things to be thankful for

apparently 911 got tired of all the calls

Japanese mask for my wall the mouth moves

animal head addition

Josh's girls at the other grandma's

On Thanksgiving, Maya  took a trip with her father's family. She has three step siblings

A stylized photo of my friend and her new husband (number 4) They stopped to see me on their honeymoon

Early Thanksgiving morning one would find me feeling around in the dark in my garden for sage. It has fuzzy leaves and its crushed leaves have a distinctive odor so it wasn't impossible though I wished I thought of this the day before. I needed it for the stuffing and the turkey had to be in before the sun came up.

I make the same things every year but this time I skipped the green bean casserole which no one seemed to miss instead stirfrying some broccoli with garlic. Steve had bought a try of scalloped potatoes. I normally would just roast a few and maybe someone else would convert them to mashed potatoes. Not a fan of potatoes. I read an article recently how they are being replaced by sweet potatoes which are perceived to be 'healthier'. Although they have the same amount of carbs in them, for whatever reason they have a lower glycemic index than potatoes plus more carotene. I can tolerate them though not in the sugary mess that Naomi later converted some of them into (everyone else loved the marshmallow casserole). I did enjoy the roasted savory version of them she made to placate me.
Once the turkey was in the oven, I was free to run and bike until Naomi came over to help. She is a prep cook for her job. She is quick at slicing and dicing and has committed many of her various restaurant recipes to memory, a surprising job as she never cooked growing up. I did try to teach all the kids but only Josh showed any interest and that only involved whipping cream or egg whites. I can assume that Naomi must have someone following her around at work washing all the various bowls she uses. I did a lot of washing that day.

What do the grandkids eat? Not much though the crescent rolls disappeared real fast.And dessert which Shanna supplied. Josh's contribution was a salad bag for two. When I said something about this being for 13, he said, don't worry..it will all be leftovers. He was right. No one wanted glorified coleslaw.

Maya was the only one missing. She still is crying because she didn't have Thanksgiving though she did get to go on vacation. I offered her leftovers, which she didn't want. She missed her cousins and dessert. I will give her a little apple pie but I understand. Thanksgiving isn't just food. I am thankful that my kids are fairly nearby and willing to get together for major holidays despite the inlaws. Shanna had three thanksgiving dinners: father-in-law, us and then mother-inlaw.

We drank. We had supplies for old fashions  Trader Joe's has a new batch of amarena cherries which cost 4x more elsewhere. and prosecco.

I tried to have everything done in advance so I could enjoy my family though I didn't take any photos.

Naomi was able to drive her new to her car here. Her fourth car in less than a year. Last Christmas Eve, deer smashed into her 7 year old car totaling it. The car had a dicey transmission so she really wasn't sorry to see that go. Josh offered his much nicer car, 5 years old though with lots of miles for what the insurance gave her. It was a considerable upgrade but about 6 weeks later, a lady ran a red light into her totalling it.  They did give her quite a bit for it but not enough to buy anything special so we sold her our 12 year old car for cheap a nd bought a new one for ourselves. It is actually a good car though its air conditioning isn't working. This fall, Josh's father-in-law was trading in his 2 year old leased car. He could buy it from the dealer for much less than the open market. Josh offered to buy it from him and then sell it to Naomi, a huge, huge upgrade. This better last ten years In Michigan, you don't have to pay sales tax for sales between relatives Fathers in law are relatives as our brothers but not a father in-law of a brother. The bank of Sue and Steve didn't feel like paying sales tax twice for the same car but somehow the Secretary of State was understanding and the transfer of ownership went through after a long wait which involved the father-in-law, Josh, Naomi and Steve hanging around forever the office. Ever since our driver's licenses need to be especially certified so we can use them flying, the waits have been awful. They started offering appointments in advance but the catch is, in advance which turns out to be months. Naomi initially had a buyer for the old car which is in our garage but that fell through. Josh thinks he has a buyer so I hope that works.

Meanwhile on the other side of the country, my sister in law was involved in an accident with the car she was a passenger in rolling down a steep embankment on an icy mountain road. She came out of it with just a broken hand though the driver has a broken neck (she is able to walk around with it). It was 280 miles from where she lives so there was some scrambling to get home and reclaim their stuff including a dog that also was a passenger that a first responder offered to take in  wile they were in the hospital.

Things to be thankful for? So many though I lose sight of them often. My health despite my crappy gene, the health of my kids and theirs (despite my crappy gene)my husband who seems devoted to me despite me being me. My family. That I don't need to worry much about money. My friends. And the occasional not so cold day that I can go out and run or bike.