The Cats, The Dog, and The Text

It is another Tuesday, this one marking the end of another month another ahhhh November. November is a month full of the frenzy of clearing out after Halloween if that is your thing and getting ready for "the holidays." Not just Thanksgiving, or even primarily Thanksgiving but the BiG one.

The first day of winter.

Ok no, not that. The other big one.

Well, actually December is full of big celebratory days, events, and observances. BiG Talk about frenzy.

But, for now as November ebbs away I take this moment to delight in arriving home to find one cat in the dog's bed, the other cat in my bed, and the dog in a cat bed. And about a text message from my daughter:

Man, Michael was super stoked when I explained to him that there was more Thanksgiving in the freezer. hahahahahaha I could use some stuffin.

Today and everyday thankful for the gift of life they all bring to my life.

The Best Thing

. . . about the first work day following a four day holiday weekend is coming home to a full on quiet space. Only the sound of rain smattering the windows, the wind rattling the wood panes (in the back) and diva dog's intermittent barking stemming from occasional ghost sightings (must be ghosts as I sure don't see what has her all riled up) pierces the quiet.

Pete has draped himself across the cable box in my bedroom, Buttah is flat on his back, legs akimbo atop my bed, and Diamond, now all done with the ghost chasing is munching on a piece of carrot. The relative peacefulness won't last too much longer, however, I am thankful for it here and now.

I shall go embrace and see to packing some of that peaceful spirit in my knapsack to aid with the Tuesday work-a-day noises.

Peace.

Another Friday Saturday Night

One extra big bonus to holiday weekends is the extra day. On this, my second Saturday was an easy, slow going kind of day. The air was the cold but the skies were clear. There was some outside time (after a laze about morning with the sometimes pesky, sometimes lovable Orange Boy) with the Diva aka Diamond. She had to change out of her holiday dress for the outdoors for she has either lost a lot of weight or the dress is just ill fitting without all her hair. I have my money on the latter. In either case she suffered wore the outfit with the grace befitting her diva-hood.

It is another Saturday night and my downstairs neighbor has been out drinking. He's home now, fighting with his front door, upsetting the Diva. She'd like to skip downstairs and give him a piece of her mind for keeping up all that racket. I'm sure. He'll settle down in a bit. As will she. And then we'll pop some corn, pop a disc in the DVD player, and ease our way into another Sunday morning.

Thankful for blue skies, bonus days, popcorn, the Diva dog, and "The Wizard of Oz".

"Begone before someone drops a house on you."

Well, Now

Everything was humming along just fine, according to plan. The greens were done and so too was the dressing. The ham had only minutes to go, the turkey much longer. D was beginning prep for her cupcakes and spinach artichoke dip. I was beginning the prep for the macaroni and cheese and thinking about how to serve, where to stage.

Something felt off. Something was off . . . the oven. Oh, damn.

Trying to get the beast working for the next hour or so, thoughts ranging from schlepping the turkey to mom's (who isn't answering her phone) to finish roasting or scratching turkey from the menu and making due with what is done or can be completed on the stove top and many more in between ran through my mind.

Thanks the luck of the Irish the oven worked (enough) to get everything done. And according to all diners it was all good.

Thanksgiving 2010 will be remembered as the one when grandma arrived on time (unaware of the oven debacle as it will forever be called) as she wasn't home when I called and hadn't gone home prior to arriving promptly at the previously planned 2 p.m. start time. We will recall going to the Amana website, looking for a manual for our aged stove/oven calling an 800 number in hopes of getting a miracle answer to what daughter describes as, "her worst nightmare." We will recount the giddiness felt when the familiar "whoosh" signaled, "all systems go" even if brief. We hoped for the best, prepared for something less.

It all worked out. The oven is, for the most part, kaput. But, dinner is done, we all had fun and now there is wine, rest, and a bit later, sweet potato pie with whipped cream, sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon.

I am thankful for my daughter's laughter, her boyfriend's presence, my son's healthy appetite, my mother's critical jabs (for really? they make me stronger--and she doesn't mean me any harm, it is just her way), being a lucky Irish woman on this day and many more. And while I am extremely thankful for the bounty that was our meal table, I would have been just as thankful peanut butter and jelly so long as I was surrounded the loves of my life.

