Saturday, November 28, 2009

Saturday, November

I skipped my exercises this morning, so we could be ready to head to another town by 9 a.m. to join Hubbie's family in a Thanksgiving feast on this sunny, warm day.

We arrived in the other town early enough to shop at a couple of stores, before going to Daughter's house. First we went to a clothing store, where we spent a 15 percent off coupon to purchase a new electric fry pan, because the temperature gauge on our old one doesn't work correctly, forcing us to have to guess at temperatures. The new appliance came with a 10 percent discount on top of the 15 percent coupon.

Then we went to the warehouse store to shop for bulk groceries and paper products. Here, we bought fresh fruits like strawberries, grapes, apples, oranges, and a cantaloupe (which the checker dropped and split, so that a clerk had to fetch us a new one), as well grape tomatoes, cereals, walnuts and pecans, and canned pineapple for making fruit salad for Christmas.

We got to Daughter's house around 11:30 a.m. Since there were several women performing kitchen duties, Mother and I stayed out of the way in the den and visited other family. Lunch was served, buffet style, around 1 p.m. Dishes included turkey, of course, and smoked pork, along with baked russet or sweet potatoes, a couple of vegetable casseroles, black eyed peas, corn-on-the-cob, canned cranberry sauce, and homemade cranberry relish, along with homemade crescent rolls. Desserts included an Italian cream cheese cake, a pumpkin coconut cake, and two kinds of fudge. Mother and I chose carefully from both the lunch items and the desserts (we sampled only very small portions of the desserts).

Fourteen of us gathered today. We stayed and visited until around 4 p.m., and then left to go to a hobby store to check out the sale on a craft cutting machine to use in creating greeting cards and scrapbook pages. The price of the small machine was good, but after checking out the cost of the individual cartridges, even on sale, I realized that this would be a major investment. So I decided my old-fashioned scissors and templates will have to do.

It was dark by the time we got back home, of course. Since we'd eaten a hearty lunch, we waited until around 7 p.m. to have a supper of cold cereal, slices of yeast bread with margarine, and fresh oranges. I had a cup of hot tea with mine.

Tonight's TV fare included a movie..."P2,"a 2007 mystery. A young woman is stranded in a locked parking garage on Christmas Eve, where she becomes the captive of the young security guard, who chains her to a chair at a table set for Christmas dinner. She escapes, and...well, stuff happens. The movie is rated "R" for language and violence.

After that, we watched our favorite college football team play to a very, very disappointing loss. Rats!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Friday, November 27

Whew! We've had a busy day. I started mine with a treadmill session and resistance exercises. Once I was ready for the day, we began decorating for Christmas. First, Mother and I took down the fall decorations and packed them away in plastic totes that Hubbie took out to the storage shed.

While we were taking down the decorations, Mother and I watched another TV channel's broadcast of the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," which I'd recorded on DVR yesterday.

After lunch, Hubbie and I assembled the Christmas village on the mantel. This is usually a task that frazzles both our nerves, but today it went surprisingly well, and was accomplished in record time.

But by the time we were finished, it was lunchtime. Since I was feeling a little "off" today, I fixed myself a ham and egg substitute scramble with cheese, and had a slice of yeast bread with it. Hubbie opted for a ham sandwich with cranberry sauce, and Mother made herself a turkey sandwich, with cranberry sauce.

After lunch, we dealt with the Christmas tree in the living room. Before we started, Hubbie tested all the clear mini-lights, and found a couple of strands not working. So he decided to go to the WDCS to buy more, and also service the van, since we will be traveling to another town to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with his family. The dinner is being postponed til tomorrow, because one family member had to work yesterday.

When Hubbie got back home, we proceeded to string the lights, plus pearl garlands, on the tree. It took a couple of hours to hang the ornaments, most of which are clear or white.

We took a break to have a supper of, you guessed it, leftover Thanksgiving Day food. It was 6:30 p.m. before we finished trimming the tree. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I collapsed in front of the TV.

