Twas The Night before Turkey Day
Well, I’m enjoying my first cup of coffee, delivered by my life’s love, fresh and so delicious. And warming!
We have our thermostat set to different time zones, so it can be brisk around here in early morning. But I wanted to get up and read the papers online. I threw a shawl over my lap and that is enough to keep the night warmth in my old knees. I do have an old fluffy robe on too. It sounds like I’m set to go sleigh riding.
My knees have been talking back to me since the kidney doctor took away my Aleve, due to nasty kidney implications. I am supposed to use Tylenol for pain relief, but the inflammation and swelling in my knees is only helped by a bit of anti-inflammatory medicine so I get the occasional single tab of ibuprofen. It’s an NSAID too but different. If I take one at night occasionally, it means I can get up I the night for a bathroom trip and not stumble from pain.
Falling is a concern as we age, so I have to balance my pain on a daily basis. I’m not a baby but I need to be able to move. It’s arthritis of course and nothing I give much thought to, until I find myself staggering into a wall. Local application of Biofreeze, from the chiropractor, helps but when my knees feel like painful stuffed sausages, it’s time for a bit of intervention.
Such lovely morning talk! I guess I’ll move on to the cooking prep I should be doing for tomorrow. I’m making the dressing, two kinds, since half the family wants pork sausage & apples in it and the other half does not. I’ll make it here and load it into the slow cooker to keep it warm. My 6 qt cooker has a divided insert I’ve never had reason to use before now. I’m tickled to have a way to put it to use.
I’ll need to chop a goodly amount of celery and onion for each batch. And pick some fresh sage from the garden. These folks are not foodies so I’m conforming to their comfort standards. I’m even using the boxed stuffing they like but mixing it up by using the turkey flavor and the cornbread type mixed together (outrageous!), plus all my bits of extra taste, chopped very tiny so as not to make detectable chunks, Ha!
I bought canned sweet potatoes for a casserole their mom used to make. My sweet sister in Arkansas helped me track down the recipe. I’ll have pecans on most of it, but with a fourth of it covered with marshmallows, special request. I’ll make one base of whipped sweet potatoes with two toppings. It’s better than making two dishes. And I’ll print out the recipe so it can be duplicated. There’s no sense making food that they can’t make again if they are on their own some day. After losing Kay in March and facing my own cancer possibilities every six months, I’m focused on the family instead of the food.
Gary and I will be heading down to the farmer’s market after breakfast to see if there are any last minute additions we might bring to brighten up the table, maybe flowers or fresh grapes for the kids. And we’ll get some baklava for the next couple day’s breakfasts from the baker. It’s Gary’s vacation and it’s what he wants. No baking for me.
I suppose a couple of the college age kids are bringing pies. I’m no baker, so they let me slide on that. I will be the one turning the pan drippings into gravy, a skill they don’t seem to have. I’ll bring cornstarch, a whisk and some emergency turkey gravy packets, since I’m not seasoning their turkey. I’ll wear one of my nice big W&S aprons all day, so I don’t care what I wear. I’ll be the fat old aunt with a never-ending ability to cook happy food. Every Thanksgiving needs one in our family.
We have made it through another year. The ones who put each other first will gather together, three generations. The selfish greedy ones will be somewhere else. I’ll not mention names.
I guess I’d better get moving. I have our own 14 lb turkey to cook today, easy in a roasting bag, just for leftovers and stock. It was nearly free after we bought the groceries we needed for today, so why not? I must remember to call the young folks and remind them to set aside the neck and giblets, not throw them out. I can use that neck for broth and the giblets for dirty rice later. No waste, no want.
It's gray, raining and icy cold today, but I feel warmed and brightened by the friends and family who are still in my loving circle. I choose to bask in their warmth.
I hope you all have a warm and loving day. Remember those who passed this year and before. Keep them alive in your hearts and feed your soul with the love they gave us all.
We have our thermostat set to different time zones, so it can be brisk around here in early morning. But I wanted to get up and read the papers online. I threw a shawl over my lap and that is enough to keep the night warmth in my old knees. I do have an old fluffy robe on too. It sounds like I’m set to go sleigh riding.
My knees have been talking back to me since the kidney doctor took away my Aleve, due to nasty kidney implications. I am supposed to use Tylenol for pain relief, but the inflammation and swelling in my knees is only helped by a bit of anti-inflammatory medicine so I get the occasional single tab of ibuprofen. It’s an NSAID too but different. If I take one at night occasionally, it means I can get up I the night for a bathroom trip and not stumble from pain.
Falling is a concern as we age, so I have to balance my pain on a daily basis. I’m not a baby but I need to be able to move. It’s arthritis of course and nothing I give much thought to, until I find myself staggering into a wall. Local application of Biofreeze, from the chiropractor, helps but when my knees feel like painful stuffed sausages, it’s time for a bit of intervention.
Such lovely morning talk! I guess I’ll move on to the cooking prep I should be doing for tomorrow. I’m making the dressing, two kinds, since half the family wants pork sausage & apples in it and the other half does not. I’ll make it here and load it into the slow cooker to keep it warm. My 6 qt cooker has a divided insert I’ve never had reason to use before now. I’m tickled to have a way to put it to use.
I’ll need to chop a goodly amount of celery and onion for each batch. And pick some fresh sage from the garden. These folks are not foodies so I’m conforming to their comfort standards. I’m even using the boxed stuffing they like but mixing it up by using the turkey flavor and the cornbread type mixed together (outrageous!), plus all my bits of extra taste, chopped very tiny so as not to make detectable chunks, Ha!
I bought canned sweet potatoes for a casserole their mom used to make. My sweet sister in Arkansas helped me track down the recipe. I’ll have pecans on most of it, but with a fourth of it covered with marshmallows, special request. I’ll make one base of whipped sweet potatoes with two toppings. It’s better than making two dishes. And I’ll print out the recipe so it can be duplicated. There’s no sense making food that they can’t make again if they are on their own some day. After losing Kay in March and facing my own cancer possibilities every six months, I’m focused on the family instead of the food.
Gary and I will be heading down to the farmer’s market after breakfast to see if there are any last minute additions we might bring to brighten up the table, maybe flowers or fresh grapes for the kids. And we’ll get some baklava for the next couple day’s breakfasts from the baker. It’s Gary’s vacation and it’s what he wants. No baking for me.
I suppose a couple of the college age kids are bringing pies. I’m no baker, so they let me slide on that. I will be the one turning the pan drippings into gravy, a skill they don’t seem to have. I’ll bring cornstarch, a whisk and some emergency turkey gravy packets, since I’m not seasoning their turkey. I’ll wear one of my nice big W&S aprons all day, so I don’t care what I wear. I’ll be the fat old aunt with a never-ending ability to cook happy food. Every Thanksgiving needs one in our family.
We have made it through another year. The ones who put each other first will gather together, three generations. The selfish greedy ones will be somewhere else. I’ll not mention names.
I guess I’d better get moving. I have our own 14 lb turkey to cook today, easy in a roasting bag, just for leftovers and stock. It was nearly free after we bought the groceries we needed for today, so why not? I must remember to call the young folks and remind them to set aside the neck and giblets, not throw them out. I can use that neck for broth and the giblets for dirty rice later. No waste, no want.
It's gray, raining and icy cold today, but I feel warmed and brightened by the friends and family who are still in my loving circle. I choose to bask in their warmth.
I hope you all have a warm and loving day. Remember those who passed this year and before. Keep them alive in your hearts and feed your soul with the love they gave us all.