Dia de Accion de Gracias

Happy Thanksgiving to the thousands of Pepino Suave family, friends, oficionados, and creditors. Thanksgiving '06 finds me with my annual Thanksgiving cold and flu, thank you. I am 180-some pounds of cough, mucus and misery. Physically, anyway. Otherwise I am goofy with mirth and thanksgiving. Li'l Pepinita is over at Opa Suave's crib helping out with the bird. Dear Pepina is in our cocina doing the trimmings. In an hour, we'll drive over with a wagon full of goodies, and celebrate at Opa's.
I leave you with my incomplete list of Things Pepino Suave Has to be Thankful For (TPSHTF, and pardon the dangle Grammarians).

TPSHTF:

• The Two Beautiful Ladies I live with that show me how to love and to give.
• My wife who is a walking definition of unconditional love and goodness, and giving. Each day, Dear Pepina proves that the glass is half-full.
• My daughter who I love like nothing else in this world.
• A family, both in-law, out-law, and blood relation, that are there throughout thick and thin, puns good and bad, sadness, gladness, and casseroles.
• A job that I love and that is the envy of everyone on weekends, and holidays, and during summer months.
• Students, their parents and colleagues who inspire, challenge, and make me belly-laugh.
• A relative body temperature of 98 degrees Fahrenheit and a pulse.
• The daily newspaper, Pepinoville Press.
• Four seasons, especially spring and fall.
• Leaf blower/vacuums and mulching lawnmowers.
• Seconds, especially when the firsts include mashed spuds.
• Split wood piled high in the garage.
• Long underwear, and short winters.
• Raisin bread toast and pork rinds.
• Homemade wine.
• The movie, Its a Wonderful Life, viewed with my family.
• Wrestling Li'l Pepinita after school.
• Cereal for dinner.
• Great nieghbors.

That is just the first page of a volume of thanksgiving...

Super agradecido,

Pepino "Gobble" Suave