Hairy Situations

Global news is reporting on the protests taking place in Kiev - and around Ukraine.  My simplified account:

• Ukraine is in a bit of a tug of war - caught between deciding who to cozy up to - join Russia's economic bloc or the EU's trade & political association agreement 
• Most see becoming part of the EU would be a step forward - enabling Ukraine to develop economically and socially 
• Looking at the numbers alone, there's an equal amount at stake - as trade volumes to / from the EU and Russia are similar.  E.g. get in bed with one and you risk the other punishing you trade wise.   So a bit hairy
• That said, everyone expected Ukraine to sign an EU trade and association agreement last week - essentially bringing Ukraine toward eventual EU participation
• Last week, Ukraine officials abruptly decided not to sign this agreement - allegedly due to economic pressure from Moscow
• The people of Ukraine are pissed - and hitting the streets to show their disgust with this unexpected u-turn that is seen as a step back

A quick snapshot of what that looked like at noon today

LOADS of people on the metro heading into town.....

People literally pouring into the center....

(I've heard reports of 100k, 300k, 1m were there - not sure which is accurate - but it was a lot)

Many waving Ukraine flags....

Gathered chanting "freedom Ukraine" & preparing for a march

The energy was palpable and totally contagious.   I'd describe it as a positive, optimistic vibe - no brick throwing or tear gas in sight.....

Clearly a complicated situation - and an impressive display of people banding together to take a stand and make their collective voices heard.   I commend the Ukrainian people for being courageous and bold!

On a much lighter note, at home today we celebrated Thanksgiving again (Logan was traveling on Thursday).   In preparation for the occasion, Xavier & I headed out shopping (I bribed him with a doughnut to come with).   In quest of a full bird, we hit the market first...

We hit the jackpot with a big one (8.5 kilos), but at a price - Xavier declared "I don't want a doughnut anymore - I think I've lost my appetite"

And in the excitement of finding such a big bird, we didn't look close enough to realize just how hairy he still was.   Logan - who had volunteered to cook the bird - didn't realize he was signing up to groom it first....

But all's well that ends well - the bird was tasty.  

But most important was celebrating all we have to be thankful for.  This week's protest in Kiev remind us just how much that is

Here's to being thankful for all we have & standing up for what you believe in