Our view: Countless reasons for thanks in Northland

There are so many things Northland residents can be thankful for today, it’s hard to whittle it down to just 10. But everyone does top-10 lists, right? So as you gather with family and friends today for the Thanksgiving holiday - whether at home, at someone else’s house, at the community meal at the DECC or elsewhere - feel free to add to this list.
Treat it as just a starter list.
1. The election is over.
2. We’re not Buffalo or other snow-buried points in western upstate New York. Yet. Or even Gile, Wis. Yet.
3. We don’t have to get up so early this time of year to marvel at the breathtaking sunrises from Enger Tower and other locations on the hillside.
4. Rush-hour traffic here isn’t often all that rushed.
5. Neither are long strolls on the Lakewalk from Brighton Beach to the beaches of Minnesota Point.
6. Our downtown skyline is marked by giant cranes these days, each piece of construction equipment another promise of more-prosperous times.
7. Minnesota Nice - and people who really mean it.
8. The crack of a slap shot and the blast of the horn to mark every goal at UMD Bulldogs’ hockey games.
9. The “broooonk-bronk-bronk” of ore carriers gliding silently (except for the blaring horns, of course) beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge.
10. Our best-in-the-country outdoor recreation.
11. Grape salad on every Minnesotan’s table today. OK, this one’s a joke. But this isn’t: Northlanders’ great sense of humor.
Oops, that’s 11. As we said, there’s a lot to be thankful for today and every day here. And once in a while, yes, it’s OK to forget our challenges and to think only of such positives.
What can you add to the list?
Happy Thanksgiving.