Red Nose

Ten Things About Thanksgiving

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Here are ten things about our holiday.

1. The holiday got off to a fine start Wednesday night as my Caps beat the Sabres 2-0. Ovie and Fehrsie scored and Varly stopped every shot he faced. Way to go, boys!

2. We spent much of the day in our pajamas.

3. We broke with tradition. Rather than watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, we watched the Fred and Ginger marathon on TCM. You can't go wrong with Fred and Ginger! Flying Down to Rio is pretty saucy for its time, what with half-nekkid girls perched on airplane wings getting their tops blown hither and yon. 

4. I cooked nothing. No, I tell a lie. I heated up some soup and made some Bisquick biscuits for lunch.

5. I visited Mom for a little while. When I arrived she was struggling to drink some ice tea -- she didn't have a straw, so most of the tea was on her bib and the bed. I helped her out with that and alerted the staff, who cleaned her up. She was pretty sleepy the whole time, but we had a good visit.

6. Joe and I went to Annapolis to my cousin's place for dinner, and boy what a dinner it was! My cousin's wife is a fabulous cook. Roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet and sour carrots, sauerkraut, roasted brussels sprouts, rolls and butter, gravy, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie, wine, and coffee. I'm probably forgetting something, but it was a stellar feast for sure.

7. Roasted brussels sprouts are delicious! Normally I am not a brussels sprouts kind of gal, but these were good -- roasted with cloves of garlic, an asian-y sauce, and a bit of olive oil. I will have to get the recipe. (Of course, having the recipe is no guarantee that I will fix them.)

8. SonnyeBoy had dinner with his girlfriend's family. She is a lovely girl, so I am okay with this. Besides, I'll see him this weekend.

9. By the time we got home, the Fred and Ginger marathon was over, but the Pawn Stars marathon was on. Woo!

10. It's been cloudy and cold and misty for several days, including Thanksgiving, but somehow that didn't put a damper (sorry) on the day. 

Now I'm getting ready to head to the beach with my sister and brother-in-law, where we will winterize and close up the house. I'm looking forward to $2.00 electric bills!

Strange Questions

The Strange Question Meme, Part 1.

Before I get started, I will say that I wondered why this was Part 1. I originally saw this on the lovely and talented Chai's blog, traced it back to the lovely and talented Bitchypoo, and then found it here, and the question was answered. Evidently it was originally a 50-question meme, but the Sunday Stealing folks thought that was too long and broke it in two. For that, I am glad -- 25 strange questions is plenty!

1. What is the color of your toothbrush? Blue and white. I need a new one -- the bristles are starting to curve outward.

2. Name one person who made you smile today. Joe, natch.

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? I was in the car, on the way to the Metro station, listening to Elliot In The Morning.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Eating peppermint ice cream.

5. What is your favorite candy bar? Hershey's with Almonds. I know that Hershey's chocolate is quite plebian and pedestrian and all, but I still love it.

6. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes. I went to a delightful boite called The Pussycat Lounge for a bachelorette party -- there were female strippers in the front room and male strippers in the back room, so we had to parade through the female-strippers room to get to the male-strippers room. It was quite entertaining, especially when the bride-to-be had a sudden revelation when watching "Hot Chocolate" dance and announced quite loudly, "Oh my God! He's not circumsized!"

7. What is the last thing you said aloud? It was "OH!" just now when Ovie rang a puck off the post.

8. What is your favorite ice cream? Peppermint Chip, preferably with hot fudge. It's a good thing peppermint ice cream is more or less seasonal, because I would eat it constantly.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? A big glass of water.

10. Do you like your wallet? Yes, although lately I've been carrying a tiny purse with built-in wallet.

11. What was the last thing you ate? Applesauce -- my dessert, until I go see if there are any Hershey bars with almonds in the vending machine.

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Nope.

13. The last sporting event you watched? In person: The Caps versus the Wild (the Caps won!). On TV: the end of the Redskins versus the Broncos (the 'Skins won! A miracle!)

