Turkey Trots To Water- A Holiday MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

I think that’s when its time to get out the silicone trivets. :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

Keep waking up at 4 or so and don’t get back to sleep before the alarm goes off at 5:53 (I’m weird, I never set the alarm to numbers divisible by 5 or 2.) We’re now fully in the swing of the end-of-the-year stress at work, so that’s not helping at all. Probably could do with a long walk, but today’s too crazy, and the weather’s in full-one November fog mode.

And if it wasn’t breakfast time, I would raise a glass to ruble. Sorry, just have a mug of latte to toast. :coffee:

102

I will think of you and your toast when I lift my :coffee:this morning. May peace come with the sun for you and all fog lift.

103

Hard to believe it’s 9 months… And no wine here, so I raise a diet coke!

Slept till 4:30, and Higgs decided that was enough. I’ve fed her, taken her out, and fed myself, hence the caffeination. FCD got a longer HDMI cable last night, and this morning, I’m hoping to set up the TV for a video chat. Daughter sent me a video clip last night of Roxy telling us goodnight - the kid is too cute for words!

MIL was talking about going to some candy outlet store today and I’m hoping she forgets because that’s the last thing I need. I’ve noshed on way too much crap these last few days and not nearly enough veggies. I’ll have an apple a bit later, but there aren’t many other options here. I’ll be glad to be back to my own kitchen. Day after tomorrow…

Meanwhile, onward! Happy Wednesday!

104

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 56 Amurrkin out and cloudy with a predicted high of 80 and partly to mostly N.O.S. for the day. Today we prep for tomorrow’s feast. A fair amount to do as tomorrow’s menu includes turkey and dressin’, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy (it’s all about the gravy, if the gravy ain’t good, might as well throw the rest out), collard greens, mixed veggie casserole, glazed sweet N.O.T., deviled aigs, corn bread, and cheese cake with macerated (sounds dirty) strawberries. JDD and Partner are bringin’ pre feast munchies, and our two other friends are bringin’ adult beverages. A much smaller group as usually we’d have from twelve to sixteen people to partake of TDay feast. We are goin’ to the hog trough GC around one to feed ourselves for the day. BZZY day in the kitchen ahead!

Metal Mouse and Quiet One have safe trips and enjoy!

{{{Miss_Owl}}}

flyboy I am sure the Mrs. enjoyed her bday treats.

nellie hope all is well with your sil and she gets sprung from the horsepistol soonest.

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.

Happy Hump Day/Amurrkin Turkey Day Eve Y’all!

105

Happy viewing FCM

Up several times last night and out of bed at 6:45am with the pain in my back shoulder worse than normal. Great preparation for driving 420 miles. I’ll be ok, leaving with plenty of time, but will need more Mountain Dew than planned on (my caffeine fix).

Have a good Thanksgiving wherever you are and whoever you’re with (even if it’s yourself). Be well and I’ll catch up when I can (taking my laptop with me, we’ll see how it goes).

106

Man, I would kill for a decent appetite right now. What kinda Thanksgiving is it gonna be, when food is so yucky to me?
I’m actually afraid I’m gonna make a fool out of myself at my friend’s house tomorrow, by, like, nibbling half a cracker.

Which is silly of me - I’m sure a warm kitchen full of good smells will snap me right outta this food aversion - but even the stupidest anxiety is still an appetite killer.

The lovely snow has been rained into mush, and it’s gray and foggy outside today. I need to do some adulting today, though. Pants and all.

Well, pants aren’t required to pay bills, so I’ll start there. I do loves me some heat and electricity.

A rat customer who lives a few blocks away needs a drop off - he wants a few females to start his own colony. So that will require pants, and I guess a sweatshirt or something.

When I started doing this, I wrestled with whether or not to sell breeding groups, since in a way, I’m cutting off my own future business.
But I’ve learned that people who buy breeding groups still come back to me for the odd feeder here & there, plus “a boy ‘n’ two girls” is hands down the single most popular sale I’ve done over the years.

Also, I genuinely love the little buggers. They’re not well known, so I feel like the Johnny Appleseed of African soft-furred rats. I left a trail of them in my wake back in DFW.

Irk gave us each a $25 grocery gift card, and rumor has it that I got a bunch more hours next week.
Plus, they let us have a “penny product” (freebie) this week, after killing that off several weeks ago. I know morale has been terrible since they started axing hours & the weekly freebie, and I think TPTB are losing staff (as well as customers) to the competition.

So “thank you” seemed inappropriate (thanks for letting me work full time again?) but I am genuinely grateful.

Life is good. There’s really no need for this stupid funk I’m in.

107

Ruble was the best. Always had kind, caring things to say. :heart:

108

Afternoon, mumpers! It has been a mixed day, wet when I got up, sunny for a bit, and now it’s just dark and ick.

{{{OW}}} hard to believe it’s been 9 months already, it’s been 10 months since my mum passed away, and it would be her birthday this Saturday. As it’s afternoon and I’m still at irk, I’ll raise a cuppa to Ruble, he was a good guy indeed.

flyboy I am on the other side of the pond, I am never sure whether your today is still my today or my yesterday!

Safe travels to those who are travelling! We had BoJo’s lastest pontifications yesterday which make about as much sense as a guide to eviscerating a woodlouse. Doesn’t look like we will be going anywhere over xmas, neither does it look like we’ll be able to do much else apart from non-essential shopping and going to the gym again. The finer details of what we’re allowed to do depends on what “tier” our area is put into, but we won’t find that out until tomorrow. We have adequate supplies in the house and enough TP to last us a while. I think we’ll survive.

109

The video chat was fun, but Roxy got really cranky after a while. But daughter got to show her house to her grandparents. FIL might let us set up his laptop with FB so he can chat with us and other family… we shall see.

