Donky Shorts

Yes, I know that’s spelled incorrectly — or at least creatively — but I failed to register the domain the first time, and after it had expired, it was locked by the registrar and I still couldn’t register it, so I had to make do with this quasi second-best version. (This page was originally going to be called Erntedankfest, but then I realized I had something ready-made that would work just as well.)

Anyway, I keep getting prodded to start this list — the list of all the things, large and small, for which I am grateful, or which make me smile, or for which someone deserves mega-kudos (or at least an Award for Extreme Cleverness), or for which I just want to give a tip of the hat to The Big Guy Upstairs. So, without further ado, I present…

The List

(These are in no particular order, but I did decide to try to clump them a little.)

The Obvious Ones

  • My Wife
  • The Atonement of Jesus Christ
  • Good neighbors (small “n”; the ones living near-by)
  • My Parents, for taking the time and effort to raise me as they did
  • Friends
  • A roof over our heads
  • Clothing on our backs
  • Food in our tummies
  • Local public safety officials: Policemen, Firefighters, Sheriff’s Deputies, Paramedics and EMTs, LifeFlight/AirMed crews, and those behind the scenes like Dispatchers and the unsung Office Assistants who process mounds of paperwork that keep everything running smoothly.
  • Everyone who has ever served in the Armed Forces to protect our country, our freedoms, and our lives.
  • A loving—and patient—Heavenly Father
  • The birth of every one of my children
  • That my Sweetie survived each of those births
  • Thanksgiving
  • My family (wife and kids)
  • My family (parents and siblings)
  • My family (extended)
  • My family (the various in-laws)
  • My family (specific in-laws)
  • Mostly harmless kids

The Less-Obvious Ones

  • Indoor plumbing (Thanks, Fates, for pointing this out)
  • “Why don’t you sleep on it?”
  • The quirky sense of humor nurtured my my Mum
  • Really neat In-laws
  • People who are organized
  • My Parents, for being patient with me during my teen years
  • The Founding Fathers
  • Large, loving families
  • Volunteers
  • And on a related note, Elmers
  • Spooning … or is that ISD
  • Popsicles
  • Toilette paper
  • Good shoes
  • A good hat, esp. for those of us who are follicularly challenged
  • Electricity
  • Sunblock
  • Insect repellent
  • Those who understand that terms like “policemen” mean inclusively “men and women, who are police officers”
  • Doctors that know what, how, and when to do whatever it is you need done
  • Soap
  • Parents who care enough to teach their children discipline
  • The electric light-bulb
  • Marconi, and his contemporaries
  • Writing tips from someone who should know
  • Warm, snuggly blankets
  • Someone to snuggle with under the blankets
  • Fresh, clean, potable water
  • Toilets, especially ones that flush.
  • People who are kind to people who are important to me (like those folks in China who are helping my friend and his family enjoy the experience of living in China for two months)

Those That Are, Just Because

  • Good Neighbors (large “N”; the BBC production)
  • “Maybe”
  • Early Saturday mornings, when you’re awake because you’re well rested and have nothing special planned
  • Mountains, quaking aspens, wild-flowers, …
  • Hummingbirds
  • Fleece pajamas
  • Chipotle Tabasco® Sauce
  • Excitement about finding an orange Life-Saver™… and then putting it back where you found it so you can experience the excitement again another day
  • Fragrance and essential oils, and what they do when my Sweetie makes soap
  • “Did you see his spine?”
  • “I won’t play with cheaters.”
  • Ice cream, late on a Sunday evening, with my Sweetie, and her sister and husband (my brother-in-law–in-law)
  • A good watermelon
  • The gentle curve of …

“You’re just Weird”

  • Lessons learned from Hook, the movie
  • The guys that work at the local landfill, or at the local sewage treatment plant
  • Friction (try to imagine what would happen without it)
  • Socks
  • Ketchup
  • Tampons, Maxi-pads, and all those other things that make the life of my Sweetie and all woman-kind just a little less bothersome.
  • Button flies, and never having to use the phrase “zipper catches flesh” except in jokes
  • Having learned at an early age what 110 V AC feels like
  • Sauerkraut