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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Republicans don’t trust women.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

Another missed opportunity for Jamie Dimon to just shut the fuck up.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

There is one struggling party in US right now, and it’s not the Democrats.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

No Justins, No Peace

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

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You are here: Home / Wednesday Gratitude Post: One Good Thing

Wednesday Gratitude Post: One Good Thing

by Anne Laurie|  October 17, 201811:47 am| 128 Comments

This post is in: All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Daydream Believers

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"there's just no talking to you when you're like this, Diane" pic.twitter.com/KDFUuZiPtd

— Paul Bronks (@BoringEnormous) October 14, 2018

What I’m grateful for, this week — and believe me, there ain’t much — is that THE SUMMER FROM HELL IS FINALLY OVER. Autumn is always my favorite season, but waiting for the last of the days that felt like a warm, wet blanket had been wrapped around the whole godsdamned planet has been a new level of torture. I can hardly wait for the first killing frost, just so I’ll have an excuse to tear up the extremely unproductive (yet flourishing!) tomato plants. And maybe get started on cleaning up the even-more-flourishing weeds that have taken over the yard while I was too HHH-stunned to fight them…

What one good thing are you grateful for, this week?

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Previous Post: « The Truth Is Out There
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Reader Interactions

128Comments

  1. 1.

    NeenerNeener

    October 17, 2018 at 11:55 am

    The installation of the solar panels on my garage is supposed to start tomorrow, 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

    Take that, Big Oil and Big Coal!!

  2. 2.

    Baud

    October 17, 2018 at 11:56 am

    I like to think of myself as self-gratifying.

  3. 3.

    geg6

    October 17, 2018 at 11:58 am

    @Baud:

    LOL!

    I’m grateful that one of the high schools at which I had financial aid nights scheduled this week has cancelled. I still have one tomorrow and have an event on my campus on Saturday, but this is one thing I don’t have to do this week.

  4. 4.

    jeffreyw

    October 17, 2018 at 11:58 am

    @Baud: You’ll go blind!

  5. 5.

    Betty Cracker

    October 17, 2018 at 11:59 am

    My daughter borrowed my car because hers is on the fritz, and some shady asshole rear-ended her this morning, distracted because he was gulping down a can of Red Bull (according to him). I am thankful that my daughter wasn’t hurt. The damage to my car was extremely minor too, but that’s a secondary concern. I’m just glad she’s okay.

  6. 6.

    Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ

    October 17, 2018 at 12:00 pm

    My son, the little goofball–he made me laugh this morning even though I’m tired and cranky and was running late.

  7. 7.

    Poptartacus

    October 17, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    Sheba’s are deadly cute
    That’s how they trick you
    Then you find your tv remote-shoes-ect.
    Chewed up in the backyard

  8. 8.

    Gravenstone

    October 17, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    I’m not convinced autumn plans to hang around long this year. We went from 80’s to 40’s over literally two days a couple of weeks back. And now we’re supposed to touch on the 20’s tonight. I’m not ready …

  9. 9.

    Eric S.

    October 17, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    I dropping 2.

    I received an offer for a new position at my current employer. It’s a move I want to make. A few minor details to iron out but no show stoppers.

    I have a blind date tomorrow! Talked to her on the phone last night. It seems like we will get along.

  10. 10.

    LaNonna

    October 17, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    Best houseguests in the world announced their arrival for the coming weekend. Super grateful that the tiler/mason will be done grouting the shower before their arrival (ulp). And happy that mild autumn weather of 75F will continue so we can still swim with them in the Ionian, the Adriatic has gotten too chilly, nice to have our choice of coasts.
    Last but not least, thanks for this blog keeping me up on all the US political news, we voted absentee today, straight D all the way.

  11. 11.

    Bishop Bag

    October 17, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    I got to see Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers last night in Reno. First show of the tour and Bobby’s Birthday! Really fun show, the band played very well, nice acoustic renditions of the Dead’s music!

  12. 12.

    WereBear

    October 17, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    After months of diagnostic struggles and toxic meds, it seems our senior cat, Reverend Jim, is responding to the special herbal blend Mr WereBear whipped up, and his tummy cramps and other digestive issues are abating. He’s such a happy boy now!

    And he deserves it. Got the problems when someone tried to starve him to death, and I had to get permission from the police to release him from the shelter when they couldn’t track the person down, and now, he’s our beloved Purr Machine and Kitten Wrangler.

  13. 13.

    MattF

    October 17, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    Talenti Double Chocolate gelato.

  14. 14.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    October 17, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    MileHiCon (local Denver science fiction convention) starts Friday. mr. h and I get to hang out with one of our tribes. We stay at the hotel so it’s a bit of a break/staycation. Grateful we can afford to do that. Grateful to hang out with intelligent, geeky people. Grateful that I took Friday off, and grateful that I have the vacation time to use.