'Twas the Night Before . . .

All day long and now into the night memories have popped into my head, stories out of my mouth. The kids got into the spirit and began sharing tales of days gone by as well as notable moments from today.

And so on this day (every day, really) with the aromas of part of tomorrow's dinner wafting through our space, I am thankful for memories and for the joyous times I've had with my son and daughter.

I am ever grateful that they are here and we are lucky to spend another day, eating, talking, and laughing together.

Here's to making more memories.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

Longest Tuesday

Since I can never remember which channel Comc*st / Xf*nity has assigned to The Weather one of my first early morning rituals is to grab my phone (device, whatever) and check the weather; cloudy, sunny, or any part thereof, and the temperature.

Monday morning? 60. THIS morning? 30.

And shortly afterward, Pete sneezed three times.

Then the day was full of the usual workday routines, frustrations, and more but many moments plodded like an interminable clog. It's the short week syndrome. It's like having two Mondays. Oh. The. Horror.

I know you're asking, "Well then, Miss Deborah, what the blazes are you thankful for today?"

Well today it is chocolate. Today was a two chocolate bar day, thankyouverymuch.

And later, beer. THANKyouverymuch.

And since this IS a short week, Wednesday is Friday!! Which,thanks to good advice and great musical inspiration, I know now, how to act.

Monday, Monday

Hard pressed to find something to be thankful about today, well, except for the whole being alive thing. And for my son, daughter, mom (and other family) and pets. And . . . ok, not so hard pressed.

But, it was a difficult day made more so by the rain. Oh. The. Rain.

However, thankfully, (so far) my area has escaped the worst of it and though my feet, ankles, shins, knees (and the fabric covering them) were soaked through and through, I was nearly home when the squishing began in earnest.

Now I am dry, re-dressed in warm lounge-wear. I am about to devour a steaming bowl of chicken and rice soup. And later I will pop some corn and hunker down to a warm, peaceful rest of the night.

Many thanks.

Cornucopia of Thanks

Thankful . . .

• for a sunshiny day.
• for mom's gracious gift of food (and most importantly, shopping)
• for daughter's breakfast treat.
• for comfy shoes.
• for that crazy cat.
• for bullet points.
• for being closer rather than farther from home when a nail flattened the bike's rear tire.

. . . to be continued. . .

Too Easy

. . . to be thankful for Friday. It's Friday, for cripes sake! But truth be told these last several Fridays have been somewhat blah. Well, not that the Fridays have been blah. It is more that I've been blah about the Fridays.

The Fridays were doing their level best to stir my interest but, very little interest was to be had. Fridays were nothing more than a beacon, signaling the end of a long week and the all too short respite before the next long week begins.

I came dangerously close to dreading Fridays.

Then a friend and email titled, "It's Friday So Act Like It Dammit!" and so I did. And so I am.

I am oh so thankful for this day, Friday. And oh so very thankful for friends in general and that friend in particlar.

Wednesday Thursday Thanks

Orange boy vomited on my bed today and while that doesn't play as a thankful item, I am thankful that 1. daughter was home and 2. was thoughtful enough to remove the soiled sheets.


And given that Wednesday was somehow skipped over, I am doubly thankful that I completed winterizing mom's apartment before the days and nights became too much colder.

Thanks On A Tuesday

'tis all quiet except for the occasional tingle of Buttah's collar and he saunters and then leaps to his bowl, the click clack of Diamond's nails as she scampers across the living room chasing her well worn soccer ball toy, and Pete's mews as the tries to rescue the map hanging by my desk from the frame that houses it.

Thankful for the quiet and relative peacefulness of the scenes.

Today, I Am Thankful

. . . my associate's safe return and getting back into the ease of all things routine.

And laughter.

