Last month was a great month. All months are.

November is a cloudy and windy month when frostbite takes away the pain of sunburn. November 14-28 is our peak sleet season and the last two weeks of the month are the peak rutting season for deer. Sir Walter Scott wrote, “November sky is chill and drear, November’s leaf is red and sear.” November is, on average, our cloudiest month.

Here’s a look back at what happened last month.

When November senses it’s time to spread her fall haze, I remind myself that Thanksgiving should encourage me to be thankful for each day I am given.

Bob Dylan sang, “The times, they are a-changing.” Daylight saving time came to an end. It was a shame as it was all the savings most Americans had left. The Rolling Stones sang, “Time is on my side.” My poor alarm clock was confused. The clocks were set back an hour, giving the politicians an extra 60 minutes of campaign time.

As I look back on the month that has been archived, I am thankful that the election is over and for any sunshine that peeked through the endless clouds.

The economy had the blues and on Election Day, the United States went Blue.

Black Friday was a busy shopping day. It is not the biggest shopping day of the year — that’s the Saturday before Christmas — but Black Friday is a busy one. “Black Friday” is the name the Philadelphia Police Department gave to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day back in the ’60s. It was not a term of endearment. Black Friday officially opened the Christmas shopping season and it usually brought massive traffic jams and overcrowded sidewalks as the downtown stores were mobbed from opening to closing. Black Friday is regarded as a miracle of Christmas. Every time a cash register opens to the sound of its bell, an angel gets 10 percent off on all purchases over $50.

A 19-year-old Englishman named George Garratt changed his name to Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine Hulk And The Flash Combined. His grandmother is no longer speaking to him.

Mattel, maker of Hot Wheels toy cars, became more profitable than some manufacturers of full-sized automobiles.

The 20th was World Toilet Day. I forgot to buy my plumber anything.

Each month produces the results of research — both needless and desirable. A recent government study said that by 2048 all citizens of the United States will be overweight. Another study found that 8 percent of Americans hate their jobs because they have to sit in a chair that hurts their butts. And another study said that junk food causes one-third of all heart attacks. The other heart attacks are caused by people looking at their 401(k) statements. According to a different survey, 29 percent of people shopped online while at work. The other 71 percent were already unemployed. An additional study found that one in three American workers don’t have enough to do at work. Two words: online shopping.

The airport in Anchorage, Alaska, is named Ted Stevens International Airport. It will need to be renamed, “Prisoner No. 5789632 Airport.”

Sales of fancy underwear were down. Some experts claim this is a sign of a lousy economy, saying people spend less on underwear during tough times. The bottom fell out of thongs.

A Florida woman filed suit in small claims court to recover the money she paid to a fortune teller. She withdrew the suit when the fortune teller predicted that the woman would lose.

Detroit automakers became interested in increasing m.p.g. That doesn’t refer to mileage, it stands for “money provided by government.”

Some fast food chains had their profits go up. While belts were tightening in American households because of the bad economy, there were companies doing all they could to make it necessary to let them out again.

As a way to conserve fresh drinking water, a number of conservation groups called for an end to toilets that flush. My family was ahead of its time. I grew up with a toilet that didn’t flush. It was called an outhouse.

The public scored an average of 49 % on a civics test compiled by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. When asked about “civics,” most people answered that they were made by Honda.

The Associated Press cut its staff by 10 percent. At least I think that’s what happened. I got only 90 percent of the story.

There was a giant balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade that represented large financial institutions. It was filled with government air.

It was November. It was no wonder I am thankful for all of you.

Hartland resident Al Batt’s columns appear every Wednesday and Sunday.