  15. 15.

    germy

    October 17, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    @WereBear: Good to know Rev. Jim is on the mend.

    He’s lucky to have good people in his life.

  16. 16.

    khead

    October 17, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    I enjoyed this thread last week. My one good thing is Mrs. Khead has (almost) resumed her normal life by going back to work today.

  17. 17.

    David Anderson

    October 17, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    A few weeks ago, I saw that a former referee and my kids’ former babysitter was entering her senior of college as an actuarial student. I also saw that an actuarial partner at a major national firm was starting the hiring/recruiting cycle for their firm. I connected the two of them for a discussion. And then I got told late last week that she had accepted an offer of employment with an awesome training program effective two weeks after she graduates. She did all the hard work but I felt really good for paying off some of those intergenerational favors that I received when I was her age.

  18. 18.

    MattF

    October 17, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    Also, just to keep everyone grounded, there’s ‘A Deep Dive Into Uranus Jokes‘.

  19. 19.

    Brachiator

    October 17, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Our neighbors to the north become even more mellow today.

    Canada just became the second country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis on a federal level. Implementing a national cannabis system in a huge country with distinct provincial governments is, at best, an intricate, fraught, high-stakes project—and the resulting rollout has been about as complicated as you’d expect.

    First, the basics: As of today, October 17th, 2018, adults in Canada can pick up dried cannabis leaves, oils, and pre-rolled joints from government-licensed retailers, and grown their own indoor plants. But the crucial details of actually buying and using weed in Canada—things like legal purchasing age, possession maximums, retail outlets, and public consumption laws—vary wildly by province.

    Who can buy weed: Adults over 18 in Alberta, but every other province has opted to raise the age to 19—and Québec may up it to 21.

    Possession limits: Federal law allows adults to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or equivalent (and up to four homegrown plants) but provinces have the power to lower maximums.

    Try the Maple Leaf Rag.

  20. 20.

    MattF

    October 17, 2018 at 12:17 pm

    I’ve gotten into moderation (again), for what I suppose are obvious reasons. Although I never thought that the moderation software was sensitive to Planetary Symbolism.

  21. 21.

    Butch

    October 17, 2018 at 12:17 pm

    Well, how ’bout that 2 weeks ago my dog led me to the woodpile, very insistently for some reason, and I found a tiny kitten there. No idea how are got to the woodpile, because I searched and searched and couldn’t find a trace of any other cats or kittens. Anyway, we’re finally confident that “Woody” (I have no imagination) is going to make it – ears have perked up, hie’s no longer wobbly when he walks, he has a great appetite and a loud purr. It’s been incredibly rewarding, although I won’t be worry when the twice-a-night feedings end….

  22. 22.

    A Ghost To Most

    October 17, 2018 at 12:18 pm

    One good thing: the next batch of Trainwreck is almost ready. Bud beats kief.

  23. 23.

    JeanneT

    October 17, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    The sun is breaking through for my afternoon of garden work: it will be a nice work session!

  24. 24.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 17, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    @Baud: Doesn’t your hand get tired after a while tho?

    (I’ll see myself out)

    @jeffreyw: Beat me to it.

  25. 25.

    Martin

    October 17, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    Our santa ana condition is ending which means I won’t actually die from my allergies after all. And I’m thankful that the 80 MPH winds didn’t send trees crashing into our house or cars, unlike many of my neighbors.

    I’ll also take some credit here for keeping our trees well pruned so that they won’t come crashing down when the wind blows.

  26. 26.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 17, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    I got a new headlight assembly for the truck for $50 from a junkyard. I was expecting something more along the lines of $100, so that was nice.

  27. 27.

    Amir Khalid

    October 17, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    @Butch:
    Woody is a perfectly good name for a boy kitteh. Your dog is a hero. Are he and Woody getting along yet?

  28. 28.

    sheila in nc

    October 17, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    Grateful for fabulous husband of 31 years who cooks me a delicious dinner every night.
    Grateful for beautiful daughter who actually calls me and wants to hang out together.
    Grateful for this blog.
    Grateful for excellent health insurance and an interesting, steady job!

  29. 29.

    eclare

    October 17, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    @Butch: How sweet! Hope Woody continues to thrive. And kudos to you for taking care of him.

  30. 30.

    Gelfling 545

    October 17, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    I’m grateful for my Taoist Tai Chi club, without which my blood pressure would be through the roof.

  31. 31.

    scav

    October 17, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    I get to plant daffodils. Not my daffodils, just 238 of someone else’s. But they’re giving me 12 for my roadside ditch, so I’ll make it to a round number and get something to look at in spring. I’m also within a month of no longer having to harvest organic flower seeds.

