I have made the turkey, mashed sweet potato (yes, it was one, or maybe it was a yam, whatever was on sale at the grocery store), stuffing from a box mix, cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries, and pumpkin dessert (also from fresh pumpkin).

Daniel is clearing off the table. The vulturescats are circling.

It's fun reading about all the cooking, but I am so glad I will be making one minimal dish - mashed potatoes. I much prefer not going to work and reading or catching up on shows. I've got the new Weeds and Dexter to plow through.

I just discovered there's a pasta shop on College that sells day-old pasta at a reduced price. I picked up a half-pound of gorgonzola-walnut ravioli for three bucks.

OMG, College-and-what?, and what's the name of it?

Ha! On D.'s list of stuff to do tomorrow, I put "herd cats."

I wonder, can I peel and chop the potatoes tonight, and juust store them in the fridge overnight?

EDIT: Internet says yes, if I store them in cold water. WIN. I am off to the couch for some peeling and TV in a few minutes.

I wonder, can I peel and chop the potatoes tonight, and juust store them in the fridge overnight?

If you do, put them under water, or else they'll turn blue.

My thanksgiving plans have changed. Mom's staying in town totally. Aunt J is coming, we're making an earlyish lunch (well earlish for Tday, it's at noon).

Menu: Turkey breast, ham, green beans, sweet potatoes, rolls and pie. And possibly brownies. with real whipped cream.

SLNRLBF sent me flowers to cheer me up and those are the centerpiece.

Kitty Dean, the Rouge, made an almost escape attempt and then managed to pull one of the doors to the balcony open. And later mom swears he was tryign to chew through the screen door. So I'm thinking about trying him out with a kitty leash and harness. He'll let me do anything to him (literally I can hold him upside down..that I do it often) so I figured he might work well.

Also does anyone know how to make Pesto without cheese? Mom wanted to make pesto and got most of the ingredients but she forgot the cheese.

askye, I just make it the same way I normally do but without the cheese, maybe a little more salt.

trying him out with a kitty leash and harness

I thought that would be a good idea with Leo.

It was not.

Between the turning to fluid and escaping the harness, running into the road, fearlessly confronting a snake, and now trying to get out every time the door opens - which he never did before - I regret ever letting him have a trip outside.

YCatMV.

The leash and harness work pretty well with my cat. But he did get scared once by a bunch of noisy kids passing by, and managed to run out of his harness (straight to the apartment—it could have been much worse). I've been better about snugging the harness up, and it hasn't happened since.

Oh, and a rant from a few days ago: Why does Amtrak have a special boarding call for people who require special assistance if they don't actually provide any Amtrak employees to assist people? I went during the early boarding call because I knew that I'd have trouble getting my suitcase up the stairs to the train, and not only was there no Amtrak employee to ask, I couldn't even ask another passenger for help because the only people there were the other people who required special assistance.

Thanks for the idea for the pesto.

Mom's cat is indoor/outdoor, so we've gotten pretty good at making sure the right cat gets out and gaurding the doors for the other.

I'm pretty sure that if Dean did get loose or ran away he'd come right back home because he's really bonded with his sister and me. He pretty much never meows unless he's been closed off away from one of us. Well until the other day when he was begging to get out.