Thanksgiving is the time of year you either love or hate. I happen to love it. I enjoy making my own traditional turkey feast and having lots of leftovers. I have fond memories of childhood Thanksgivings spent watching the Macy’s parade while the heady aroma of roasting turkey filled our small house. I remember my Grandmother particularly liking the Shriners but I could never figure out why. They bored me—give me the floats and balloons any day. Of course, the parade has really changed since the 1950s. And so has my family. My Grandfather & Grandmother; my Dad and now my Mom—all gone now.

I carry on some of the Thanksgiving traditional food with Rick and I. Creamed onions, bread stuffing and Mom’s Pumpkin Pie. I make a different bread stuffing than she did, and frankly I think mine rocks if I must be modest. Even she admitted mine was much better than hers. But the pie recipe I don’t mess with. Why change perfection? This year I brought back two of her very old pie dishes, and as I type this year’s pumpkin pie is baking in one of them, sending out whiffs of cinnamon and ... well, pumpkin pie. I like to make my the day before to give it time to settle. yum.

I also brought back this cool vintage apron that I will be wearing while I cook tomorrow. Isn’t it great? I think it was my Grandmother’s as I vaguely recall her wearing it and not my Mom. It has a wrap-around tie and a button at the top in the back. The label says it’s a “Swirl.”

I am trying a new cranberry recipe this year, but serving it in one of Mom’s cut-crystal bowls that she always used at holiday dinners.

So, something old; something new. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow, no matter how you choose to spend it!

The other day while Rick was gone I decided to get brave and try to take all three dogs for a walk at the same time. They were going stir crazy and so was I. I knew we had a brace coupler somewhere; I just needed to find it.

We usually exit through the garage door when taking the dogs for a walk, but the garage door opener switch is at the top of the stairs just as you go out the laundry room door. That wouldn’t work to get two rambunctious dogs down those steps, past the car and out the door while on a brace lead. Not unless I wanted to find myself skidding across the garage floor on my stomach. Opening up the garage door when taking the dogs for walk is akin to letting the horses out of the starting gate before the Kentucky Derby. And .... they’re off!

I decided to hook Hailey and Sailor up to the brace and let Alex have his own lead since he pulls more. To solve the opening of the garage door, I decided to open the car door and use its opener. Hey, halfway to the goal is better than nothing! It worked! I hooked Alex up to his lead after we got outside. And we were off! Come join us!

All went well so we’ll do this again!

The snow (not the frost) is on the pumpkin!

I woke up this morning to a strange, ethereal light bathing the room. There is nothing quite like the light on a morning when it’s snowing. Looking out I saw fat, sticky, wet, flakes drifting ever so gently past the window. Ah ... SNOW ... and a couple of inches at that.

It stuck to everything.

Trees.

Railings and fence pickets.

The windchime.

Even the clothesline, which isn’t easy to do!

Dogs.

Cats. (I must have the only indoor cat that can’t wait to sneak outside when it snows. eBay is one silly cat!)

As I stood outside in my house slippers taking photos I couldn’t resist lifting my face to the sky, letting the cold, moist,  flakes settle on my cheeks like a healing balm. Of course I stuck out my tongue and caught some flakes—why do you even need to ask?!  This Jersey Girl is a snow lover!

Now here is some snow for you. At the end, be sure and lift your face into the flakes coming right at you! Can you feel their wetness?

While the husband is away, the wife will play. Look out Rick when you get home; you’ve been replaced. I’ve fallen hard for a short, blue-eyed, Italian plumber. He arrived on Thursday and hasn’t left yet. Actually, I knew he was coming and have been anticipating his arrival with bated breath. I had it all planned. Hey, I have to have some entertainment while he’s away, don’t I? Serves him right for being gone all week. ... hmpf ...

My plumber-man and I spend hours at a time together. That’s about all I can take and I then get kind of tired. I’m not as young as I used to be and I get muscle sore. Some of the positions aren’t easy! It’s non-stop excitement with him. He makes me see stars! He takes me beyond the stars—heck, he transports me to new planets; new galaxies! I’m not sure what I’m going to do about him when Rick comes home. I can’t just send him away; our time together is not finished yet. The affair can’t go on forever though because the longer we are together the sooner we will part. It’s just the way it is.

We’ve been together several times before over the years and I always regret finally letting him go. But, I know there will be more for us to come in the future. It’s inevitable. Years can go by and we don’t see each other, but our bond strengthens over time. Funny how even though it’s been years we can pick right up where we left off. I still know how to make him do all the right moves.  ooh baby, come on, a little more to the right ... YES! YES! YES!

I’m fixing tortellini tonight in his honor. Spinach and ricotta with a nice béchamel sauce. momma mia!

But for now I have to get back and pay him some more attention. We’re just coming to a climax and then I think I just might have had enough for today. Well ... maybe we’ll “play” a little more after dinner ...

Not at my house, but just down the road!