It's just the 2 of us for Thanksgiving this year, but we're cooking with the intent to have leftovers of everything but the roasted broccoli (because it doesn't reheat well) (I mean, you can reheat it, but it loses that roasted crunchiness, and that's just sad-making).

The smallest turkey I could get was 10 lbs., so we'll definitely have a lot of leftovers. True confession: I stuck the frozen turkey in the fridge on Friday "for a second" with the intention of checking how long I actually needed to let it thaw in there and then stick it in the freezer until that time. Which I completely forgot to do. Why didn't I just stick it in the freezer in the first place? GREAT question. I have no idea. And now it's thawed, and we kind of have to cook it today and certainly by tomorrow. So. We will have turkey on Thanksgiving, but we won't roast the turkey on Thanksgiving. I roll my eyes and shake my head at myself.

I bought a boneless turkey breast which I'm going to cook roulade style, and I also bought some turkey thighs that I'll either roast on Thanksgiving or freeze and roast at a later date.

I landed on making food for my parents ^ the 2 of us), bringing it up to them midday Thursday, then going home and eating separately. So, we'll get to see each other, and share food, but will avoid unmasked time.

I'm making a bunch of different dishes because that's my favorite thing about Thanksgiving! Lots of flavors and textures on one plate.

JenP stick that turkey in a brine and it will be good in fridge for a couple of days! I'm buttermilk brining the turkey breast I'm making.

Anyway, enough of the boring talk after I note that DH is down 35 pounds and me 11 after a month. Daily routine of oatmeal varieties for breakfast, salad varieties for lunch (wide variety like today is Waldorf), and fish and veggies, vegetarian, or lean protein and veggies for dinner. Lots of walking and swimming. This week adding weights. So much cooking! So many dishes! Much of the loss is just not eating out.

That's great, Laura! Healthy habits and tasty treats.

As I've noted before, JZ and I both have a half cup of oat bran every morning, which I tart up in a variety of ways. (Usually blueberries and pecans.)

I know Teppy is another ardent everyday oatmealer.

My mother and I are going to a restaurant, and I'm a little worried about eating inside (it's supposed to rain), but two of her elderly friends have been to this restaurant recently and both said they felt good about it, so que sera sera, I guess.

Sorry for your kitty loss, Katie Bee. It’s so hard.

Volans, glad your kitty is feeling better! And I hope you find a new and better contract soon.

Warning, rant ahead. My sis is on disability and works one or two shifts a week at a country club. They are doing a regular Tgiving sit down in addition to take out. They usually have multiple seatings but people cancelled and so now they are just having one. As you might suspect, both the club and members think rules don’t apply to then WRT masking and capacity limits. She has been given no info on how this is going to work, much less protocols.

I think the only reason she stays there is that she needs the extra money and hates getting help from my parents and is afraid of a gap in employment. But FFS, she lives with my parents!! Who are in their 70s and my dad some some weird arthritis-like thing that came in suddenly and he can barely dress himself or go to the bathroom. My mom got Lyme several years ago and I think it’s affected her immune system. My sister smoked for many years and is definitely at a BMI* that labels her as high risk.

I was so angry last night when I found out that I had to take a Xanax and still had trouble sleeping. I’ve told her that all I need is a word from her or a coworker and I will find her a reporter or someone at the state to talk to. They have state legislators who eat there but of course they are all R and don’t give a shit. And the people who would do this are people who are not going to respect any protocol they try to enforce.

I can’t make her do anything but oh my god I am just furious and terrified and so fucking tempted to whistleblow myself. I am on a first name basis with the deputy sec of state for NC and I will call him in a heartbeat.

RAWR SO MAD.

* fuck BMI for most things

Ugh that sucks smonster.

I am tempted to have a second fridge/freezer—there’s be space in my garage and I have a pretty tiny fridge as is. But I also know myself and figure I’d forget about 3/4 of the stuff in there and it would (even frozen) go bad/not get used/etc.

smonster, that is fucking ridiculous, and I would also be tempted to whistleblow.

My sister smoked for many years and is definitely at a BMI* that labels her as high risk.

So, the AMA has obviously published a lot of articles about Covid, and one study of almost 90,000 patients found that while high BMI (#TeamBigFatPanda) is a risk for getting Covid, it turns out to not be a risk for mortality from Covid. Neither is hypertension or (for real) COPD. Those are weird findings (especially the COPD one), but 90,000 people is a sample size large enough that the data do have statistical relevance.