GOOD NEWS BAD NEWS

The good news is we had a nice Thanksgiving Dinner here at home, and have lots to be thankful for. Patty fixed a great meal, and I can't wait for that first turkey sandwich. The bad news is Marc, Chandra, and Laila had to cancel their trip here to Lake Havasu, due to a medical issue. At the last minute, we were going to make a quick trip to Tucson, but decided against it for a number of reasons. We'll all be together in a couple of weeks anyway, when we meet up in Fort Lauderdale, and head out on a 1 week Caribbean Cruise.

The next good news is that despite her 14 year age, our little Beagle is still doing quite well. Her hearing is just about gone, but the nose still works as good as ever. The bad news is the Vet. had to remove two more small growths, one from the top of her head, and one from under her right eye. For some reason, this dog has always been subject to these wart like tumors that can become quite large. While in Skagway, Alaska, we made the mistake of waiting too long, when Sami had one of these growths on an ear. By the time we got her to Whitehorse in the Yukon, we thought she was going to lose part of that ear. Fortunately, the Vet. did a great job, to the tune of about $1,000, and saved her ear. Since that incident, whenever we notice a new growth, it's quickly off to the Vet. for some surgery and stitches.

The next piece of good news is the weather. The forecast for the next week is mid 70 temperatures, and lots of sunshine. This kind of weather is one of the main reasons we moved here in 2002. The bad news is that a lot of the country is mired in cold, winter weather, with everything from rain to snow. It will get a little cooler here pretty soon, but for me, it's pretty much t-shirt and shorts weather the entire year.

Continuing with the good news, at least for us, it was the signing of a contract to have a solar, electrical generating system installed here at the house. The idea of getting all of our electricity from the sun, and having a $O utility bill, is pretty appealing. This is something that I've been thinking about for quite awhile, and after doing some research, decided to pull the trigger before the end of the year. That's when some of the incentives for this type of expenditure will disappear, so, it's signed, sealed, and almost delivered. That's the bad news. Due to the backlog, installation won't be happening until about March. When we get closer to the system being activated, I'll share more details.

And lastly, the good news for the shoppers out there, it's Black Friday, and the deals were just waiting for those folks who got up at O dark thirty, and stood in line long before the sun even came up. More good news for those bargain hunters, you won't have to worry about me competing for those super deals. For the next several weeks, the big box stores are akin to the plague for me, and even though some exposure is necessary, it's doubtful that you'll run into me in one of them. The bad news is that for many Americans, the option of shopping at these stores is off the table, and unless our government gets serious about solving the debt crisis, it's going to get a lot worse for everybody!