Tonight, we watched a couple of one-hour shows, as well our favorite college basketball team as they played to a disappointing loss. Phooey.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving to all. It was a wonderful day for those of us gathered at our house today.

We were up early this morning to get the turkey into the smoker. To give the turkey lots of flavor without using salt, I filled the cavity with chopped onions, carrots, and celery, mixed with herbs, no-salt seasoning, and pepper. I lifted the skin over the breast and rubbed it with olive oil, seasoning salt, and herbs, and then rubbed olive oil all over the top of the bird and rubbed in no-salt seasoning, herbs, and pepper. The 23-pound turkey cooked in three and a half hours.

After the turkey was in the smoker, I fixed the deviled eggs, and then did last-minute house-sprucing, before getting ready for the day. Once I was dressed, I made a short trip to town to take advantage of one store's pre-Black Friday sale.

Daughter and her friend, and Sis were here by the time I got back home. Mother came over, and she, Sis, and I commenced kitchen duty. Before long, other family members began arriving, bringing delicious desserts like mince, pecan, and chocolate pies, and bread pudding, to add to the cherry and pumpkin pies Mother and I had made. Sis brought wonderful whole wheat rolls to add to the loaves of yeast bread Mother baked.

Before lunch, everybody selected canned foods that their families can use (these were ones I can't use because of the salt content). Among the goods were cans of soup, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, jars of spaghetti sauce, etc.

Then everybody selected grab bags. I think this entertainment was a hit with folks, and everybody seemed to like what they got. They also took jigsaw puzzles and magazines home with them. Those who had recent birthdays, or will have birthdays in December, received gifts in celebration of their special days.

Then the guys moved furniture and set up tables and chairs, and the women spread white and brown table clothes on the tables, and set them with autumn-colored plates, clear stemware glasses, and a mix of colorful yellow, orange, buff, and red napkins in napkin rings.

Just before lunch, we served glasses of white and pink sweet wines, and then folks filled their water glasses with ice and fixed the drinks of their choice...water, sweet and unsweetened tea, and a variety of soft drinks.

Buffet tables were set up in the den, and once the turkey was carved, veggie dishes heated, the potatoes mashed, and the gravies made, and everything placed on the buffet, Hubbie offered a prayer of thanks, and we lined up to fill our plates.

After lunch, some folks gathered in the living room to visit, while others watched a DVD of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" in the den. The rest of us cleared tables, washed dishes, and put food away.

Before we put the food away, though, we urged family to fill whipped topping tubs with leftover foods to take home with them. Everyone filled tubs with their favorite foods, and, thank goodness, Sis also took the turkey carcass (including the veggie stuffing) to make turkey soup, and Son took the ham bone for making a batch of beans. We're now left with a more manageable bunch of leftovers, though some of it will still make its way to the freezer.

Before everyone left, the nineteen of us gathered in the yard for group photos, on this sunny, but nippy afternoon. Folks left around 4 p.m. The day seemed to just fly by, but we loved seeing our kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids.

Mother, Hubbie, and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," that I'd recorded earlier on DVR, after which we had a light supper of leftovers. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I watched the "National Dog Show," which I'd also recorded on DVR earlier, and a couple of other shows, before calling it a day.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving Eve

Started the day with a treadmill session and resistance exercises. It's more difficult to fit exercises in during the holidays, but I try to skip as few days as possible. Mother came over early this morning to get the giblets out of the turkey to stew for gravy and dressing, while Hubbie put a second ham in the oven (this one is low-sodium).

Once I was ready for the day, I fixed a batch of sweet potatoes, which I'll re-heat in the oven tomorrow. I fixed a second batch this afternoon after we returned from running errands. Today's errands included stopping by a grocery store to pick up a couple more cans of sweet potatoes, and to the office of a friend, where we borrowed eight folding chairs. Then we went to the health store for 8-grain cereal and free issues of health magazines, and to a farm supply store for bird seed and dog food (and where I also picked up a couple of free issues of the company's quarterly magazine, which has interesting human interest stories, as well as craft ideas and recipes).

