Back from the frozen north (actually, it was pretty mild) after a wonderful Thanksgiving. Got up to the near north (as opposed to upstate Pennsylvania) about 11:00 to take doggie to the kennel. The couple arrived later and we left at 2:15 for the long trek north. Arrived by 7:00, left our gear at the Canyon Motel where we had booked a suite with a pull-out for me in the living room. We then left for a joint birthday party at the house in Middlebury Center.
I had baked a chocolate cake with mocha icing and put two candles--"8" and }0"--on it, signifying the total ages of the celebrants. The older one loved her "memory book," the project on which I had been working for so long, and the younger got lots of nice presents, too.
Got back to the motel about 10:00 and collapsed into bed. The next morning, we took a brisk walk of about two miles, greatly enjoying the hilly, wooded area and interesting, well-kept old homes in Wellsboro.
Then it was back out to the country for the Thanksgiving gathering. N. had an incredible array of appetizers--sausage pinwheels, seafood dip in a pumpernickel "bowl," sliced apples with caramel, and cheese, pepperoni and crackers, all of which were enthusiastically enjoyed by the five adults and four children, J. had bought a huge electric turkey fryer and we stood in awe as the twenty-pound bird was lowered into the sixty-dollars worth of oil. It took only 75 minutes to cook and incredibly, we agreed it was the best, most tender and moist turkey we ever had. Of course, there were all the usual sides: stuffing, smashed 'taters*, gravy, sweet potatoes, string bean casserole, three kinds of cranberry relish (I had brought apple/c.berry from berries I picked myself on that van tour we took a few months ago), and two kinds of cranberry bread (a small loaf from Susan and one N. made). After, we had our choice (or one of each, why not?) of the pies I made: apple and pumpkin. I was pleased the whipped cream for the latter had held up during the long drive; it was conveyed in a foam container along with the cranberry/apple relish. We stayed long enough to help clean up, then it was back to the motel, 10 miles away.
On Friday, we went back out, of course, and had a neat time helping to put up the Christmas tree. Yes, very early, and I was amazed to see trees up even before Thanksgiving. I refuse to put up Christmas decorations before December and, of course, will wait until the London contingent gets here before I even think about a tree--ours will be live, I'm sure.
Anyway, it was great fun. Had turkey leftovers for lunch--you have to, it's required--then took the kiddies to Wal-Mart to get new sneaks, boots, and other winter wear. Had a bite for dinner, then we all went back to the Canyon Motel to go in the pool. The kids had a ball, but I sat on the sidelines, as I had forgotten to bring my suit. Just as well,since it seemed too cool for my taste, but I enjoyed watching them horse around and show off their swimming--or, in the case of the two little ones, "swimming"--skills.
They all came back to our suite to change, then we reluctantly said goodbye. We stepped out to get a bottle of Cabernet S-something (oh, I don't know how to spell it and I bet SpellCheck doesn't either) and happily indulged with pretzels.
Left on Saturday morning after a hearty breakfast at the Wellsboro Diner. Back to the North Jersey homestead without incident after the five-hour drive, then I drove the hour down to my place. Went out to get lettuce, tomatoes and mushrooms--I hadn't had anything green all weekend--and made a big salad for dinner. Frank Next-Door had collected my papers and mail and dropped them off. Called sister Betty, in Chicago for the holiday, unpacked, and started settling back into my everyday life.
Slept like a log and now I have to turn my attention to Christmas and my birthday party--hey, that's no chore!
WIDER: From Glenn Greenwald about the most recent child-murders:
"Every time that happens, this just becomes more normalized, less worthy of notice. It’s just like background noise: two families of children wiped out by an American missile (yawn: at least we don’t target them on purpose like those evil Terrorists: we just keep killing them year after year after year without meaning to). It’s acceptable to make arguments that American wars should end because they’re costing too much money or American lives or otherwise harming American strategic interests, but piles of corpses of innocent children are something only the shrill, shallow and unSerious — pacifists! — point to as though they have any meaning in terms of what should be done."
But the whole article must be read with close and sorrowful attention:
http://www.salon.com/2011/11/25/the_fruits_of_liberation/singleton/