Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s been a fairly quiet month, though somehow full… I’ve only been to my MIL’s minimally, waiting for the GC to finish making sawdust so I can finish my finicky painting without interrupting his schedule. Dust and paint don’t go well together 😏. Then it turned out that his schedule kept him away, so not a lot has happened. Ommmmm. We talked earlier this week. He said he’s done with saws in the house. My DH and I will spend part of Saturday down there advancing our few remaining tasks.

We’re hosting dinner tomorrow. The girls are bringing appetizers and a dessert. DH is also going to make his pecan pie (pronounced Pea-can! Because Darius Rucker sings it so). We’re still not sure of the head count for dinner, but know we’ll be at least 8. I prepped what was reasonable to do so today, including making the cranberries, which will get hidden by a daughter… This is a long standing tradition that started many years ago, and I didn’t twig to the fact that the cranberries weren’t on the table!! I will never live this down 😂. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if the cranberries didn’t take a side trip on their way to the table 😏.

For years I’ve made an alternate to my dad’s dressing. He used (SF) sour dough bread, cubed the night before. I used a Lundberg 5-rice blend. For many years now I’ve omitted oysters from the recipe as the kids were not fans. This year, I’m going to divide the dressing in order to have a dish with oysters and one without. It seems like a small thing, but if feels kinda big. Like it’s honoring the intent of the recipe and assuring everyone will enjoy it.

I find, election results aside, many things to be thankful for this season of reflection. I am rich in my family, blessed in my friends, have resources, ingenuity, and know how to sweat a dripping copper pipe 😏. I am unendingly thankful for the friendship of my AN, who is living his new reality with grace and outward concern for others. I got to spend the Monday and Tuesday with my grandson 💕. He taught me a new way to play Bananagrams and kicked my butt at dominos. The light in our bathroom was stunning this morning. We have heat and hot water. There’s a lot to be grateful for.