Back home, Hubbie decided that we might need a couple of the folding tables that go with the folding chairs, so he returned to the office to pick them up, and go by the WDCS for 12-packs of soft drinks, and ice.

I think we're ready for the big day now. The eggs have been boiled and are ready to be deviled in the morning, the pies, bread, and corn and green bean dish prepared several days ago are out of the freezer, and the cranberry sauce is made. Tomorrow morning, Mother will make dressing at her house, as well as a squash dish for her and me to have instead of sweet potatoes, and Hubbie and I will get up early and get the turkey ready for the smoker, peel and cook potatoes for mashing, make gravy, and re-heat veggies.

Family will bring other dishes, like cornbread dressing, rolls, pecan and mince pies, and they'll help set the tables, fill pickle trays, and do other tasks for getting the meal to the table. We won't know how many will be here until we see the whites of their eyes, but I think we now have enough seating.

We relaxed for a while this afternoon, before having a supper of leftovers, along with slices of the low-sodium ham. Mother went home after that, and we settled down to watch TV. Tonight, we saw "Collision," a two-part British film, about a massive highway pile-up, and the traffic investigator whose job it is to unravel the cause. The personal stories of the injured and dead are revealed...from relationship problems, to a whistleblower in a government cover-up, to murder.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tuesday, November 24

Slept late, and then did a treadmill session and weights exercises. After that, I went online to one of our capital city's TV stations to see if I could access the video of last night's episode of "Dancing with the Stars." To do so, I needed to download a plug-in, which I did. I didn't watch the show immediately, however, since I needed to get ready for the day and run errands before lunch.

While I was getting ready, Hubbie bathed Shih Tzu. She was still a little damp when we left to run errands, so I wrapped her in an afghan we bought especially for her, so she won't get chilled in the van on cool days. She chills easily now in her old age, and appears to be grateful for the warmth of the afghan.

The main reason for errands was to pick up a prescription for special eye drops for Mother to use a few days before her cataract surgery next week. But since we were out, we stopped by the WDCS for a few items.

Shortly after we got back, the pest control guy came to treat for mice, since we've seen evidence of them (yuk) while cleaning this week. I'm surprised we have mice with all the cats in the yard. Mother reasoned that the mice are avoiding the cats by hiding out in the house. It won't do. They've got to go.

After the pest control guy left, we finally settled down to watch "Dancing with the Stars." While we did this, we waited for a ham to finish baking in the oven, so it could be sliced for the refrigerator.

Got a call from the appliance store clerk today. She had no better luck than we did with the 800 number for repairs. She advised us that we'll need to take the TV and the remote to the store before next Wednesday, when a repairman will supposedly be available to check the unit and fix it, if it can be fixed. Nothing is ever simple or easy.

For supper, we had hamburger/turkey burger on whole wheat buns, with Parmesan cheese red potatoes, and whole kernel corn. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I did the usual...watched TV, including tonight's final episode of "Dancing with the Stars." As usual, I was surprised by the outcome, though I know this is largely a popularity contest. It's fun to watch, anyway.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday, November 23

Br-r-r...the pool was uncomfortably chilly this morning! When I arrived, the lifeguard, who is also a coach at the college, warned me that the water was cold... "I had to break the ice when I got here," he joked. Nevertheless, thirteen of us braved it, more than I thought would show up on this Monday before Thanksgiving. When the maintenance guy arrived, we all booed him. He explained that the pool's filter wasn't working right, causing the water level to drop so that more had to be added, making the water chilly.

Back home, once I was ready for the day, Hubbie and I tried to call the appliance repair service, in accordance with advise from a clerk there, to get someone to either walk us through making the new remote control work on the upstairs TV, or engage a repairman to come our house and look at the TV. The number that the clerk gave us is their 800 number, which originates from who knows where. Anyway, we tried every menu option, but all advised us to take the TV to our local store to be sent away for repair. So Hubbie called the local store again, and the clerk was supposed to call the 800 number to see what's what and call us back. She hasn't called back so far.