  32. 32.

    kindness

    October 17, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    I dearly love all the seasons but spring is my favorite. That whole rebirth thingy.

  33. 33.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 17, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    @Brachiator: Try the Maple Leaf Rag.

  34. 34.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 17, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    Amazon has finally started shipping the ppb version of my book, thank god.

    I’m almost through week 5/12 of rehab and feeling good.

  35. 35.

    Mike in NC

    October 17, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    The Summer from Hell started here around late May and seems to have finally ended this week. I guess the hurricane that took down one of our trees was the wrap up.

  36. 36.

    Cheryl Rofer

    October 17, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    Physical therapy is continuing to yield dividends. No pain at all yesterday.

  37. 37.

    Eric S.

    October 17, 2018 at 12:33 pm

    @eclare: How do we know this “Woody” isn’t made up. The blog demands pictures. ?

  38. 38.

    BRyan

    October 17, 2018 at 12:35 pm

    I’m grateful for medical miracles, without which we couldn’t have even hoped my nephew, a five—time cancer survivor, would still be with us at the age of 24. Today is the 22nd anniversary of his original leukemia diagnosis at the age of 2. Every single day is a blessing, a gift. Kudos, and wishes for many, many more years, to Ryan, one of the toughest guys you could ever meet.

  39. 39.

    debit

    October 17, 2018 at 12:36 pm

    My RWNJ siblings will NOT be coming home for the holidays so I can safely celebrate with my parents.

  40. 40.

    narya

    October 17, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    @Gelfling 545: I would love to hear more about this. I’ve been contemplating trying tai chi, but am not sure how to assess the options.

  41. 41.

    Mary G

    October 17, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    I have been in a bit of a black mood for a day or two, so this is harder than usual, because I learned to write gratitude lists in rehab/12 steps thirty years ago, and have been in the habit of seeing the glass half full ever since. Guess I need to do it more. I am grateful for my two crazy cats, who are amusing, loving, annoying and give me reasons to get out of bed when I just want to pull the covers up over my head and hide. I am grateful for the teen, who is infuriating and sweet at unpredictable times, and his family who are becoming my family. I hate the way we are leaving the world to him and his cohorts, but I’m hoping that all the donating and postcard writing will start to reverse the hurricane and tidal surge of shit that is the Republican Party in general and Twitler in particular. I’m grateful that despite the right wing’s best efforts, journalism still exists in some form. I’m grateful for Southern California weather and irrationally proud that Gin and Tonic is going to see it at its best this week.

    OK, feel better now and thank AL and Hoarse for doing these things.

  42. 42.

    Emma

    October 17, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    I’m grateful for my sister, my unyielding support, and ass-kicker as needed. She bought us tickets to Dracula (the play), so it’s night out for the girls.

  43. 43.

    dexwood

    October 17, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    Mrs. dexwood’s pumpkin pinon cookies made with a small, roasted pumpkin.
    Free tickets to tonight’s Graham Nash show at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe after dinner and drinks.

  44. 44.

    Mnemosyne

    October 17, 2018 at 12:41 pm

    @Butch:

    I just saw this video from the Dodo about a cat raised by a pack of Huskies. The cat now goes everywhere the dogs do (on her own leash and harness, of course):

    https://youtu.be/2Z-6CZrVGY8

  45. 45.

    Ruviana

    October 17, 2018 at 12:41 pm

    Grateful to be one day closer to
    Midterm election day
    Thanksgiving break
    End of fall semester
    Retirement!!!

  46. 46.

    cope

    October 17, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    Gratefully looking forward to next Monday when early voting begins and I can physically turn in our mail-in ballots at our polling place.

  47. 47.

    Cermet

    October 17, 2018 at 12:44 pm

    Just “Wow” all you jackals with all these wonderful, uplifting stories that have brighten my day; all really so good to hear about!

  48. 48.

    scav

    October 17, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    @debit: Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder, but it does sometimes make it breathe a profound sigh of relief.

  49. 49.

    eclare

    October 17, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    @cope: Good one! That will be mine too, I’m early voting in Memphis this Saturday!

  50. 50.

    WereBear

    October 17, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    @Butch: Yay! Thank you and congratulations.

  51. 51.

    gene108

    October 17, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    Grateful for my nephew and niece. Nephew turns 14 this week. When I first met him, he was 6.5 hours old, and I could rest his head on the crook of my arm, with his feet at my fingertips. And now he’s almost as tall as I am, and still growing.

    Man time flies.

  52. 52.

    debit

    October 17, 2018 at 12:51 pm

    @scav: The sad part is that I actually do love and miss them, but I cannot spend any time in their company. To keep this positive, my mom had her 6 month scan and she’s still cancer free. We have a lot to be thankful for this year but that’s the big one.

  53. 53.

    chris

    October 17, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    Steve is pleased to be done with the wood splitting. For now, of course, it never ends. Now he can get some of the attention he deserves.

