Greetings and Salutations!

I hope that tomorrow is a good and relaxing day, filled with supportive and humorous fellowship, much good food, and a relaxing time watching one’s favorite sport on the Idiot Box! In spite of the (often) terrible chaos and stress of life, we still have much to be thankful for here in America. Even with the terrible erosion of human rights and dignity that the knee-jerk reaction of the government to the threat of terrorism, this is still one of the most free places in the world to live. In spite of the terrible economy, when I go to the grocery store, the shelves are overflowing with choices of food to buy. I, for one, live in East Tennessee, which is arguably one of the most ecologically diverse regions of the USA, and, I have reasonably free access to enjoy that diversity. I, personally, am blessed with friends, who put up with my idiosyncratic and (at times) annoying behaviors with good humor and patience. From my side, they often allow me the pleasure of helping them out in projects, or bringing a bit of home cooking to a common meal. It is easy, alas, to become so overwhelmed with the stresses of life, and the conflicts that often arise between folks in close proximity for most of the time, that we forget the positives…

Speaking of positives, I am lucky to be part of a collection of really fine cooks, who apparently cannot cook for less than a small army. That makes pot luck dinners a terrible temptation to sit and graze until I am close to exploding. Of course, this time of year is a celebration of the harvest and the bounty that comes from it. Last night, for example, Lisa baked up a Pecan Pie and a Walnut Pie – I have not had the pleasure of cutting into them yet (The Pecan pie, pictured below, is for a dinner tomorrow afternoon), but, I am sure that they are as tasty as they are good looking.

So…No matter what your situation, take a moment tomorrow, in among the pleasant chaos, to think about and appreciate one of those positive people, things or events that make life good for you

Pleasant dreams

dave mundt