Well, it’s here:  Thanksgiving,

and I just surpassed 500 posts! 

     Now you not may think much of either of these milestones, but suffice it to say about the first of them that I do love turkey (in spite of certain extremist political PETA types efforts to convince us of inhumane turkey treatment!), and I am looking forward to my plateful tomorrow.

     The 500 blog posts?  I think of it as being like a baseball player reaching 500 career errors (because I’ve learned something from every post and miscue!), and am looking forward to my next post (which THIS week only will be on Friday instead of Thanksgiving Thursday!).

     Actually, I never thought  I’d find anything as challenging and rewarding at the same time as writing a daily blog.  It’s challenging because I rarely know where the inspiration is going to come from ’til I’m staring at the blank screen like a post-surgical labotomy patient.

     The only sad part  is tangled up in the “rewarding” deal which unfortunately depends on visits and comments instead of dollars … but this is about to change: Big News Coming in January! 

     And the discipline involved?  I’d rather do push-ups.  The nightly time crunch and rapidly advancing bedtime with a take-out-the-dogs thing sandwiched in between doesn’t do much for my heart rate when all I’ve figured out is some dumb headline that I’ll inevitably scrap and redo anyway.

     I know, it’s “Welcome to the journalist’s world!”  God bless ‘em, I really admire the talented few writers who can pump out daily newspaper features that educate, inform and entertain . . . night after night… all 3 of ’em! [When did “reporting” get swallowed up by “opinionating”?] 

     Anyway, enough of me spamming your brain.  All I really want to say today is thank you. 

     My blog visitors have grown  from a weekly count-on-one-hand number nineteen months ago, to a consistent few thousand-and-growing-steadily every single night. [ HA! And you thought you were the only one dumb enough to be reading these?]  

     People tell me they laugh and they learn.  Who, really, could ask for more? 

     I am so grateful.  I appreciate every time you stop by and every new person you send along to visit . . . and every laugh.  YOU are my adrenaline. 

     Have a safe, peaceful and happy Thanksgiving  wherever you are. 

     Very special personal thank you’s  from me to Michael Infusino for your skillful, good-natured tech support … to Andrew Jackson for a wonderfully-growing strategic alliance.

     Thank you for all the wonderful unsolicited love — to my children: Haley, Christopher, and Melissa; — to my grandchildren: Talley, Dylan, and Gwyn; — to some very special relatives: Marian, Dorothy, Tim, Victoria, Harrison, Danielle, Timmy, Chris, and Rick; — and to my two dogs: Barnegat and Tuckerton.  All of you have made such a difference in my life; I am forever grateful for your support and respect. 

     Most of all, thank you Kathy, for sticking by me through thick and thin, and for always letting me stay glued to my keyboard without complaining when I know I should be doing chores.  You deliver fun and joy and love and caring to my life’s front door every day.  You give me purpose.  I love you!    

     Oh, and remember our troops out there, will you?  Their courage, sacrifices and vigilance make this special day and all the freedoms we enjoy possible. 

Thank YOU!  Hal    

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