  54. 54.

    Redshift

    October 17, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    At the meeting for one of the county citizen boards I’m on, we got a briefing on what the county is doing to get people enrolled in Medicaid expansion before/when it starts in Virginia on January 1. It’s been a long road to get here, but it’s going to be life changing for so many, and I’m very grateful for everything so many, including us jackals, did to make it happen.

  55. 55.

    Butch

    October 17, 2018 at 1:00 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Beauregard tolerates him; we also rescued two kittens in May that someone had dumped along our rural road, and the female (Shadow) really seems to have taken to the little guy. He’s still being bottle fed and the transition to a kitty bowl is taking some time but we’ll get there.

  56. 56.

    Shana

    October 17, 2018 at 1:01 pm

    Seeing “Born Yesterday” tonight with Hubby.

    Tomorrow is his second cataract surgery. First one went swimmingly.

    Daughter’s coming for dinner Friday.

    Nephew, wife, and two dogs, one a service dog in training puppy, are coming Sunday night to break up a trip to one of the Carolinas. English/Irish Wexton campaign volunteers are excited about the dogs. Remaining two volunteers arrive Monday. A friend said “you’re starting a frat house” which is kind of true. They’ve been lovely houseguests for the last two weeks.

    Weighed in this morning at Weight Watchers, I’m down 2 pounds this week and 16 overall.

  57. 57.

    Redshift

    October 17, 2018 at 1:03 pm

    I’m also very grateful that, unlike North Carolina, when Virginia made its transition from red to blue-but-for-gerrymandering, we didn’t have our own right-wing billionaire funding an endless rear guard political guerilla war.

  58. 58.

    JGabriel

    October 17, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    Just noticed this in Cole’s twitter feed.

    John Cole via Twitter (@Johngcole):

    this is how fucked up this country is all someone should need to do to beat Jim Jordan is stand up and say “I didn’t look the other way while a hundred wrestlers were molested” and then get like 98% of the vote

    Hell, I’ll write the script for that ad:

    Jim Jordan looked the other way while over a hundred adolescent wrestlers were molested by his team’s doctor. Jordan says he didn’t know, though many of the victims say they told him about it.

    If you believe Jim Jordan, then he was oblivious. If you believe the students Jim Jordan was charged with coaching and protecting, then he looked the other way when he heard charges of sexual molestation from children, and willfully ignored their pleas.

    Either way, if Jim Jordan can ignore that, or if Jim Jordan can be completely oblivious to it, you have to ask, “What will Jim Jordan be oblivous to that will affect his constituents? What will Jim Jordan ignore that affects you?”

    (This message brought to you by the Committee to Protect Citizens from Political Corruption. It has not been approved or paid for by any candidate for political office.)

  59. 59.

    sheila in nc

    October 17, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    @Redshift:

    I’m also very grateful that, unlike North Carolina, when Virginia made its transition from red to blue-but-for-gerrymandering, we didn’t have our own right-wing billionaire funding an endless rear guard political guerilla war.

    Grrr, don’t remind me. How am I supposed to stay positive?
    Oh, yes: grateful that in 2016 we snatched the governorship from their evil, twisted, grasping little hands.

  60. 60.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    October 17, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    My good news is that the Fracking protesters jailed for 15-16 months by an asshole Judge obviously in the pocket of Cuadrilla were released today thanks to the appeals court finding that their sentences were excessive and totally unreasonable. No one had been jailed under the statute they were charged with for 90 years which shows how archaic they were. The protesters at Preston New Road are not going to give up and today showed Cuadrilla that they can buy some Judges, but they can’t buy all of them.

  61. 61.

    PAM Dirac

    October 17, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    I am grateful that our senior dog is doing well. When he rescued us over 11 years ago the shelter said he was 4 and the vet said he was 2, so either way he is pretty old for a 90 lb dog. We thought it was the end a few months ago when he couldn’t stand up and looked like he had a stroke, but it turned out to be “old dog vestibular syndrome” and it has completely cleared up. We have kept him on the NSAIDs and the weather turning cooler is more to his liking so he is loving life.

  62. 62.

    D58826

    October 17, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    One week closer to when it will be ex Pres. Trump, whither by impeachment, 2020 election or term limit

  63. 63.

    schrodingers_cat

    October 17, 2018 at 1:10 pm

    Husband kitteh got a nice Sony Boom box from the transfer station, this Sunday. One woman was giving it away. It even has a remote and a good bass and now there is finally something I can play my old cassettes (inherited from the late FIL and my father) of Hindi movies on.

  64. 64.

    MadamZorba

    October 17, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    Today, I’m grateful to have co-workers that I can laugh with. Believe me, it’s hell to not get along with your co-workers.

