed of that.

A Sears-Roebuck Dutch colonial; ‘colonial’ - you could never list it that way today.

For having been born to a world where individual freedom, self-reliance and personal responsibility were core values of everyone who aspired to be a good citizen and that was nearly everyone.

Where the freedom call of the open road was a siren’s song

beckoning us to explore the land and our place in it.

I’m grateful that I was born when America was seen as a melting pot - and that was a good thing, not bad. A time before ‘cultural appropriation’ was a thing and, if used at all, applied only to the Brits raiding Egyptian tombs.

Taco Tuesday wasn’t a thing and tacos weren’t racist

I’m grateful for having received an actual education focused on knowledge, critical thinking and how to think rather than indoctrination consisting of what to think about such things as the climate crisis,  ‘critical race theory’ and other ‘social justice’ issues.

I’m grateful that I was raised in a time when many people, black and white, worked to correct true civil rights injustices. And when “peaceful protests”

meant marches and sit-ins rather than riots and and the creation of fake victims to be exploited for political gain.

I’m grateful for having been young at a time when it wasn’t necessary to feel guilty about everything that I ate, drank, drove, bought or dreamed about for fear of being selfish and killing the planet.

Just because it was cool

For these, and much, much more, I’m truly grateful. I will wrap up this Thanksgiving post with my annual MOTI Thanksgiving prayer from my mirror days:

In addition to all the other blessings

you have conferred on my reflective frame

I wish to thank you, Lord,

for the companionship of steadfast comrades

whose wit and wisdom and strength

help steer me through these tempestuous seas

of flattery and lies churned to fury by the ill will of demagogues.

Amen.

Above all, I’m thankful for still being here, among the living and grateful for all God has bestowed on us. Thankful for realizing that no matter what there is always something to be grateful for. A special thanks to all who visit here. I wish you a peaceful, happy Thanksgiving unmarred by strife.

Peace and prayers for all in need.

Get Your Turkey On

LisaW was bemoaning her Thanksgiving dilemma: She is happy with the traditional Thanksgiving menu, daughter wants macaroni and cheese. Daughter will bring mac and cheese but Lisa is having Thanksgiving away from home and has only a camp stove to warm up all the sides. Traffic jam in the food prep area! MathMom came through with a great solution: bake the side dish at home, wrap in a couple of bath towels and transport in an insulated cooler. Tailgater tactic.

The mac and cheese vs. non-mac and cheese Thanksgiving controversy reminded me of the history of Thanksgiving with Raj’s family, which I relayed to Lisa the other day:

My first Thanksgiving,1972, with Raj’s  family at his Mom and Dad’s house was nearly identical to my family’s menu except for the stuffing, everybody’s stuffing is a bit different.  But as the years went by and the kids grew up (Raj is the oldest of 9) everyone brought their favorite side dish that wasn’t part of the original menu: broccoli-rice casserole, funeral potatoes, spinach balls, sausage balls, 7 layer salad, corn casserole, noodles and crumbs, baked squash, brussel sprouts (yech!), Oreo pie, cheesecake, cupcakes and on and on. I’m not making this up. Not in place of anything but along with the traditional spread.

Once someone brought something it became a new tradition and they brought it every year. The buffet spread started in the kitchen and eventually  encroached on the dining room where the huge table turned into another buffet station and the 2 sideboards became a dessert display. The immediate family eventually numbered 34 counting spouses and grandkids. And then the grandkids started to get married and have their own families. Many of them still come to “grandpa’s house” – now Uncle Bill’s - for Thanksgiving and Christmas and now they’re bringing their own contribution.

But in all those years, with all those people and all that food, no one has ever brought mac and cheese. Odd.

It’s nice that everyone wants to contribute but honestly, somebody does have to orchestrate the menu and who brings what. Otherwise you end up with total anarchy and before you know it someone forgets to make the turkey and gravy.

“Where’s the meat?”

…and it’s replaced with enchiladas, lasagna and butter chicken. Or worse, a charcuterie board.

