Turkey Dinner and Horror Movies

The potted mums are finally in full bloom, so here is a shot of the arrangement in our front yard...pretty much the same one I do every year. At Thanksgiving, the scarecrow will be replaced with a turkey. The arrangement is nothing special, but we enjoy it.

We slept late this morning, and then I skipped my exercises in favor of making a grocery shopping trip to the WDCS to get the items we'll need for this week's menu.

At the store, a couple of employees were discussing an incident that happened earlier, when authorities swarmed the place to apprehend a young lady who had escaped juvenile detention. The story was that the girl was wrestled to the floor, where she squealed that she was pregnant (I suppose to avoid further manhandling). We all wondered why the girl chose this store as her haven after escape. Maybe she just didn't know where else to go, thinking that if she went home, she would surely be found, while no one would suspect that she'd go "shopping."

We had a pre-Thanksgiving lunch today...turkey breast, roasted in the slow cooker along with carrots, onions, celery, and spices (but no salt), served with mashed potatoes and gravy, a green bean and corn combination dish, and canned cranberry sauce.

For an hour before lunch, Shih Tzu took up a post in the kitchen, sniffing the air as the meat cooked, and whimpering for a sample. She scarfed a plate of dog food with turkey topping at noon. Now, she is contentedly snoozing.

The rest of us made a pretty good dent in the meal, as well, although there is plenty left for another meal tomorrow night. To maintain its fresh taste, I wrapped the turkey in a double layer of plastic wrap, making sure to squeeze out all the air around the meat.

We don't know where the gray kitten is today. It didn't show up to eat this morning, so we wonder if mama cat came back in the middle of the night and retrieved it.

We also wonder why the hummingbirds haven't left, yet. Either they haven't left, or some are stopping by to feed as they journey to their wintering grounds.

The Bradford pear trees in the community are beginning to turn, but some with reddish leaves that are falling prematurely. Our local Extension Services agent fears this might be a sign of slow "pear decline." We have a couple of young Bradford pear trees in the yard, but they seem to be okay.

What I've noticed about Bradford pear trees is that if they are planted in a row, the first tree in the row will become tinged with color in the fall, and then one by one, the rest of the trees seem to follow suit, almost like a painter slowly brush-stroking each of the trees with color.

The rest of the day after lunch was relaxed. Mother went home, and Hubbie and I watched a couple of movies that I'd recorded on DVR. One was a 1996 Stephen King film, called "Thinner," and rated "R" for violence, about a very obese man who rapidly loses weight, to the point of becoming cadaverous, after being cursed by a Gypsy in retribution for hitting the Gypsy's sister with his car and killing her.

The other movie (2007), titled "Primeval," and "R" rated for graphic violence and some language, is about a news team that goes to Africa to bring back a legendary 25-foot crocodile. They do battle with not only the giant reptile, who ultimately chomps most of the characters, but

also with an evil warlord who is also out to get them.