  65. 65.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    October 17, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Oh and the BBC is just reporting that the Judge who originally sentenced them has close ties to the oil and gas industry and his sister is a pro-fracking activist. What a fucking surprise.

  66. 66.

    Rusty

    October 17, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    Daughter #3, good kid, caring, works hard at school and practices so much that her saxophone teacher said she needed a better instrument. Thank God for payment plans, but happy to sign on the dotted line for someone turning out so well despite having me as a parent

  67. 67.

    satby

    October 17, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    I wish I could say “yay” to every comment here, from Woody’s continued improvement to Mrs.knead going back to work, to Rev Jim feeling better and David Anderson’s mentoring success and all the other good news.
    But I am most grateful that someone else followed that link from this morning to the go-fund-me for that struggling veteran and donated over $1k to meet his goal. I know it has to be a jackal though I have no idea who, and I am so grateful to be part of this community of wonderful, generous people! Anonymous giver, you rock.

  68. 68.

    Kristine

    October 17, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    Handyman (HearMeG*d) mouse-proofed the basement last week. So far, so good, especially given that nights have been dipping into the low 30sF of late. He said give it two weeks–if any show up after that, give him a call. He and his team were also able to get some outdoor painting/repair work done on the house before temps really crashed.

    He’s a local guy rec’ed by the local Ace Hardware. I like hiring local.

  69. 69.

    JWL

    October 17, 2018 at 1:27 pm

    Gratitude is good. So I say: three cheers for the “breath of life”. We’re all only allotted a certain number, you know. Which means if you’re reading this in relative comfort, and not gasping for that final lungful of air you’re fated to be denied, your allotment hasn’t ran out. Which is fantastic!

    Of course, I mean, yet. It hash’t ran out, yet. Which makes it no less fantastic. Quite the contrary, in fact.

    Look at it this way: what better news do you expect to hear today?

  70. 70.

    R-Jud

    October 17, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    My friend who broke his arm isn’t going to need surgery after all, which is great, even though I was kind of looking forward to shepherding him to and from the hospital and cracking a lot of “Misery” jokes.

  71. 71.

    D58826

    October 17, 2018 at 1:29 pm

    @Rusty: My sister took up the violin as a pre-teen. Neighbors took up a collection to buy it from her and destroy it :-)

  72. 72.

    raven

    October 17, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    Well, we decided not to go to the gulf because of the problems down there so we rented a too big house at Edisto Beach. Now the princess has go two more couples and two teenagers coming for a couple of days so that should be fun. They al know I just fish so they can work around me except for the Dawgs and the Gators that Saturday!

  73. 73.

    sacrablue

    October 17, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    I’m grateful that Slammer, my chemo kitty is no longer suffering. We decided to let him go Monday night. He stopped eating on Friday. He spent the Saturday through Monday in hospital. Monday’s ultrasound revealed that his lymphoma had returned just two months after finishing chemotherapy and acquiring diabetes. Now I am back to caring for just one sick cat, Slammer’s brother, congestive heart failure kitty. It has been a long year.

  74. 74.

    dww44

    October 17, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    Although we could use some rain, I’m grateful that, unlike those folks in the Texas Hill Country and elsewhere, who are not drowning under a ferocious onslaught of cold heavy flooding rains. I’m also grateful that, unlike many in this part of the country, I don’t own a vacation home in either Panama City, or Mexico Beach, Fl that likely would have gotten blown/washed away a week ago.

  75. 75.

    raven

    October 17, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    @R-Jud: Just because they don’t cut doesn’t mean it won’t be hurtin.

  76. 76.

    C Stars

    October 17, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    I’m grateful that my kid who is nonbinary has the support of the people in our community and at their school. We used to be the only family with a nonbinary kid at the elementary school but now there are five! It’s a weird thing to wrap one’s head around and so I am also grateful to the people we encounter who don’t quite get it yet (it took us a minute, for sure, after our kid “came out”) but are nevertheless willing to be kind, respectful, and open-minded toward children like mine, no matter what gender they are or aren’t.

    And, speaking of which, it’s International Pronouns Day!

  77. 77.

    dww44

    October 17, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    @sacrablue: I’m sorry for your loss and for the declining health health of your other one. Lost our 17 year old cat in July. It was tough.

  78. 78.

    schrodingers_cat

    October 17, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    @D58826: Before we moved to this house, we rented the top floor of an old farm house, which looked a lot like JGC’s new home. Our first floor neighbor was a violin teacher. And some of her students were like your sister. I didn’t have enough funds to buy the violins though.

  79. 79.

    C Stars

    October 17, 2018 at 1:33 pm

    @sacrablue: Aw, I’m so sorry. How kind and wonderful of you to take care of these vulnerable small creatures who need you.

  80. 80.