So let’s be careful out there with the Thanksgiving menu. Grab control and rein it in. The next generation depends on it.

Defense Of The Indefensible

A.I.  may have its limitations but imagination isn’t one of them.

The BBC apologized for making stuff up too and they didn’t even need A.I. But they still have their defenders.

BBC Defenders:

'Mr Trump is a Bad Man. So its perfectly OK to lie about his specches'

'But how do you know he's a bad man?'

'Just listen to his speeches!'

A self-serving, circular, worthless argument.

— Latimer Alder (@latimeralder) November 15, 2025

 

Unplanned trip to the dentist this morning so wish me well.

Yes, It’s That Time of Year Again

Time to remember the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. If you’ve never seen one of these tankers steam down a river on it’s way to the ocean or one of the Great Lakes you can’t quite picture how massive they are.

The Edmund Fitzgerald was 729 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 39 feet high. When launched, it was the largest ship on the Great Lakes and had a gross tonnage of 13,632 tons

The thought of a monster that size going down in a storm is inconceivable  And yet it did, in a sudden storm generating winds of over 100 MPH.

One computer model drawing on historic weather data, shows how frigid air coming down from Canada collided with storm system coming from the southwest, creating hurricane-like conditions that turned the water “from calm to ferocious in just minutes,” as Bacon writes, with waves that may have spiked to more than 50 feet.

I‘ve been panicked by storms of far less velocity on the Great Lakes. The crew’s terror must have been unfathomable; they were all aware of the imminent danger.

For enthusiasts, this is a recent, interesting article about the tragedy: In the Wake of the Edmund Fitzgerald 

The mighty ship, immortalized in song by Gordon Lightfoot, sank 50 years ago on Lake Superior. Our reporter spent a week on a Great Lakes freighter that survived the storm.

For Bacon, a veteran journalist from Ann Arbor, Mich., the “untold story” is also the beauty, danger and sheer scale of the lakes.

“Why was I surprised to learn the five Great Lakes are bigger than all New England, plus the state of New York?” he said. “I grew up on these lakes, and I did not know that.”

And now 50 years have passed, Gordon Lightfoot has been lamenting it for 49 of those years. That’s enough time to introduce a little levity; husband-wife text exchange a week ago.

 

For Jettie, You Are So Missed

Jettie in Japan, I think

I confess, I had forgotten, but Coolbrew reminded me that one year ago today we lost our Jettie.

 

One year ago today she left her mortal coil and joined Our Lord in the Heavenly Realms. It has been a tumultuous and grief filled year or two for many of us here on Motus.

So I thought of an idea of a post today (just a suggestion) as a remembrance of our unique ‘Blue Dog’ Jettie. Maybe for all of us to share stories about her to keep her memory alive. I know personally that behind that gruff exterior was the most beautiful and loving heart. And I am sure that anyone that really knew her would feel the same.

I agree, what a wonderful idea. Jettie touched so many of us and it was wonderful, and heartbreaking, to receive her Christmas gifts and cards knowing she had passed on. So indeed, along with what ever else is on your mind today take a minute to remember our lady of the north, our self appointed dragon slayer. She truly was a diamond in the rough.

Christmas ornament form the Blue Dog

Sorry this is so late in the day but I didn’t read my email this morning, as I often do.

Don’t Change Your Beliefs, Change the Universe

Democrats don’t believe this:

But we certainly must give them extra credit for trying.

  Michael Mann’s (bogus) hockey stick that started the myth of global warming:

Gender-fluidity is real:

And, currently, “real communism has never been tried.”

Zoran would like to fix that. And what better petri dish to do it in than New York City? What could go wrong?

This public service announcement was brought to you by the Ayn Rand Society.

“You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.” Ayn Rand

Protests Will Continue Until Morale Improves

“No Kings” rallies on Saturday were a big hit. Millions of useful idiots turned out to protest Trump rather than enjoy some college football. That’s how you know they were serious.

 

I can’t help but wonder where all these people were when Obama was trampling over the Constitution. Probably watching football.

