Thanksgiving greetings

Except for those of you downunder, in which case I wish you crops in the field and not too much heat.

TR took the photo. They were taken, of course, in October. The trees are almost all bare now, and though mornings are still misty, October was prettier. I’d been looking for an excuse to use this photo.

I’m not one to make a big deal of holidays. I tend not to like to be grateful or jolly on demand. And there’s something smug about Thanksgiving.

Which reminds me that I heard on WEKU news the other day that God’s Pantry in Lexington has received a record number of requests for God’s Pantry Thanksgiving baskets:

Mandy Brajuha, who’s a spokeswoman for the Lexington-based program, says more families than ever are participating in the holiday program.

“That number of families was always about 3,500 to 4,000 and we’ve jumped way up over the 5,000 mark this year which really mirrors everything we are seeing in our operation right now,” Brahuja said.

Needy families are picking up Thanksgiving baskets at five pantries in the Lexington area. Brajuha says their numbers have gone up almost three fold over a three year period.

The Salvation Army also got its bellringers out well before Thanksgiving this year in hopes of raising extra funds for the extra demand on their resources.

So, as a nation and as a state, I hope we can approach Thanksgiving with humility and generosity.

And that gives me a chance to mention the second Literary Café South at Natasha’s Bistro and Bar on Tuesday, December 1st, at 8 p.m. All proceeds of the night will go to God’s Pantry Food Bank, providing food for the hungry of Central and Eastern Kentucky. This is the second of a semiannual series, hosted by David Park Musella, who will also be one of the readers at the event. Also reading will be poets Rebecca Gayle Howell, Leatha Kendrick, and Eric Sutherland. Music will be provided by jazz artist Kokichi Tagawa. And I think the cover is $8.

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Added: A Poem for Wild Turkeys.