    Kay (not the front-pager)

    October 17, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    My sunk cost fallacy demonstration project (I spent about $35 dollars to turn a remnant, from fabric that only cost $1 to begin with, into a bomber jacket) is turning out well. I’m going to have a cool fall jacket just in time for fall. And I got to use ingenuity and creativity to solve all the problems inherent in combining minimal, incompatible materials into a successful, attractive garment. Yay me!

    Or maybe it’s a failure since it doesn’t exactly demonstrate the fallacy of sunk cost.

  81. 81.

    raven

    October 17, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    @C Stars: This is Just Call Me Kade, he’s my buddies son and, while it’s quite old, it’s a good look at what being supportive can do for a trans kid.

    I hope the terminology is correct.

  82. 82.

    MoxieM

    October 17, 2018 at 1:36 pm

    I had an offer accepted on a house I can afford (and, back home, yay), with a giant yard for giant dogs … so far, so good. Inspection Friday. Fingers crossed. I mean to retire as a crazy dog lady who rescues giant dogs. The crazy part I already have covered!

  83. 83.

    jeffreyw

    October 17, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    The green tomato relish worked out great!

  84. 84.

    R-Jud

    October 17, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    @raven: Oh, I know. I’ve got a titanium knee myself. I’m just glad he’s spared going under the knife for now. He’s kind of a hothouse flower.

  85. 85.

    Spanky

    October 17, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    Ask me later. I’m at the proctologist’s awaiting my turn.

  86. 86.

    ruemara

    October 17, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    @sacrablue: Really sorry to hear that. Glad his suffering is over even though it means you have to suffer loss too.

    Grateful? Hmm. I’d just like to thank those who are not disappointing humans for not being disappointing at this moment. The world is going quite mad and it’s disheartening.

  87. 87.

    Miss Bianca

    October 17, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    So far I really love my new gig at the Performing Arts Center in town! I’m grateful for that!

    And hey, if Mustang Bobby is around…we are in the market for a new comedy to be performed in May! Maybe one of yours??

  88. 88.

    C Stars

    October 17, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    @raven: Thanks Raven.

  89. 89.

    ruemara

    October 17, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    @MoxieM: Congrats! I hope you spend many years of joy in that house and rescue as many dogs as possible.

  90. 90.

    WereBear

    October 17, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    @sacrablue: At such times, I remind myself that I was there for them when they needed it.

  91. 91.

    Miss Bianca

    October 17, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    @hedgehog the occasional commenter: Oh, that sounds like so much fun! I have to run the concessions stand at the theater this weekend, but give me the heads-up next year! Would love to meet up with you and Mr. H at the con!

  92. 92.

    Brachiator

    October 17, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    An oblique good thing. Absolutely fascinating WaPo article about how Sears helped subvert Jim Crow Laws: Sears’s ‘radical’ past: How mail-order catalogues subverted the racial hierarchy of Jim Crow

    A lesser-known aspect of Sears’s 125-year history, however, is how the company revolutionized rural black Southerners’ shopping patterns in the late 19th century, subverting racial hierarchies by allowing them to make purchases by mail or over the phone and avoid the blatant racism that they faced at small country stores.

    “What most people don’t know is just how radical the catalogue was in the era of Jim Crow,” Louis Hyman, an associate professor of history at Cornell University, wrote in a Twitter thread that was shared more than 7,000 times Monday in the wake of the news of Sears’s demise. By allowing African Americans in Southern states to avoid price gouging and condescending treatment at their local stores, he wrote, the catalogue “undermined white supremacy in the rural South.”…

    While country stores were one of the few places where whites and blacks routinely mingled, store owners fiercely defended the white-supremacist order by making black customers wait until every white customer had been served and forcing them to buy lower-quality goods….

    Notably, the company made an effort to accommodate customers who were barely literate, enacting a policy that the company would fill any order it received regardless of the format.

    “So, country folks who were once too daunted to send requests to other purveyors could write in on a scrap of paper, asking humbly for a pair of overalls, size large,” the Bitter Southerner explained this summer. “And even if it was written in broken English or nearly illegible, the overalls would be shipped.”

    What I particularly like here is how Sears’ policy granted poor, and poorly educated people more dignity than they might be given in face-to-face transactions in country stores. And the catalog was as disruptive as online tech. Everything old is new again.

  93. 93.

    Manyakitty

    October 17, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Whoa. Glad to hear your daughter is okay!

    I’m with AL on the weather. Here in Akron, I think we’ve finally made the switch to autumn. Thank FSM!

  94. 94.

