Attend an annual home-cooked meal at a friend’s home with some of the dearest people in my life—and nothing to do but bring the wine. What better way to celebrate my favorite holiday than that!

Probably won’t get a leg this year, either!

Going to Matt’s parents’ house tonight and staying till Friday morning. We’ve spent it with them the last few years – they’re much closer geographically than my parents.

I am taking a whole turkey breast to my girlfriend’s to cook, along with candied yams and a pumpkin pie I will make tonight.

My GF is putting together salad, potatoes, vegetables, and stuffing. We are eating at 4, because her son has to be at work at Best Buy at 6.

For the first time in a long time I opted to let someone else do all the stuff. One of our regulars, someone whom I took on as family passed away a few weeks ago and I realized that her empty chair would be too large a hole, so a few of the regulars and I decided to do a different thing at a different place so it wouldn’t be so hard on her widower and closest friends. I’m taking some cranberry sauce and wine, others will be doing the lion’s share. All this time spent not prepping is a pearl beyond price this year! What a lovely thing, to have somewhere to go!

Have the loveliest of Thanksgivings, all of my American jellies!

The dining room on my mother’s nursing home floor.

I have no idea whether Mom will understand or connect with Thanksgiving. I do know that she’ll see other residents – those in better condition and more ambulatory – wearing nice clothes and leaving with family. I don’t want her to feel sad or neglected, so we’ll spend a long afternoon together and share a meal.

The institutional dinner won’t be nearly as dismal as that may seem. The dining room is beautiful with huge windows and a view, and it’ll be decorated for the holiday. And, the chefs at Mom’s facility do a fantastic job; the food is excellent.

Staying home tomorrow pet/house sitting for neighbors and then going to my friends and daughters on Fri. Hey, leftovers are even better than the original dinner. :-)

A girlfriend is coming over and my husband, she, and I are going for a very late thanksgiving lunch at a nearby restaurant. Afterwards, we are going to a town square here to see Scooter the DJ. He’s very entertaining.

We are going to two different Thanksgiving dinners at two friends’ houses. For one, we have been asked to bring nothing. For the other, I am doing my famous Holiday Green Beans, homemade cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries, and perhaps something with butternut squash.

That is the one that is with close friends, and I am looking forward to it!

My mom just died less than two months ago, so this holiday season will be an adjustment for our family.

Tomorrow it’s just the four of us. Myself, my 9 year old daughter, my stepfather and my sister. We’re going to my mom’s grave and bringing flowers, and then we have a 2:30 reservation at a nice restaurant in the area. It’s a fancy old farmhouse, very festive. Of course, I’d so much rather to be at my parents’ house, even with just us, or someone’s house, but it is what it is. We’re all together and that’s what counts. My sister is going to make an apple pie (my mom’s recipe) so that will be another nice way to remember my mom.

Friends invited me to stop by, and I’d love to but it depends on how late we stay with my family.

I’m off on Friday – 4 day weekend, actually 4½ because we got out at 1 today.

I remember last year, someone at work said she was going to be alone for Thanksgiving because her two adult daughters were elsewhere. She was staying home in her sweats and eating what she wanted and watching TV all day. I remember thinking that sounds like such a nice day.

My sister was going to come down with her twins and husband and his three boys.

I in no way agreed to this since I have a new apartment and have one chair and a loveseat. Luckily my sisters husband has some welding gig 200 miles away and won’t get the holiday off. So they are just going to get Chinese in Portland.

So tomorrow my mom is coming over to cook at my place since the oven at her house hasn’t worked in years.

And my mom just had a 20 year old move a RV into her backyard. The dude is kinda freaking out since he just sits in the RV and plays video games all day. Which is on him. I lived in her backyard for years and kept active. There are really active basketball courts and a arcade six blocks away. If he wanted to interact with real people it is a five minute walk away.

So my mom will make food and we will eat on the loveseat and watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and then she will take the remaining food to feed the sloth she lives with and the suicidal RV gamer in the backyard.

Whenever I am State-side, as I am this year, I cook the dinner. My cousins are well meaning, but they can’t boil water.

I will cook a turkey, make dressing, make mashed potatoes and my famous cranberry sauce.

They will boil green beans.

Oh well.

For the last several years my Mom has made a duck. It’s my favorite fowl. I haven’t touched the turkey in years. She uses a recipe with honey and chili sauce. I usually eat the whole duck (it’s not that big) and love it.

Ironically , I love ducks. But they’re the best meal, when cooked right.

The rest is great. But the duck is SPECIAL.

@MrGrimm888 Enjoy your Duck but stay away from my pet goose or I will be forced to baste you. lol

The duck was great. Going to finish it tonight.

Don’t think I’ve had goose.

I have to much respect for you to ever eat your pet.

Please don’t baste me?~~~

@MrGrimm888 Haha, okay, you’re off the hook, er, chopping block. :-)
Besides my goose is 18 and a half years old, a tough old bird now and he has a mean left wing hook too haha

Geese and swans always bit me when I was a kid. I was curious, so I’d approach them. If I pit my hand out, they’d bite me, and I run to my Mom or Dad crying. It didn’t really hurt so bad, I think it scared me more than anything. So, I respect them, and give them a wide path when I see them.

We get these Canadian Geese that are mean as hell. They’ll attack anyone with,or without provocation.

@MrGrimm888 They are very territorial and aggressive during nesting season, roughly Feb.-June. If you raise a gosling from a tiny baby they become human imprint birds and treat you like mother goose. My guy is so smart, knows about 20 words and phrases, follows me everywhere, likes to be held and sung too, geese are great.

Cool. I love animals.