Happy Thanksgiving

                                                        T’was the night of Thanksgiving

But I just couldn’t sleep

I tried counting backwards,

I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned,

The dark meat and the white,

But I fought the temptation

With all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,

The thought of a snack became infatuation.

So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,

And gazed at fridge with goodies galore.

Gobbled up turkey, buttered potatoes,

Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling, so plump and so round,

Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,

With a mouth full of pudding and a hand full of pie.

But I managed to yell, as I soared past the trees,

Happy eating to all…pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty,

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes-n-gravy have nary a lump

May your yams be delicious,

May your pies take the prize,

May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

(borrowed from the net. Author unk.)

All Things are Possible, the biography of Verlen Kruger, was written by Phil Peterson, Sr., and is great reading for anyone who enjoys dipping a paddle. It can be found on the Kruger Canoe site, on Amazon, or at http://verlenkruger.com/. It follows Verlen through 100,000 miles of paddling, his adventures, and even some missteps along the way. He had never been in a canoe until about age forty. With nine children, he sought a good family recreation that would fit in a plumber’s budget, but he didn’t count on getting addicted to it. Starting with racing, he set records down the Mississippi, then for good measure, set a record for paddling up the river against the current. He traversed the breadth of North America from the East Coast to the Bering Sea. He paddled 28,000 miles over 3 ½ years criss-crossing the U.S, circumnavigating the country east of the Mississippi (the Great Circle Route), and became the first person to ever go UP the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River. In the Two Continent Canoe Expedition he paddled 21,000 miles from near the Arctic Circle, through North and South America, and around Cape Horn. Of great interest are his thoughts on planning, provisioning, wildlife, protecting the environment, choices in paddling partners, camping, and personal fortitude, and includes some great outdoor photography. It’s a great inspirational and enjoyable read.