SEEN ON THANKSGIVING IN SNAVEWORLD

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Not much going on here, just doing a bit of cleaning and straightening before the kids get here in a couple of hours. I will be cooking the yams and making the green bean casserole today, and my mom is roasting the turkey and making up some stuffing and mashed spuds. Mrs. Snave is on her work schedule (working nights at the hospital) so she will get up about 5:00 and get ready for dinner, which should be all set to go. Me, Mrs. Snave, Mom and the kids. It should be great, like it always is!

We have a lot to be glad for, not just today but every day.

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday is a good one, and that you don't bother to go out and wrestle with people at 6:00 a.m. over great deals on material items... ! If you do that, be careful! 8-)>

SCENES AND SOUNDTRACKS #1

Scene: Sunset near La Grande

Soundtrack: "A Promise" by Echo and the Bunnymen

HOW ABOUT THOSE DUCKS!

I spent a nerve-wracking evening watching my University of Oregon Ducks football team escape from Tucson with a 44-41 double-overtime win over the tough University of Arizona Wildcats. The Ducks got out to a quick 14-0 lead, then fell behind 24-14 as Arizona's defense held the Ducks down, and the Wildcats got some seriously good offense going. The Ducks fought back to 24-24, then immediately gave up a long TD pass to fall behind again 31-24... but they scored with seconds remaining in the game to tie the score at 31-all, forcing overtime. After one overtime session it was 38-38. In the second OT, Arizona had the ball first and ended up getting a long field goal to take a 41-38 lead. With their possession next, all Oregon had to do was score a touchdown to win it, and they did that in a few plays. How sweet it was!

Oregon's naysayers always like to talk about how the Ducks always "fall apart in November", how they choke, etc. This win tonight was a character moment for the team. Before the season I was skeptical about how well Oregon could do this year, and after their first game (a ridiculous 19-8 loss at Boise State) I wasn't sure they would win half their games. But after tonight, they have 9 wins and 2 losses, and they have 7 wins and 1 loss in the Pacific-10 Conference.

How well will they do in the Civil War game against Oregon State on December 3?

I think they can pull it off, but it will be difficult. OSU has been on a roll recently, and Oregon will have to not only stop the Beavers' excellent passing game but also find a way to defense the Rodgers brothers, James and Jacquizz. And the OSU defense is very respectable.

But I think the Ducks will win. What do they have going for them?

First of all, the game is being played in Eugene, at Autzen Stadium... the Ducks are very difficult to beat at home, and Autzen is a tough place for opposing teams. It should also be noted that in last year's rivalry game, Oregon beat up on the Beavers on OSU's home field, 65-39. That was the most points ever allowed by OSU to an opponent at home, and they allowed that 65 to Oregon... and both teams have many of the same players this year.

What makes this year's Civil War so special is what is at stake. The winner will get to play against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl! I would pick whichever team wins the Civil War to beat Ohio State, and possibly fairly easily. Both the Ducks and Beavers are that good! And while it seems to me, the Ducks should beat OSU by at least 10-14 points this year... when it comes to Civil War time, you just never know.

I will only be able to watch the first half of the Civil War game! It's already killing me. Quite some time ago, our band agreed to play a job here in La Grande on that evening. Had I been paying attention to the Ducks' schedule, I would never have agreed to play on that date. And our bassist Mike is a diehard Beavers fan! I told him we were going to miss most of the Civil War game, and his response was a very quiet, disappointed "Ohhh... " But at least we will be having fun, and at least I have TiVo. If I find out that the Beavers won, I can hit the "delete" button on the TiVo. If the Ducks win, I will come home after the gig, turn on the TV and savor the second half of the game.

Another thing the naysayers will be pumping up is Oregon's reinstatement of troubled running back LaGarrette Blount, who got a hefty suspension for punching a Boise State player after that first game. UO took away Blount's right to play in games, but he was allowed to keep his scholarship and practice with the team. After meeting conditions set out by the team, he has been suited up at the last couple of games (Arizona State in Eugene last week and tonight against Arizona in Tucson) but he hasn't played. Who knows if he will play against the Beavers... I almost hope he doesn't, but I suspect he will see some action, and that if so, OSU won't be prepared for some of the plays Oregon will have designed specifically for Blount. And they will cry foul that the kid is playing, but I say "let them". Whether or not Blount plays, as Oregon coach Chip Kelly has said, "This is not about reinstatement, it's about rehabilitation." In today's punitive society, that attitude is almost refreshing. My attitude has changed since Blount's original suspension. The knee-jerk reaction is "kick him off the team for good, take away his scholarship, etc." But in the long run, if this kid is to have any chance at all of making it in the world, rehabilitation is the way to go.

So, GO DUCKS! If Oregon wins, I won't be rubbing any OSU fans' noses in it... in any case, the best team will win, and this time around, I'm pretty sure it will be Oregon.

WORK IS STILL ALL-CONSUMING

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it isn't necessarily the headlamp of an oncoming train! After Friday, I ought to have more time to put up some blogposts. At least, Friday is the day I should have all my outstanding paperwork turned in for our annual funding deadline of Dec. 1. One of my school districts has no school at all during Thanksgiving week, so I have to have all of its stuff done by Friday. For the other two school districts, it will have to be done by Monday and Tuesday of next week, but for those two it is basically all done. It's just that first one that could be sticky.

But yes, things are looking up.

WORK HAS BEEN ALL-CONSUMING, SO IT''S TIME TO RELAX WITH SOME CAT PICTURES!

HIS FACIAL MASSAGE
And don't worry, Ichiro actually likes this and begs for it!

As it is for me every year in late-October through November, work has become all-consuming. Where I work there is an annual deadline to meet for turning in paperwork, in this case on newly referred students we need to evaluate, meet with parents on, etc. I have had more referrals than normal this year, and am snowed under. Thus, not much time for this blog, for Facebook, etc. So in the meantime, here are some cat pictures! I need to take a tip from Ichiro and relax a bit, like he does so well in a couple of these photos!

It's getting colder around here at this time of year. If we leave a heating pad lying around after one of us has been using it, Abby is sure to find it.

Neko relaxing in one of the beds by the window. She likes this one, because we have a bird feeder set up just outside the window.

Phinney couldn't wait until I had the cat litter out of the bucket. What a guy... !

Ahhhh! The Bird! Zeva and Ichiro are loving it!

Ichiro is actually on top of a clothes rack, stretched out in a little valley of his own making.