The Left is so bad with memes they have to appropriate ours

Some day they may come to realize that their problem isn’t that Trump is a king, but that they’re all pawns, regardless of their color. But I doubt it.

So by all means, let the protests continue. It seems to improve the morale of the troops.

Peace Through Strength

The hostages have been released. Hamas has been brought to their knees. Peace in the Middle East is actually possible. All this because of President Donald J. Trump.

Thanks to the man known for the Art of the Deal all 20 of the living hostages have been released from their barbarian captors.The Middle East is now positioned to trade chaos for commerce and terrorism for trade. The entire region could be transformed.

It is sad that nearly half of America will not recognize this historical moment for the momentous event it is due to TDS and their irrational deep hatred for a man who has worked for this peace since 2017. He has pursued, and won, Ronald Reagan’s strategy to victory.

The world thanks our president. We don’t deserve him.

Halloween Is In 3 Weeks; Merry Christmas!

Is it too early for Halloween jokes?

For the third year in a row the hummingbirds won the Halloween costume contest

I think not, as retailers have already moved on to hawking Christmas decorations and trinkets.

And I see another Federal judge has determined that the President cannot exercise the powers granted to him. I heard one talking head say “If he (Trump) wants to stop the chaos he should stop defunding the police.” On what planet do these people even reside?

Have a good week, pray for peace and enjoy the probably-last-of-the-warm-weather if you live north of the Mason-Dixon line. As an aside, how many of our historically illiterate youth do you think have a clue what the Mason-Dixon line is?

Homage To Summer Tomatoes

Holding on for dear life to the end of summer?

Sure, summer is officially over. Fall is settling in and It won’t be long till the bounty of summer tomatoes is gone until next year. Don’t miss their last hurrah. Accordingly, in a rare burst of energy, and with a surfeit of late summer produce from the farmers market, I made dinner last night. I fixed this dish as an homage to the fleeting season, I pass it along as my contribution to your weekend happiness and well being.

Summer Tomato Zucchini Halloumi Bake

I think the last time I made this concoction was when I originally posted it back in 2020, there had been much water over the dam since then. It’s got a lot of ingredients but none of them require much prep and the cooking is simple. I seldom have the energy to do much of anything let alone cook so if I can do it you can do it. Trust me on this, the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

So if you find yourself lucky enough to have a lot of tomatoes and zucchini I highly recommend you throw this together.

Be sure to toast some good bread to soak up the succulent juices. The recipe makes a lot so you can freeze half of it to enjoy on a cold winter evening when you’re feeling lazy but most likely you’ll eat it all before it ever sees the freezer.

Recipe and notes:

Summer Tomato Zucchini Halloumi Bake

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground spicy sausage  - I’ve used Italian sausage in the past but only had Bob Evans breakfast sausage this time and used it with some red pepper flakes. I might like it even better.
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
• 4-5 medium heirloom tomatoes or regular, roughly chopped  (big chunks work well, skin and all)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup red wine  (I only had white)
• 1-2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach  (or more, it shrinks a lot)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 1 block halloumi cheese, sliced  - you can use fresh mozzarella and it will be fine but halloumi is especially good and elevates it to another level
• 1 cup heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes
• toasted ciabatta bread, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Heat a large, oven safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage and onion and cook until the sausage is browned all over, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and any juices left on the cutting board. Add the paprika and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the wine. Add the spinach, cover and simmer 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and have released their juices. Stir in the basil. (I add the spinach and basil after the tomatoes cooked  down as it only takes a minute or so)

3. Arrange the halloumi in an even layer over the sauce. (I put mine in individual casseroles) Sprinkle the cherry tomatoes over top and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the sauce has thickened slightly. Serve warm topped with fresh basil and toast for dipping.

You will have all next week to enjoy righteous retribution. For now, slow down and smell the tomatoes.

We’ll Take It From Here

The world is too much with us  - William Wordsworth

RIP Charlie

If asked what I miss most about my youth my response is the optimism. It’s easy to be unwaveringly upbeat before life and experience have beaten you down repeatedly. Life’s successes,victories, achievements and joys are tempered by disappointments, defeats, heartbreaks and losses. It’s a rare individual that arrives at their septuagenarian years without some degree of cynicism and some loss of optimism.

