Thanks for little things

Most of us are thankful for the wonderful everyday things and people in our lives. Good health, great family, comfy home and, yes, even obedient pets. What about all the other people and things in our lives? Do we ever take the time to thank them properly, or are we taking them all for granted?

Friends are extremely important to me. The more the merrier. However, there is always that handful you know to be "over the top" faithful, sympathetic and willing to do anything needed to help you through the many emotional humps in our lives.

To that elite group in my life, I thank you, and hope you know that I would do anything in my power to protect you from naysayers and other downers who come along every now and then.

I may be the only person I know to honestly say that I love my doctor, Robert Lamberts. He, along with his nurse, Kathy, have never ignored my aches and pains, never failed to return a call and, even though it may take a while, have always been able to cure my ills, both physically and emotionally.

Trust me, that takes a lot of patience. I am not an easy case.

Speaking of doctors, our vet and everyone in his office are also extremely patient and very capable. Grayson Brown has raised more dogs for us than Noah had in his ark.

Sandy, however, is more of a challenge than most. Sandy is my dog. She and I together failed obedience school. It is literally impossible for me to get near her with water. Therefore, the task of bathing a 60-pound Heinz 57 is left up to Dr. Brown's staff. They never complain, but let's just say it could be done a lot quicker if she didn't try to lick them to death. That's all right. You raise your dog the way you want, and I'll spoil mine as much as possible.

I'm thankful for the freedom we have in our country to support whatever political figures without facing a firing squad. We are able to attend the church of our choice without being condemned.

Why, we could actually wear white after Labor Day. You could, but why risk the criticism? It's not worth it.

There are so many modern conveniences around today that it's hard not to try them. Some work; some don't. Who doesn't love to get a new DVD player, a new stereo system or a new TV with picture-in-picture? Isn't it fun digging through all the packing stuff until finally getting to the equipment itself?

And reading the instructions. Oh my, how much fun is that? After straining your mind and body for hours, you may or may not figure out how to put it all together. And heaven help us if it's defective. Sure, the manufacturer always says they stand by their warranty.

First of all, there's always an 800 number you can call. They don't tell you it takes 20 rings to get an answer, after which you listen to elevator music forever while being put on hold, after which you finally get a real person who asks you 20 questions before allowing you to vent.

Of course, you could always send the item back if you hadn't torn up all the materials it came in trying to unpack it the first time.

Know what else we should all be grateful for? Stuff like Hamburger Helper and garbage disposals to disintegrate it when the husband grouses. And chicken you can buy with the bone and skin already removed. What an invention! What about turkey sold under the pretext of being bacon? That one we could all do without. If I wanted turkey fried up in little strips, I'd go to my nearest fat farm and check myself in. Thanks heavens there's not one nearby.

Oh, well, Happy Thanksgiving, Columbia County! I love all you guys!

(Pat Fickle is a Martinez resident.)