    Miss Bianca

    October 17, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    @Mnemosyne: What’s really amazing about that is how prey-aggressive Huskies are – that they accept her as Pack Not Snack is nothing short of a miracle! Who said miracles don’t happen! : )

  95. 95.

    opiejeanne

    October 17, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    I’m grateful to be able to see again after cataract surgery. I’m a lot more light-sensitive than I ever was before I had cataracts and we are having the most beautiful fall weather right now before we plunge into winter. I’m grateful for the nice weather but I may need to seek out some darker sunglasses.
    Grateful for finding so many old friends recently. Good memories.
    Grateful for a nice niece and her husband who live nearby and want to hang out with us a lot. They’ve invited us to a costume Hallowe’en party and I’m digging through the holiday bin and rediscovering stuff that makes me think we hosted a party here, that neither of us can remember. Hmmm. Have to put together a costume.

  96. 96.

    Elizabelle

    October 17, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    I’m thankful this movie, Green Book, is coming out. November 21. Trailer follows. The superb Mahershala Al (Moonlight) and Viggo Mortenson. A lot of people do not know about the Green Book. They need to.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0

  97. 97.

    Manyakitty

    October 17, 2018 at 1:57 pm

    @David Anderson: That is wonderful! It’s always good to arrange a multi-level win.

  98. 98.

    Miss Bianca

    October 17, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    @Brachiator: Wow – what an amazing story, hadn’t heard that before. Makes me doubly sad to see Sears go under. : (

  99. 99.

    Manyakitty

    October 17, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    @sacrablue: I’m so sorry for your loss. Peace and love to you all.

  100. 100.

    Brachiator

    October 17, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    I’m thankful this movie, Green Book, is coming out. November 21. Trailer follows. The superb Mahershala Al (Moonlight) and Viggo Mortenson. A lot of people do not know about the Green Book. They need to.

    Here is an old NPR story, with transcript, that provides a background about the Green Books. ‘Green Book’ Helped African-Americans Travel Safely

    The Negro Motorist Green Book was a travel guide that listed lodgings, tailors and other businesses that welcomed black patrons during Jim Crow.

    The guide, which was launched in 1936 and published for nearly 30 years, found a readership because while blacks knew which businesses were friendly in their hometowns, it could be difficult to discern which restaurants, beauty shops and night clubs were off-limits or hostile when they were on the road.

    Civil rights leader Julian Bond tells NPR’s Neal Conan that he remembers his family using the Green Book “to travel in the South, to find out where we could stop to eat, where we could spend the night in a hotel or in somebody’s home.”

    Looking forward to seeing the film, which was well received on the film festival circuit.

    .

  101. 101.

    A Ghost To Most

    October 17, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    @Miss Bianca:

    Truly a full service blog.

  102. 102.

    Kathleen

    October 17, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    @sacrablue: So sorry for your loss.

  103. 103.

    sacrablue

    October 17, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    Thanks to all. Slammer was a very good boy for 15+ years. Coincidentally, we found him and his tiny siblings in a woodpile.

  104. 104.

    zhena gogolia

    October 17, 2018 at 2:32 pm

    I had a former student make a guest appearance in my class on Monday, playing beautiful guitar and singing. I wish he could just sit in the corner of my office and play all day to keep me calm. Oh well. At least Youtube is back online.

  105. 105.

    zhena gogolia

    October 17, 2018 at 2:32 pm

    @sacrablue:

    I’m so sorry. I know how painful it is.

  106. 106.

    Elizabelle

    October 17, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    @Brachiator: I heard about it through a children’s book. Saw it out on a library table in California. That there had been such a Green Book and the need for such a service was … altogether believable.

    Ruth and the Green Book. The illustrations were superb.

  107. 107.

    KSinMA

    October 17, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    @Butch: Good for your dog! Good for Woody! Good for you!!!

  108. 108.

    Couldn't Stand the Weather

    October 17, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    I am grateful that Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, James Corden, Joy Reid, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell are still on the air. They provide sanity in the face of the Trumpenstein monster and its cronies.

    Also, the blog rocks.

  109. 109.

    Ken Shabby

    October 17, 2018 at 3:01 pm

    Each day with family. Not kidding. Else is after that.

  110. 110.

    hedgehog mobile

    October 17, 2018 at 3:04 pm

    @sacrablue: I am so sorry. It hurts.

  111. 111.

    FelonyGovt

    October 17, 2018 at 3:07 pm

    I love reading all these wonderful stories.

    I’m grateful for my daughter. I was venting to her the other day about a family issue. I apologized for unloading on her, and she said, “I know I’m your kid, but I’m also your friend”. Made me cry.

  112. 112.

    Cckids

    October 17, 2018 at 3:09 pm

    I’m grateful for finally, after 15 years, having health insurance again. Good insurance too! I’m getting PT for a knee re-injury and dear FSM the difference it is making! I’m walking without pain again.

  113. 113.

    J R in WV

    October 17, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    Grateful for fellow jackals, furball pets, wife, upcoming election… lunch is beeping, glad for that too. gotta go now!