Before you know it it’s the autumn of your life.

Optimism alludes us when our time allotment is running out and days and opportunities are limited. And then along comes a Charlie Kirk. He was the epitome of optimistic: an intelligent, fearless, charismatic man who would take on all comers willing to participate in civil discourse. He routinely beat the left ideologues, who couldn’t win an argument in an empty room, with rationality, logic and good humor while they resorted to canned responses and ad hominem attacks. 

Thank you Charlie, for restoring my faith in the upcoming generations and returning optimism to this world weary soul and many like me.

Rest well good and faithful servant, we’ll take it from here.

Charlie, How We Will Miss You

I’m so old I remember when college campuses were considered safe harbors for intellectual debates over controversial subjects. Disagreement was not only tolerated, it was expected. Even unpopular ideas were analyzed and argued with out fear of retribution. Free speech was understood to be a right and a privilege practiced by student and faculty alike.

Fifty years hence anyone on campus who doesn’t strictly adhere to the left’s orthodoxy is ridiculed, shouted down or canceled. Academic freedom, open discourse and institutional neutrality are concepts that once were admired but now receive lip service at best.

Charlie Kirk tried to change that; he tried to get people to engage their brains to question and think about critical issues. The left’s dogma does not hold up to this standard and as always, when they can’t win the debate they must silence the debater.

Charlie once said he wanted to be the Rush Limbaugh of his generation; that he was, briefly. God sent us Charlie Kirk to continue and enhance Rush’s message. Trust He will send someone to fill Charlie’s shoes as well, possibly thousands of them.

Defending the Indefensible

George Orwell

Only a master class troller can get the left to defend so many indefensible positions so often for so long. They have so much hate they’ve lost touch with reality .

…Trump is once again baiting his political opponents into defending the indefensible. He has a singular talent for making the Left clutch onto wildly unpopular positions and take the wrong side of clear 80-20 issues. It's political jiu-jitsu at its finest…

        Trump knows that when he floats these proposals, Democrats and their corporate media allies won't respond with nuance. They'll respond with knee-jerk outrage -- just as they did in 2020, when Trump sent federal agents to Portland to stop violent anarchists from torching courthouses. The media framed it as martial law; sane Oregonians saw it as basic governance…

        This dynamic plays out again and again. When Trump highlights the border crisis and the need to deport unsavory figures like Mahmoud Khalil and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Democrats defend open borders. When Trump attacks gender ideology indoctrination in schools, Democrats double down on letting teachers hide children's "transitions" from their parents. When Trump condemns pro-Hamas rioters in American cities, Democrats can't bring themselves to say a word of support for Israel's war against a U.S. State Department-recognized foreign terrorist organization. When Trump signs an executive order seeking to partially recriminalize flag burning, Democrats defend flag burning.

Call it the art of the 80-20 issue. Along with his sheer sense of humor, Trump's instinctual knack for picking such winning battles is one of his greatest political assets. And this time, the winner won't just be Trump himself -- it will be Chicagoans and Baltimoreans as well.

 

Labor Day 2025

Put away those white shoes and slacks and get your mukluks out, as we’re headed in that direction.

Very busy here as we’re down to our last few days before departing for Michigan. So chat away and enjoy your Labor Day!

Bring A Fork To A Knife Fight

The August heat, the political hypocrisy, journalistic dishonesty - is anyone else feeling a bit stabby these days?

If so, I have the perfect tool kit for you.

Practical, portable, legal (for now) and effective. Just use judiciously.

Set also doubles as a useful picnic accessory. And since summer is regrettably – for some of us – coming to an end that could be a good thing.

So stick your feet in the sand, your stablery into some melon or potato salad, your scooplery into a big bowl of ice cream and watch your anxiety and agitation melt away. Summer’s too short to go without the essential utensils.

