Note to readers: I’m so sorry! I was so busy Tuesday, getting over to the house where I’m sitting the sweet Miley, getting groceries, working, etc., that I completely forgot to do the blog post. This won’t be as extended as usual, but I’d hate to not have it available to you.

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As you read these words, I’m hard at work on Thursday’s and Friday’s pages, while at the same time entertaining fur-niece Miley and trying to get her to understand that the dressing (which I’m way behind on at the moment) I’m making is for human (i.e., Aunt Brenda), not cat consumption.

She’s lucky she’s so stinkin’ cute.

This is the time of year I always count my blessings, even when they seem to not be as plentiful as I’d like. Still, I’m alive, have a job I love most of the time, and I have people who love me, so that’s really all that matters.

But, ya know, I have a column to write, so here are more things for which to be thankful this year:

💻 Social media sites that aren’t complete hellholes. It should be no surprise than X/Twitter is losing users hand over fist, considering not only the lack of moderation and its owner’s political slant and overbearing personality, but also new terms of service that allow users’ content to be used to train AI, and make users liable for as much as $15,000 if they use the platform too much (make that make sense!). Journalists and others are leaving the platform for others such as Threads and BlueSky. I’m still on Threads and probably staying there, as BlueSky doesn’t appeal to me much; considering I already have a community on Threads that I adore, it doesn’t seem worth dividing my attention. Threads, my blog and Facebook are more than enough social media for me, and I can always snooze or block people who are only interested in trolling and/or spreading misinformation.

💬 Freedom of speech and the understanding of what that means. Right now there are people complaining that they’re being shadowbanned on social media platforms, as well as people griping that their words aren’t being published in newspapers or on comment boards. The thing is, while you’re free to say just about anything, you aren’t guaranteed an audience or publication. If you use social media or comment boards, you have to follow the terms of service; if you don’t, you’ll find posts removed that violate those terms of service, and/or your account limited. Plus, other users can always block you, so stop being a jerk and you might find that happening less. And if you send a letter in to a newspaper that doesn’t follow the rules (like insulting specific readers by name or sending in more letters than can be printed in one 30-day period), or that can’t pass a fact-check (hey, attribute those tales to the person who spread them, and you have a chance), your letter won’t be printed. As has been said many times before, all of our rights (like freedom of speech) come with responsibilities. If you’re not willing to accept responsibility …

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Friends and family (born and chosen). I’m lucky in that I have some wonderful family, even though I’m still reeling over the deaths of my mom, my brother Corey, and more recently my sister-in-law Karen. But with people like oldest brother Mitch, cousins Linda and Debbie and all the rest, and niece Vivia and nephew Matt, among others, I have hope for the future. Add to them my friends Kathy, Sarah, Michelle, Rose, Sophie, Bruce, Laurence, and a whole bunch of others (I could never name all of them), plus others like Donna and Larry, Lewis and Carol, Christy, and Earl who are more like family than simply friends, I have been truly blessed.

🐾 Pets. I’m lucky that I have a whole barn’s worth of sweet fur-nephews and nieces that I take care of when their parents need a break: Miley, Tomkin, Ollie, Charlie, Dolly Madison, Smokey Joe, Cheeto Bandito, Josephine, Spikezilla, Chicot, Lucy and Nora (and probably others I’ve forgotten). I also love so many of my friends’ pets, like Rikki and Savvy, Miles, Giz, and far too many others to name here. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat animals, and most of the people I know treat them well, even those that will eventually become food (I grew up out in the country, with a lot of farming families as friends, so I’ve seen good and bad behavior regarding livestock; my friend Shawn was definitely one of the good ones). Considering how loyal, kind, and funny so many animals are, we should be thankful for their presence in our lives.

There’s so much more to be thankful for, but that’s up to each person. I know a lot of people aren’t so thankful about the election results, but they accept the results and will redouble their efforts for representation (you won’t see them launching an attack on the Capitol). Others are happy with the results, and I hope that they will make an effort to reach out to those who aren’t happy to try to forge agreement on things that will affect the most people rather than try to use their wants as a cudgel.

As for me, I’m thankful for so much, including the fact that people actually read and enjoy some of what I write. Add sweet and funny animals, family and friends, and I really have all I need.

Oh, and chicken and dressing, a nice dessert, and a cat to cuddle with as I watch some Christmas movies, especially now that I finally figured out how to work this TV. Perfect.