Giving Thanks

for e.
Hot dogs are not in my top ten (or even 20) but now and again I get a hankering. Said, hankering calls for a Chicago style dog, celery salt, poppyseed bun, and sport peppers included. Though, I can do without the putrid green relish. Icky-poo. Hi-ever, add some kick-ass fries and aaahhh hankering satisfied, till the next time.

Onward to the giving thanks moment: I am thankful for the raffle that netted me a gift card to a hipster coffee / sandwich shop, where I scored a roast beef on rye, mustard, tomato, pepper jack cheese, cucumber, and a side of blue cheese potato salad. Lunch was lip smacking, mood altering, delish.

Month of Giving Thanks

Mom has given us (me, son, and daughter) our Thanksgiving cards. She handed them to me last weekend while I was at her place, winterizing. She asked me to hold on to them. I asked why? And she replied, "because it is so early."

Well, without going into the back and forth we had over this, let me just say, I didn't hold on to the cards. I gave them theirs, opened mine.

And in the spirit of giving thanks, often (if not daily) this (if not every) month, without further delay:

1. I am thankful for my mother. 2. I am thankful for words. 3. I am thankful for a warm snap. 4. I am thankful for the two cats trading spaces on my bed. 5. I am thankful the dog requires assistance to get on the bed. 6. I am thankful for sport peppers. 7. I am thankful for crayons. 8. And speaking of mothers . . .yeah, thankful. 9. I am thankful for my BP thingy.
10. I am thankful for cocoa butter 11. I am thankful for and give thanks to the men and women who served honorably, admirably.

And as it will soon be the twelve day of this month, 12: thanks to my adult children My daughter went shopping and while she didn't get milk, she did get bananas. My son rocked his audition and was feeling excellent on his way to dinner, then rehearsal. He called to share his glee. Thanks, y'all are the best!

. . . to be continued.

Where'd Tuesday Go?

You are hereby summoned: Jury Duty.

The summons was for stand-by, which meant calling after 4:30 p.m. the day before to learn IF I had to trek nearly 16 miles to the county courthouse near Chicago's "North Shore".

The recorded message said, "if your last name begins with B as in Bravo through and including Z as in Zulu, you must appear." And so, I had to prepare myself for the trek. The public transpo website provided several public transpo options. All those available to me meant and hour and forty-five minutes travel time.

Thanks to several road construction zones, the commute actually took two hours and thirty minutes. Lovely.

Six hours after clearing security and checking in, I was released with the thanks of the court and a check for my time and trouble, $17.20. We, the prospective jurors were told that four trials were scheduled; two criminal, two civil. All four cases settled without the need for a jury.

The return commute home was shaved by only 30 minutes.

Worn out, I ate. Slept. Which of course meant that I was awake at 2 a.m. listening to (if not sneaking a peak at) "Jaws" on television.

A Tuesday lost. A weary Wednesday.

. . . to help out thEBalzie, the actor is currently in rehearsal for "Lobby Hero", he is playing William. And speaking of, he just closed a run of a Stoppard play and begins rehearsals for the next, August Wilson's "Radio Golf" days after "Lobby Hero" closes. In between, he's auditioning, auditioning, and auditioning.

To Satisfy the Curious

1. Cookies: most any kind will do. Of late, chunky chocolate chip and white chocolate, macadamia nut. Yum

2. Fried pie: generic, mass produced, apple.

3. The actor's epiphany had to do with current role. He struggled with how to play his character's opening scene. Walking home from rehearsal the other night--inspiration (epiphany) struck. He talked it out, worked it out, played it out for for audience of one (me) and is satisfied with result.

Word is, director is pleased with the current path.

Being witness to him working out, working on his various characters is almost as much fun as watching the entire production.

Downside is: now super anxious to see the end result.

OTB(s)*

1. My brain is fried.

2. I had a bite of fried pie today. The first in many, many years.

3. I know why I've stayed away from fried pies.

4. Hi-ever, the taste of fried pie triggers: cookies.

5. Except there aren't any cookies.

6. That's probably a good thing.

7. The actor is home and he's had an epiphany.

8. He's fun.

9. As is the pup as she tosses her soccer ball to herself.

10. Did someone say something about cookies?

*observational tidbits