Trying to Count My Blessings...

But it's hard. I just talked to Patrick, who is as comfortable as he can be in Cleveland, TN.

I'm looking at the calendar, and except for Thanksgiving week, I can't remember the last time he was home. He came home Saturday, Nov. 19. He was home through Sunday, Nov. 27 (actually, early Monday Nov. 28 is when he left for Cleveland). Before that....sometime in October, maybe? I know he was in Greenville for his birthday, as Dan, Janet and Rachel were here...

It's sad that I can't remember the last time my husband was home.

We've been doing a lot of traveling, and will be doing more with the upcoming holidays--hopefully some of the car trips we can actually be in the same car!

We did have a great week while he was off, and had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went to Carrabelle, and spent time with my parents, and Mee Ma & Pee Pa came to visit as well. I don't see Mee Ma & Pee Pa as much as I'd like--I want to see them after the 1st of the year, maybe when things settle down with Patrick's job (they've promised him a place in Greenville by the 1st of the year, and I'm going to hold them to that!).

I brought Shaka a stuffed pheasant with "real honking noises" that I think I had fun playing with more than Shaka did. He killed it, then it was revived somehow, and then killed it again (meaning, no more "real honking noises"). I guess that's for the best. Listening to the "real honking noises" when you're trying to sleep would not have been all that much fun. Mom says that he's still playing with the bird, though it no longer makes noise.

We had two turkeys--a smoked & an oven baked turkey...both were excellent (as usual!). Had the requisite side dishes: the cranberry sauce from the can, so you get the can marks down the side of the cranberry gelatin (how else do you know where to slice it, if not for those marks?); we had mashed potatoes with real whole milk; a yummy sweet potato casserole, complements of Mee Ma; the ever-present green bean casserole with lots of french-fried onions (the only kind I really like, and only on green bean casserole, and only on Thanksgiving); two kinds of stuffing--the dressed up kind with onions & celery, and then, just for me, regular stuffing made with chicken broth. That's it. Nothing else. Nothing fancy. Just plain, and yummy. I love Thanksgiving--the time that you pull out the good tablecloth, the real cloth napkins. Mom uses the good china--the set that she got while Dad was in the service, and it's hand-painted, done by the same Japanese family that does the china for the Emperor & has done so for, well, a really, really long time. We use actual glasses for the drinks...always a danger with me, as my track record with glass isn't a good one. We use "plastics" at home. Like glasses, but plastic. And yet, I still manage to break an occasional "plastic" every now & then. Back to Thanksgiving....when the food is ready, it goes on the table, and there's the fun part of deciding which way to pass the food. Invariably, someone gets stuck holding two dishes, not sure which way they're going.

Then when the main course is done, it's time for pie! We had two pumpkin pies & a cherry pie this year...I can't vouch for the pumpkin, as I'm not a pumpkin fan, but the Reddi-whip was good. We even taught Shaka the joys of Reddi-whip. At one point in feeding the dog pressurized whipped cream, I thought I was going to wet my pants, I was laughing so hard. I may have, a little. But those kinds of memories--I wouldn't trade them for anything. I still giggle when I think about the dog & the Reddi-whip.

It was so great to see Mee Ma & Pee Pa--they're both looking great, and Mee Ma still hugs as if she's trying to squeeze you to Kingdom Come (like I say--when she hugs you, you know you've been hugged!). We didn't do much--just sat around & talked, and just enjoyed the company.

Mom & Dad are good--still trying to sell the house...not sure why it hasn't sold, but everything happens in its own good time, so who are we to question the why and wherefore of things. The house really did look great--they've done a lot of work in the yard. Mom's lantana were blooming like crazy, and the butterflies were just all over the place. I guess I forget that they live in a zone where yes, you can garden in November! Of course I come back home, and find that my wishbone flower & persian shield are, in fact, dead. No reviving them...they're gone. So it was nice to go to Carrabelle, and see blooming flowers. We looked for alligators, but didn't see any. Saw a stick, thought it may be an alligator...but nope. Just a stick.

I think that's about all the news for now....we'll be going to Knoxville this weekend to celebrate a late Thanksgiving gathering with Patrick's family, so at least I'll get to see Patrick in the next few days! I'm counting the hours...