Do you have some items, people, or anything else to be thankful for in 2024? I sure do.

With apologies to Lizzy BB: “Let me count the ways.”

For some strange reason, I have been blessed with a trio of children who, despite my clumsy efforts in the parenting department, turned out well. And, best of all, they tell me they love me. They produced grandkids and great-grandkids who smile and at least tolerate an old scribbler. I will get to hug them over Christmas, and I am thankful for the chance to collect some hugs.

I am thankful that some far-thinking residents mortgaged their homes to start Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Talk about a magic trick, all they had to do was work their tushes off and pull every string they could find as they turned a failed housing subdivision into a major new tourist attraction.

By the way, last fall, did you notice the cruise ships docking in the bay as passengers were ferried to our docks, where busses took them to the Gardens? With just a few zillion Christmas lights and lots of hard work, the Gardens' staff and volunteers breathed some life into our once-dormant Christmas season.

Do you old timers remember when there was one — a single — restaurant open after they shut off the seasonal water service? Yep, me too.

I am thankful the voters gave the school officials the green light to repair the buildings. Yes, it will cost a lot of money, but so be it. Building projects are expensive. We have to keep educating our kids. Losing a school could be a death blow to our community.

I am thankful we still have a healthcare facility in our village. I know many resented it when our old hospital was swallowed up by MaineHealth. They decided to put their money into Miles Memorial in Damariscotta. It is economics. I get it. But we see stories of rural hospitals in trouble. While the us vs them arguments were strong, the numbers were the numbers, and MaineHealth decided to favor Miles. At least they left us with an emergency care center to treat tick bites, and minor scrapes, and treat our neighbor's serious wounds.

The OFEBB boys and I walk the Land Trust’s Penny Lake Preserve most weekdays. I marvel that we can still start the day with a walk in the woods. It does me good to watch Mr. Sun peek over the trees welcoming all to enjoy nature. I know there are problems for us to solve, like high real estate prices, warming coastal waters, and what else, but the folks who put together the land trust did us all a big favor, and I am thankful for their efforts.

On the national scene, a new/old president is getting ready to move back into the White House. I am sure he will find the place in ship shape condition now that Grandpa Joe banished his dogs from the residence after one or two of them nipped the brave Secret Service agents stationed to protect him. I am thankful that we had a national election and no one got shot or worse. The computerized election machines and poll workers seem to have counted the millions of ballots and named the winners and losers to the satisfaction of most of the nation. So we are on honeymoon as the incoming president sorts out his top aides and policies.

Having been at this racket since 1968, I have seen incoming officials pound a lectern, whack the microphone, and swear on their mother’s grave that things will be different this time. The first thing they do is to appoint a big-shot blue ribbon committee to discover the secret way our government spends millions (or billions) of taxpayer dollars on fraud, waste and abuse. They usually write a report (that no one reads) and go home in frustration. It is a tough job.

For instance, they might find out that the feds spent almost $3 million in Boothbay to build a water line running from the town stop light to Bradley and Back Narrows roads. Some folks from away would think that was a wasteful project. But do you remember when the Washburn & Doughty shipyard burned in 2008? Did the brave volunteer firefighters have enough water on that day? Could they have used more? Do you think the town officials could have or would have found an extra $3 million sitting around to fund that project? Not likely.

Was it wasteful to spend $3 million on a Boothbay water line? The answer might depend on who is looking for projects that fit under their definition of waste, fraud and abuse.

I am thankful the feds picked up the tab.

Now, it is time for turkey, dressing and pie.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.