  114. 114.

    opiejeanne

    October 17, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    And I’m grateful that last night we got to hear John Scalzi talk for about an hour. He had us all laughing uproariously for almost the entire time, and the small amount of time we weren’t laughing we were learning some things and hearing him talk a tiny amount about current events and their influence/distraction on his books.

  115. 115.

    Mnemosyne

    October 17, 2018 at 3:33 pm

    @opiejeanne:

    For Chicago-area jackals, Scalzi is going to be at the America Writers Museum in a couple of weeks. Tickets available on the museum’s website.

  116. 116.

    MoxieM

    October 17, 2018 at 3:50 pm

    @ruemara: Thank you! you are an inspiration, and don’t forget that

  117. 117.

    MoxieM

    October 17, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    @Brachiator: There’s a short video on the On Point (yes NPR, but Meghna Chaknabarti totally rocks as a radio host.). Same Cornell prof gives a mini lecture–it’s fascinating, grief-inducing, yet also wonderful. Sears gave instructions to customers on how to circumvent Jim Crow Post Offices (good business for them, sure–but they didn’t have to. Not back then.)

    And now I have to go since Murphy is having a weather-induced meltdown. She thinks I have the power of Odin–flattering, but I can’t make it stop thundering!.

  118. 118.

    WaterGirl

    October 17, 2018 at 3:57 pm

    I am grateful for the flowers that are blooming on the tropical hibiscus I brought inside before it froze this week. There have to be at least 50 buds, and one or two seem to open each day.

  119. 119.

    The Lodger

    October 17, 2018 at 3:59 pm

    @opiejeanne: I’ve seen him on tour before, but this year he’ll be on the wrong side of Portland for me to make it to the bookstore on time. I guess I’ll have to buy the new book without seeing him. Glad to hear he is still entertaining though.

  120. 120.

    WaterGirl

    October 17, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    I am also grateful to TaMara for posting the link to the bunny rescue competition. Vote for Colorado House Rabbit Society.

    It’s such a small thing, but it’s a reminder that there is good in the world.

  121. 121.

    Brachiator

    October 17, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    @MoxieM:

    There’s a short video on the On Point (yes NPR, but Meghna Chaknabarti totally rocks as a radio host.)

    Thanks. I found the audio podcast. I will look for the video a little later.

  122. 122.

    opiejeanne

    October 17, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    @The Lodger: I saw him right after Lock In was published and he was pretty good then. He was better last night, I think. He was at the Seattle Library that time; last night he was at the U Bookstore. I’ve missed any other appearances by Scalzi between the two.
    I felt both times that he gave me something to think about, that I also learned some things and felt smarter afterward. He’s very entertaining.

  123. 123.

    Sister Golden Bear

    October 17, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    It’s been a really hard week for me, both physically and emotionally — thanks to a set back in my recovery,* and general post-transition let down (transition has taken over my life for the past three years, and now there’s a weird void now that I’m pretty much past that).

    But grateful that I’m been able to ramp down on the opiate-based pain med — although not off of it entirely — and grateful that the withdrawal I was having from ramping down too quickly seems to have passed. Wasn’t horrible, felt more like having the flu, but not fun nonetheless.

    *Nothing to worry about, just a reminder that it’ll be another three months before I feel 100% again and another nine months until the recovery is complete.

  124. 124.

    Zoe Johnson

    October 17, 2018 at 4:42 pm

    My shiba inu (the breed of dog in the meme), Sesame, aka Puppy Girl. She is 9 years old and joined our family at the end of July from the pound, when one of our other dogs passed away unexpectedly. She is perfect. Smart, funny, well behaved, loving, and house broken. The family loves her and it seems reciprocal. It puzzles me how such a lovely lady ended up in such a bad situation. We are blessed/lucky.

  125. 125.

    WaterGirl

    October 17, 2018 at 4:42 pm

    Just heard from my friend whose husband was dangerously ill and is still in the hospital. He is doing much better and they think they know what caused the crazy amount of ammonia in his blood. Thought we might lose him; very grateful that he is stable.

  126. 126.

    Quilting Fool

    October 17, 2018 at 4:55 pm

    First time commenting…I am very grateful for Balloon Juice and all the great folk who write the stories and comments! I look forward to reading this every day. I’m also happy to be quilting some quilt tops for paying customers tomorrow! I am a retired school teacher, and now I have the joy of making quilts every day. My cat likes it too…she is my “supervisor,” of course.

  127. 127.

    zhena gogolia

    October 17, 2018 at 5:22 pm

    @Cckids:

    Should have said, thanks for my genius P/T who got me walking without pain again after one session yesterday!

  128. 128.

    WaterGirl

    October 17, 2018 at 6:19 pm

    @Quilting Fool: Welcome!

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