Enjoy Family Thanksgiving Day, Matt!

I'm spending today getting ready to spend the week up at my sister's in Yardley, PA. DH suggested a long visit this year -- we are very self-sufficient and self-entertaining guests, so it's not as, "Damn, that's a long visit!" as it sounds. Plus, his family is up there, too, so there will be time with them. And my bestie is about 20 mins. away in NJ, so much visiting to be done!

I realized that my heated blanket is portable, so I'm taking it with me! Why haven't I done this before? No idea -- but pretty sure it will be traveling with me more often now. (The bedrooms in their house are freezing. It's a known thing.)

What are peeps doing for Thanksgiving this week?

I'm sorry ND.

I maybe without confusing Ops manager for a little longer . Yesterday he was limping and I went in the back and a coworker was reading from her phone and saying "it says Seek IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION you need to go to the ER now". His lower leg was swollen and purple (I didn't see it) and he had a blood clot condition so she was concerned it was a blood clot. Ops manager finally went and I saw him later he said "it's only cellulitis and I have an antibiotic and I'm supposed to stay off my feet". And yet he was in here this morning. But everyone was telling him to go home.

I've ordered my grocery pickup for Tuesday and will precook everything in advance, travel to Bonita Springs, and warm it all up again. Super basic menu. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry relish, mac 'n cheese, and roasted beans and sweet potatoes. The peeps on the other coast are responsible for pies and whatever else they want on the table.

I'm just exhausted these past couple of weeks, but cooking doesn't tire me out. I realized this week that I made tasty dinners for Brendon 4 times and never ate any of them because he eats later than I do, and I just had a snack earlier in the day. Only one evening did I partake in the same dinner.

That's crazy, askye! Have a little respect for the body parts, dude. That stuff can turn ugly quickly.

We'll do Thanksgiving with one of Tim's brothers' family -- not the whole large group (38, including kids), but more like 15-ish, which is still big enough. I suspect we may be watching K-Pop Demon Hunters, because 2 of the great-nieces are *obsessed* with it. (I'm wondering if they'll be impressed I know the words to most of the songs?)

We have a funeral this afternoon for Tim's uncle, and true to form, Tim is fretting about people asking him (the cancer patient) how he's doing, instead of focusing on the deceased. I told him people can talk about more than one thing, and he's not going to steal all the attention at a funeral.

people asking him (the cancer patient) how he's doing

I refuse to say, "I'm fine."

My favorite answers have become:

• "I have good days, and I have bad days."
• "So far so good!"
  
• "Not dead yet!"

Which one I use depends on how quickly I want to shut down the conversation.

What are peeps doing for Thanksgiving this week?

I do the cooking so that's my week. I'll start cooking on Tuesday. EM will make pies and some side dishes. Emmett will make a fancy Mac and Cheese.

I'm meeting up with my friend Rachael today (my Pilates teacher) and we'll be poking around, and probably making Hungarian Mushroom Soup. It's grey and foggy today so soup and laced hot chocolate are probably in order.

We're having one, and it won't be awkward, but kind of anticlimactic, because we eat together all the time.As much as I like the trimmings, I'm not feeling it this year and could just as easily eat grilled cheese, but Mom figured out a trick with a roasting bag or something, so we're doing the whole dumb thing.(There's not really a way to have turkey for three without Marie Callender's, though, and we could still fight about politics because my brother is so moderate and just waiting for things to get "back to normal" with the election of a white guy with good hair in '28. )

I’m having tiny Friendsgiving with 2 friends. I am making pie and cranberries, gotta check that all the other required dishes are covered—I know they’re on meat (probably a chicken) and green beans and stuffing. But potatoes? Rolls maybe? Not sure what else.

Sorry about your friend ND. It sucks getting to this age in life where so many people keep having horrible health news. And it only gets worse from here.

This is also the time of the year where it's hard not to feel freakishly single, too, even though I'm not partnering up for an extra body at the Turkey Day table. I wish I'd met somebody, though--I'm such a catch.