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? The buttery-er the better. Caramel is a very close second.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My nephew, to set up a meeting place for the Caps game last Friday. I know! I don't text all that much because my phone is not conducive to texting.

16. Ever go camping? Yes, back in the olden days. I would be very happy to never camp again.

17. Do you take vitamins daily? I do when we have them.

18. Do you go to church every Sunday? Only the Church of the Donut, and that only sometimes.

19. Do you have a tan? Not for a very very long time -- probably back when I camped.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? As a rule, I'll take pizza, unless I have a craving for egg drop soup.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? Not often, because the sodas last longer when I don't.

22. What did your last text message say? It said, "k". I am a master of the terse.

23. What are you doing tomorrow? I am working working working working working working working.

24. Favorite color? Purple.

25. Look to your left; what do you see? An end table, with a lamp, a clipboard, and some papers.

Home Again

I'm home!

I flew to Dallas Monday morning, by way of Chicago. Yes, yes -- it's bizarre to fly from Baltimore to Dallas by way of Chicago, but due to the weirdness of airline flight times and pricing, that was the best I could do. Joe had to work at the museum that morning, so we went to Greenbelt Metro and I hopped on the direct bus to the airport. Made it just in time!

I was on a wee jet for the flight to Chicago, which afforded me a stunning view of the city, so I snuck a quick picture.

I didn't have a lot of time between flights, so I grabbed a bagel and cream cheese on my way to the next gate, but then I passed the Garrett's Popcorn stand, and... well, I got a bag of caramel corn.

Come on, it was like an order.

Anyway, I got to Dallas, met up with a couple of colleagues, attended a class that I mostly understood (a good thing, since I'm in charge of the curriculum for the subject), ate a couple of lovely dinners, had a laughing fit with some good people, and slept very poorly both nights, even with the aid of a Vicodin. It wasn't the bed -- the bed was really, really comfy. It was just -- well, I just don't sleep well in hotels for some reason.

So I was pretty exhausted when I finally got home late last night. I crawled into bed and slept the best sleep I've slept for weeks. Eight hours of sleep really makes a difference!

The Days Pass

It is over 70 degrees here, and sunny -- it's almost like Mother Nature is apologizing for drenching us last week. As soon as I finish this post I'm going to sit outside and enjoy it.

I went to visit Mom yesterday. I haven't written much about her lately because there hasn't been much to write. Everyone has been so kind to all of us, especially when we thought she was leaving us in September.

But once again, she fooled us all.

She is still extremely weak, as fragile as a brown fall leaf, yet she hangs in and hangs on. She gets dreams and reality increasingly confused, and now a new wrinkle has appeared.

She didn't know me at first.

Then again, I woke her up. It was mid-morning when I arrived and she was dressed, propped in a wheelchair in the hallway near the dining room. She looked at me and said, "Where's your mom?"

I said, "You're my mom!"

She looked puzzled; my heart sank. I sat down in front of her and asked if she knew who I was.

She thought a moment, then said, "Yes, you're... Mary."

I breathed again, but then she asked, "Where's Ruth?"

Ruth is her sister, who died in May of 2005.

I quickly said, "In heaven" and changed the subject. She was cold, so I put my jacket around her shoulders. She wondered where the front door was (probably planning an escape), so I wheeled her downstairs and showed her. We visited with the cat ("Ugly thing," opined Mom) and headed back upstairs to her room.

"I'm just waiting for Ruth," she said again.

I couldn't let it go this time. I held her hands and looked into her eyes.

"Mom, Ruth died four years ago, remember?"

And she remembered, and she looked so sad. So I picked up a Traditional Home magazine and we looked at the beautiful designer rooms and she perked up and the sadness dissipated.

In her dreams, my Aunt Ruth visits. So does my Pop. She spends the night in other homes, not in the nursing home on the air bed designed to prevent bed sores. Then she wakes up, they dress her and feed her and change her and sit her up in the wheelchair.

I am going to sit outside now, and talk to the cats, and then I might try to make some butterscotch. The recipe in the Joy of Cooking doesn't look too daunting. And then I must pack, because I fly to Dallas in the morning -- a business trip.

And the days pass.