After that, we ran errands...to a grocery store to pick up a big bag of on-sale red potatoes; to the bank (where a couple of guys in an armored truck were unloading boxes of quarters and dimes onto a dolly, but ignoring me as I sat in the van...I guess I don't look threatening); and to the WDCS for a few grocery items and cat food.

At home, Mother came over and relaxed while I went to the computer upstairs to find out when a local high school will be holding their annual Christmas Madrigal Feaste, and learned that it is the weekend of December 11 and 12. I called the number listed and was advised to go to the administration building this afternoon if I wanted tickets for the Saturday dinner at a discounted price (prices increase after next Monday). This is a very popular event, and the tickets go fast (particularly for Saturday night) once they are advertised in the local newspaper. It has been a few years since we've attended this very well done event that includes a choir ensemble in medieval costumes, wandering minstrels, and a great meal, served by "wenches and pages" in a "castle" (the lunchroom is creatively decorated), so we are ready to do it again.

At home again, I joined Mother in relaxing for a while, before programming the DVR for Thursday's Thanksgiving parades, which we won't watch until Friday. Then we all watched a couple of episodes of Dr. Oz that I'd already recorded on DVR.

Heart-in-throat episode at suppertime: Mother took a pan of biscuits out of the oven, turned around, lost her footing, and fell to the floor. Other than scraping her right arm on a cabinet door pull or something as she went down, she is unhurt, thank God. We think her fall was broken when the back of her shirt caught on some potholder hooks on a low cookbook case, which helped suspend her slightly. It took both Hubbie and me to get her upright again, but we're very grateful that nothing but her bruised and scraped arm and her pride is injured. The biscuits went scattering, but we invoked the five-second rule and ate them anyway with leftover Autumn Stew.

Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I watched TV, beginning with a PBS movie, "Endgame," about negotiations that led to the end of apartheid in South Africa. It stars William Hurt, Johnny Lee Miller, and Chiwetel Ejiofor (a black actor unknown to me).

We intended to watch tonight's episode of "Dancing with the Stars," but somehow the DVR did not record it, though I am certain I programmed it yesterday. Phooey.

Funny: at lunch, I dished myself a helping of the good fruited gelatin that I made yesterday. I asked Hubbie if he wanted more of the failed stuff. He said there wasn't any of it left. I was surprised that he could have eaten all of it in so short a time, and said so. "How did you do that?" I asked. "Easy," he said, "I threw it away." Even his super-frugal self couldn't stomach a large recipe of that gosh-awful stuff.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sunday, November 22

We slept late this morning, and I skipped my exercises, as I usually do one day a week. Mother came over mid-morning, and she, Hubbie, and I, set to work doing this and that in preparation for Thanksgiving, like vacuuming carpets, washing area rugs, setting up buffet tables, and gathering plates, silverware, and serving dishes.

For lunch, we had Autumn Stew...a tasty dish of cubed pork loin cooked with carrots, onions, apples, and spices, in a chicken broth and beer base, and served over noodles.

On checking the gelatin I fixed yesterday, I found it had set somewhat, but is still mighty soft. So Hubbie said he would eat that batch, and I made a fresh batch for Mother and me. We enjoyed servings of the good batch for lunch. Afterward, Mother went home, and Hubbie and I watched a movie on TV.

Other than that, we read the Sunday newspaper, and I programmed the DVR for the week's movies...a very mundane day that continued with a French toast supper and more TV.

One movie we watched is called, "Chronicle of Escape," a subtitled Latin American film. It is based on a true story of a young minor league soccer player who, in the 1970s, is abducted by an Argentine government squad and wrongly accused of terrorism. He and others are humiliated and tortured to gain information. After several months, he and three others plot an escape. This is a very good movie, though disturbing for its reality. It's rated "R" for violence, some language, and nudity, but it has won several awards.