Thanksgiving

After a hellacious trip to RI, I had a great visit and really nice time.  It snowed on Weds., the day I drove down, and by the time I was set to leave (8:00) there was at least 8" of heavy wet snow.  My road hadn't been plowed yet and I tried driving out but didn't get far--just past the end of my driveway, by the bog.  Swell.  The car was stuck, stuck, stuck.  Lousy tires, deep snow.  New tires, but lousy nevertheless.  I walked home, called my plow man, called the town Highway Supervisor (who told me they were "coming to me").  Plow man showed up (my hero), plow never did until after I'd left.  Donny towed my car to the hardtop, then to the top of the hill there.  I had waited in the car for more than an hour, but that was OK because I just listened to my book (Thousand splendid suns--depressing Afghan story).

So by 10 I was on the road.  The roads were terrible, including the Northway, so I went 45 until about Lake George.  It was not pleasant driving but I survived.  I've sure driven through worse.  I got to RI around 4, happy to be there.  Jenica arrived later at night--her trip was much better than mine, she went a different way through the mountains.

Thursday I made the Martha Stewart pumpkin pie we have every year (secret ingredient, as I've reported=chili powder).  Liza cooked the turkey & stuffing, but it's getting harder for her to remember how to do things like that.  "What, is this the first turkey you've ever cooked?"  I helped, mostly just encouraging her. 

We had our celebratory breakfast of bagels, lox, capers, cream cheese, bacon--the Eat Like a Pig Event.  We did well, snort snort.

Mark & I walked Tess in the park.  I took Chances to RI but she stayed home when we went anywhere.  She's doing all right--she did better at Liza's because Liza has more rugs.  I'm still not sure what to do about her.  She survived the trip just fine but was having more trouble this morning, not walking well--but last night she went under the house on her own.  not that I like it when they go there, but it was a good thing to see her do.

Thanksgiving dinner was great, as it always is.  Good food and plenty of it.  Quiet night after that.

Friday we went shopping, but only to a couple of local places.  I wanted to look for earrings like the ones I bought in the summer (and promptly lost one of)--didn't find them but managed to find a couple of cheap pairs I liked anyway.  After shopping we went to the beach for a really nice walk.  Even Liza went.  Tess did very well on a leash, after she had a chance to run full bore for a while.  My dogs are not really used to leash-walking so I'm always impressed when they behave well on a leash.

After the beach we went to Champlin's for our lobsters and clams--took them home and cooked them for dinner.  Delicious.

Saturday Jenica left in the morning, then Liza, Mark & I went shopping for Liza's new vacuum cleaner.  This was a big deal, but we finally found one at Sears, good enough but not the biggest or best.  After Sears we hit a couple more stores, then stopped at the pottery sale by URI.  An annual event.  Both the sale and our going there.  Just when I think I don't need any more pottery I find a nice little bowl for $8.

Sunday morning I left--it was a drag there because my mother's dog fell down in the kitchen & couldn't get back up.  She's a cross dog and growls, has bitten my mother, so you can't really help her up.  She stayed splayed out on the floor for hours.  So I left at 9, got out of the way.  My trip home was fine, a bit of traffic here & there.  I stopped at the outlet stores to do some shopping, found a few things like socks, etc.  Nothing dramatic.

It was good to get home.  The house was chilly but warmed up when I built a fire.  Most of the snow had melted and Donny had plowed so I could drive to the house.  Kitty was fine but is still pretty clingy.  She doesn't like to be left alone, and she hates being left indoors.  She survived just fine, but managed to throw up in 3 or 4 places.  She didn't quite finish the huge amount of food I left for her (the dogs cleaned up the bowl). 

Back to work yesterday, staff luncheon.  Command performance.  I made a cabbage salad, and the dressing spilled in the front seat on the way to work.  Of course.