TURKEY IS THAWING and grandma just said something wildly inappropriate.
Yes, the time has come to give thanks.
That might be a difficult proposition for some on this very special Turkey Day, like those suffering the horrors of Snowmageddon 2010.
Luckily, my dear Peninsulites, you can always count on yours truly to find a silver lining or two.
UW and WSU football might be in the tank, but at least the Seahawks find themselves in the thick of the NFC West race (albeit by default).
The Seattle Sonics might be blossoming in some two-bit burgh in the Dust Bowl, but at least UW’s basketball team looks primed for another postseason run.
You see, there’s plenty to be thankful for when you look hard enough.
Here’s a list of things I’m particularly grateful for (outside of the fact I don’t have to “enjoy” Aunt Mary’s dreaded green bean casserole this Thanksgiving):
• Fantastic prep football — A few teams struggled mightily this fall.
But as anyone who witnessed the sheer spectacle of October’s Port Angeles-Sequim game in Civic Field will tell you (4,200-plus attended), this was a special season.
Five Peninsula football teams reached the playoffs, with the area nearly submitting its second straight year with a winning record (42-45). This despite two schools going 0-9.
And it isn’t even over yet. Neah Bay (9-2) has a shot at its first state championship game trip in 11 years if it beats Lummi on Saturday in Tacoma.
• Salmon supreme — The saltwater salmon season may not have been anything special.
But at least that didn’t translate over to the fall river fishing scene, which underwent an angling renaissance on the Hoh, Sol Duc and many other Quillayute system tributaries.
Let’s just hope that translates over to steelhead season (which unofficially kicks off Friday).
• Snowmageddon 2010 — All that white stuff laid waste to many a holiday travel plan.
But that just means we got ourselves a nice base of snow atop Hurricane Ridge (two-plus feet as of Wednesday morning).
Suddenly the idea of a downhill skiing/snowboarding opener before Christmas doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
One other Ridge-related thing to be thankful for: Hurricane Ridge Road will be open seven days a week this winter, (insert federally mandated “weather permitting” phrase here).
• College hoops hotbed — The UW football team’s return to national prominence didn’t happen this fall.
But that doesn’t mean the Dawgs’ ascension atop the college hoops hierarchy will stop anytime soon.
Washington looks like a legitimate Pac-10 favorite two weeks into the season with competitive games against top-10 teams Kentucky and Michigan State.
On the other side of the state, Gonzaga may not be the Bulldogs of old, but they look awfully interesting with Irondale’s favorite son, Steven Gray.
The former Chimacum High School star has averaged 22.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game in the Bulldogs’ first five games of the season.
Oh, and the Peninsula College men might not be too bad either under first-year head coach Lance Von Vogt (preview on Friday).
• Conjunction junction — As is my want, I started five different sentences with a conjunction in this column.
Grammar no-no? Some might say yes.
But (six) if getting paid to butcher the written word on a daily basis isn’t something to be thankful for, I don’t know what is.
(As is getting paid to judge mushroom contests, watch sporting events, make barista jokes and publish the name Jake Plummer on a consistent basis.)
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors and sports columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column regularly appears on Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.