I had a nice walk and I just finished lunch. Not much else on today’s agenda. Just gotta get thru today and tomorrow.

110

Well, I dunno where my rat buyer is - he’s not answering texts, so I’m sure as shit not driving over there. He pre-paid, though. Dammit.

Meanwhile, imma run to The Gettin’ Store and get a hostess gift for tomorrow. Either a tin of cookies, or a pretty candle. Decision will be made on the spot.

111

Today is prep day, even though there’s just the two of us. The Ms is going to make her wonderful cranberry sauce with orange zest, and a punkin pie. I’m making cornbread to put in the stuffing. Never done that before, so it should be interesting. I made stock yesterday with a couple of turkey thighs, which will also be used for stuffing and for gravy and for a future soup. I saw an interesting recipe for “stuffing dumplings” to go in the soup. You basically mix stuffing with eggs, flour and baking powder/soda.

I also set up a video conference with the kids and grands for tomorrow. I have one grandson that I haven’t seen since before he went away to college four or five years ago. He and his boyfriend will be around for a video chat with my daughter.

This has nothing to do with the MMP, really, but I saw some news that the Corps of Engineers has turned down the permit application for the Pebble Mine in Alaska. This is a mine that will pollute one of the main fisheries on Native land, provide few long-term jobs, and is just another wealth grab by a major corporation that’s not even based in the U.S. At last something good to come out of this administration.

112

My prep today is running the dishwasher. I’ll do all of the cooking tomorrow. [NB: Mrs. L.A. is in charge of the green bean casserole, and the candied yams with marshmallows. I won’t have any of the latter.]

113

Yeah, I’m not a fan of candied yams/sweet potatoes, either. Also not a fan of the traditional green bean casserole. I found a recipe for green beans with garlic and ginger that I’m gonna try.

114

I have eaten a bit. Had a cup of instant mashed N.O.T.s with an extra pat of butter, then spontaneously pulled over to Popeye’s on my way to the store. (A biscuit and small beans’n’rice, no actual meat, was almost five bucks!)
They did, however, throw in an extra biscuit. Some cosmic being knew I needed to eat.

Got a pretty tin of fudge-coated Oreos for tomorrow.

I don’t have a ton in the fridge/freezer, but (long story, don’t ask) I have a friggin’ duck so - in an attempt to make my own kitchen smell delicious & tempt me with yumminess - there’s now a duck on a bed of root veggies and a sliced Granny Smith apple in my oven.

The taters should cook up nicely in the duck fat. I haven’t had quack-bird in ages.

115

Sounds delicious. Wish I lived close enough to swing by. Thanksgiving alone this year and I could use some rattie warm furries to get to know.

116

Howdy Y’all! we are back from the hog trough Golden Corral and a couple of full ticks. I am not over stuffed, but comfortably full. A lot of prep work for tomorrow is done. Got a few more things to get don, but don juana right now, so I won’t. I’m Old. I’m retired. I don’t want to. You can’t make me. I will later on, however, finish up stuff. For now, I declare chill time.

shoe duck is nummy. Haven’t had it in a while myself. I say you got the hostess gift with the mostest with fudge covered Oreos.

117

My SIL is home from the hospital. Now the docs are scratching their heads and saying they don’t know what’s wrong with her. We’ve been down this road before, and it always ends in a corn maze. Glad she’s home, though.

Since it’s just me and turkey meatballs tomorrow, I have no prep work. It feels strange. Even after the kids grew up and left, I baked pies to take to my friends’ home for the feast.

My downstairs neighbor and friend is moving. I’m happy she’s in better circumstances, but I sure will miss her. Even though we couldn’t get together due to COVID, we still talked often. When I had cancer, she went with me to the appointment with the surgeon so I’d have a sane person present. I’ve helped her through some rough stuff, too. She’s my last remaining friend in the complex: the others all left…for happy reasons.

I’m about to head to the PO to send birthday gifts. I was too tired to go yesterday. The sun was out a minute ago, but as soon as I typed that, it ran away and sent in rain clouds.

Boo, I’m Zooming with my kids from 1-2 p.m. your time but will be here before and after that.

shoe, hope the duck is yummy. And good on you for getting food into yourself.

swampy, I hope you and OYKW and JD and partner and your other guests have a fabulous Thanksgiving. I wish everyone a fabulous Thanksgiving.

118

I wish you could swing by, too. I’d give you a big ol’ non-socially-distanced hug, if that’s okay, and Monkey would mew plaintively at you until you picked him up for snuggles.

The rats aren’t super snuggly, but they’ll beg obligingly for treats.

Quacky-quack is nice, the N.O.T.s are filling. Rat buyer drop-off finally emerged, so that’s checked off. I gave him a nice trio, too: the male is milk chocolate and his two girlfriends are dark chocolate colored, making it easy to tell who’s what.

Bastard still has a Trump sign in his yard. Kinda rude when I showed up, too. Whatevs, I have his money.

Thank you. I spent a long time standing in the aisle second-guessing myself. I appreciate you saying that - it was my goal!

119

Jewish Senior Services delivered my Old Folks T-Day dinner. I already ate part of it and will have the rest for breakfast tomorrow. A neighbor is bringing me another dinner tomorrow from a fancy-schmancy restaurant.

Here’s today’s- turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, challah, plus two Shabbat candles (tea lights) a box of Hanukah candles, and some Hanukah gelt (chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil). Oh, and pumpkin pie. They delivered 400 of them in town to other old people sheltering alone (or mostly alone).

[Album] imgur.com
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And I would give you a gleeful one right back. Hold the thought, I have me a beloved kid in Michigan, I might even get there next year.

I’ll be sure to have treats in my pockets.

I have to admit to a little mental drool when I read that and I enjoyed thinking about how much the kids would enjoy them.