Too Many Idiots, Not Enough Dignity

Although a lot of the therapeutic effect has been negated by the constant liberal outrage performers ala the Sydney Sweeny eugenics “controversy”  the outrage culture has devalued a scream to the point it isn’t worth more than a Biden buck.

As Marshall McLuhan noted decades ago “moral indignation is a technique used to endow an idiot with dignity.”

I would like to report it’s no longer working.

The vegetables are oppressing me!

And it’s all Trump’s fault; he’s trying to squelch our freedom of speech, put minorities back into a racial caste system and destroy the pillars of democracy. The Nazi!

Stay Resilient And May You Stay Forever Young

Whelp, it’s time to visit our Western bunker. Well past time actually, we haven’t been back since April of ‘22. Yep, 3+ years – for many reasons, all related to cancer. I finally feel strong enough (I think) to make the trip and deal with the physical and emotional trepidation. So, we’ll be in Park City for the next few weeks. It’s glorious this time of year with warm days and cool nights and very little rain. That part will be grand.

My apprehension revolves around all the maintenance and repair projects that we know about - and who knows what we don’t – combined with my inability to do much of anything. We hired a very reliable neighbor to check in on the  house every week so it’s not as if it’s been totally ignored, which is fortunate as he discovered the furnace not running on one visit in the middle of winter. I shudder to think of what would have happened had he not checked at the right time. Still, the “to do” list is long’ and much of what has to be done must be contracted out, as old age, old joints, old vertebrae and poor health change everything, as many of you know. It’s hard to swallow as it seems we were able to do almost everything ourselves just yesterday.

Such is life. We will be busy with contractors for everything from window washing to major stucco repair. Plus we need to meet with some realtors to find out what’s involved in proceeding with a sale, another daunting job as we have had this home for 25 years and now have nearly as much “stuff” here as we do in Michigan. It will be a long process.

Anyway wish us well, we will be busy and time will go fast. I know there’s only so much that can be accomplished, especially on my part, in such a short time period but you have to start somewhere. This is just the first of many trips to get things in hand and I’m very grateful to finally be well enough to begin the process.

As they say, “life comes at you fast.”

Be prepared. Stay resilient my friends.

And may you stay, as America’s best minstrel wishes, Forever Young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young
May you stay forever young

What’s Your Question?

Yet another problem with being too literal. Of course being liberal doesn’t help interpretation either.

Of course, they  could always ask Grok. It’s definitely smarter than most liberals.

“What is your question”

AI: blurring the line between Robots and liberals since 1956.

Hanging In There

It’s been awhile and I definitely owe you a health update. I won’t bore you with the details but overall I seem to be doing well-ish. I have scans every three months and MRIs (brain) every 4 months and since the return of esophageal cancer and subsequent radiation last November everything has come back clear, including last week’s scan. MRI not due till September. But things currently good enough that my oncologist has even given the green light to taking a bit of a break (4-6 weeks) from the infusions, That will be quite wonderful as they make me feel crappy for a week at  So once again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone for your powerful prayers,  intercessions and hopes on my which time it’s nearly time for another another. I think August will be a fine month to be infusion free.

I will always have significant balance issues as well as a raft of other not-so-life changing maladies  but like many others here, I wake every day grateful to still be on this remarkable planet despite our bodily infirmities.

What currently plagues me is “cancer related fatigue,” a diagnosis you get when doctors cannot explain the symptoms any other way. What I can tell you is that it is quite debilitating. I am making small, incremental progress which gives me great hope. So once again, I would like to thank all of you who have offered powerful prayers, intercessions, hopes and good wishes on my behalf.

So as summer marches unrelenting on it’s time to get out there and make hay while the sun shines!

These balmy temperatures won’t last forever.

 

Since I finally have the strength to putter around the kitchen again when the heat wave wanes a bit perhaps I’ll feel like baking something - perhaps a peach pie to mark the season.

Note: it’s perfectly fine to use Pillsbury pie crusts. Especially in the summer.

So I hope we all enjoy what’s left of these dog days of summer by living our best life possible.

So hang in there! Trump’s got this.