Happy Thanksgiving

I'm sitting with my first glass of wine having sent our guests home empty handed. We offered! I've called Maggie (who had dinner with my aunt; apparently the pies were extraordinarily memorable) and talked to my mother (who ate with her friends at the Moose). I've got my feet up and the football on.


I'm happy report that Stella had a stellar performance today. She was so well-behaved! She's exhausted now. She's been asleep since the visitors left and I think she's only changed positions twice in two hours.


Since I'm about as tired as the dog, I found this meme. 
1. How will you be spending your Thanksgiving this year?
Home, as you know, with my sister, BIL, and his mother.
2. Will you be cooking or are you just an eater?
The plan was I would cook, but my usual military-precise scheduling went to hell this year, and I left Pete to it, but I chose the recipes. And took care of the turkey.
3. Do you watch the parade every year or football?
These don't actually conflict. I turned the parade on because I loved it as a kid. But man with the promos for movies, Broadway shows, television shows, it was really horrid! I watched for like 15 minutes and saw one float and no balloons. WTF?
4. Whats your favorite float?
I couldn't be arsed to watch. I can't tell you.
5. Dark meat or white meat? 
The wing.
6. What is your favorite dish besides the turkey?
Stuffing.
7. Homemade cranberry sauce or cranberry sauce from the can?
Homemade. That gelatinous crap out of the can is disgusting.
8. Do you decorate for Christmas on Thanksgiving day?
Never. My sister and her MIL were watching the dog show and when it ended they were looking for something else. They found Miracle on 34th Street but I told them no. MIL thought I was against old movies, but as I told them, "one holiday at a time." 
9. What are some special family traditions
Oh no, we forgot to say what we were thankful for this year! I think I was just thankful that everything was on the table and mostly hot! The best year was when we were going around the table saying what we were thankful for and Lala (about five at the time) said she knew what Maggie was thankful for, "Martinis!" It was hilarious. Yayo is always thankful for puppies. 
10. Pumpkin pie or pecan?
Pumpkin, even though we went with peanut butter cup pie this year. (Only 2/5 of the people like pumpkin pie, and I am not going to be left alone with a pumpkin pie!) Pecan pie is the spawn of the devil. It is the most disgusting substance on earth!
11. What is your favorite thing to do with the leftovers?
I like to make Phyllis Diller's "garbage soup." But the dude HATES it and won't let me. We just eat them usually in the form we ate them the first time. Eventually I'll probably make a tetrazzini. 
12. How long will you spend eating your Thanksgiving meal?
Well, we ate. Then sat around the table talking. Then we washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Then I put in the apple crisp while we watched football. Then we went back to the table for dessert. A couple of hours.
13. Are you worried about putting on weight this Thanksgiving?
Not really. Only insofar as I always "worry" about putting on weight.
14. What do you normally eat at Thanksgiving?
Turkey, triple corn stuffing, Marla's potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, some kind of orange veg (this year Rachael Ray's carrots and parsnips), some kind of green veg (this year I bought, but did not make, green beans) (which I roast, not smother in soup). The only thing I skip is gravy. But this year, I did make it from scratch!
15. What will you be thankful for this Thanksgiving?
That I seem to be finding a groove with freelancing; that my dog behaved; that the dude, who is very good looking and smart, can cook when I am running behind; that my grandmother is doing well; that my aunt is a saint; that I have a great family; that we had food on the table and a roof over our heads.
16. What is your best Thanksgiving memory? 
When my sister was 15 she got a job waitressing in a little sandwich shop near our house. (Stop me if I've told you this one before...) We were clearing the table, and she was taking my mom's good china to the kitchen two plates at a time. Maggie, who you may remember was a waitress for many years, says to her, "you'll never be a good waitress if you can't carry more than two plates." My sister responds that she doesn't really want to be a waitress. "Well you can't make a living on your back all your life," Maggie says to her granddaughter. Her fifteen year old granddaughter. Anyway, we were thinking about that when we were washing the dishes today! 
17. Will you be waking up early to hit the sales?
No. I'm against Black Friday.
18. Are you planning on going shopping the day after Thanksgiving?
Nope, still against it.