Thanksgiving Past

We spent a lovely afternoon in Kenmore with Jordan and Cliff Swain, Josh, and Cliff's parents, Lee and Debbie from Davenport. By the time the groaning board was ready, we had two of everything including turkeys, stuffings, vegetables, cranberry sauces and desserts. Cliff deep-fried one of the turkeys and it was very tasty. That was a first for me. I have always been intrigued with the process but never wanted to get that up-close and personal with a pot of hot oil. Cliff and Jordan's toddler, Thomas, was adorable and provided lots of entertainment. Jordan is an artist so her home reflects her talents, as did her beautifully set table.

We are having friends here for dinner tomorrow night. Jerry was Ken's boss at Western State, and he and Mary Ellen live at the other end of our street. I know I am preparing mahi mahi from Ken's summer fishing trip, but the rest of the menu is yet to be decided.

There are a few scant plans in place for our annual trip south, but they are scant and only get us into the first two weeks. We will leave here with a planned stop in Albany, Oregon to visit Ken's cousin, Harriet. From there we will make our way to the desert for a few days on then who knows where. Possibly back to Casa Grande where we have been for the past three winters.

Colleen ran her first half marathon in Seattle today. She has been very faithful to her training schedule, and she came through with flying colors. She was running for Break the Chains to bring awareness to human bondage and slavery. I am very proud of her.

I have one string of lights on the mantle and some red and white candles in their holders. Is that enough for Christmas decorating? We are not going to put up a tree since we leave on 12/26, and it takes me about three days to dismantle, pack away and stow in the attic. I will awaken our nutcrackers, unearth the hand-knit socks, and bring forth the Nativity set, but that is about it. We are about halfway there with gifts; either already purchased or at least filed away in our minds.

We were sorry to hear that RV friends from Canada lost their motor home to fire in a parking lot while inside a restaurant in Bakersfield. A passer-by realized there was a little dog inside and broke a window to get inside and save him. It will be about two weeks before the insurance appraiser gets there, but in the meantime the Robinsons have been given the use of a motor home, help with packing their belongings, and storage space for same by someone who was in the restaurant at the time. There are good samaritans out there.

Keep warm and keep the holiday spirit. Ciao

More Birthday Fun

Colleen invited some family for my birthday celebration, and Craig was the hunter/gatherer. He went crabbing the day before and provided crab for all for dinner, and Colleen knows my penchant for caramel apples, so that was dessert in lieu of a birthday cake. Of course there was the requisite number of "sweet and sentimental cards". Not!!

I am into my third week of yoga and discovering how far I have to go. It is just a small group of about a half dozen women that meet for an hour twice a week at the local community center. The instructor is quite good, and I continue to hope I will progress to a point of being able to do at least the basics without falling over!!

Yesterday was more fun with Colleen. A birthday/Christmas gift was a cheese-making workshop held in Chimicum, WA on a working goat farm. With a herd of at least two dozen goats, the owner produces enough cheese to accommodate several local markets and a co-op. She and her family live about a mile down a road to no-where, but it is their own little oasis complete with a creamery/milking parlor, goat barn, miniature horses and herds of ducks and turkeys. In her former life, Suzanne was a geneticist and her husband is a veterinarian.

She is very practical and in addition to the rudiments of cheese-making, she provides lots of cost-cutting ideas for the process of making cheese. It is actually a pretty basic and simple operation and in the course of the day she demonstrated a soft chevre, a ricotta, a "cooked" hard cheese, and feta. All very simple.

The goal for the farm is to be self-sustaining and to not waste anything. The pigs, which are now in the freezer, root up the garden area and are fed the whey from the cheesemaking process. Turkeys and ducks roam freely dining on bugs and critters and are also recipients of the whey. The herd of goats are kept in a barn at night that gets cleaned only once a year. New straw is continually laid down over the old building up a self-heating base for the animals. Suzanne said being in the barn in February during kidding season is like sitting over a radiant-heated floor.

As we walked toward the pasture to admire the herd, Suzanne called to the girls and they came running to the fence. Very cute. Of course I have "country" running through my veins so I loved all of this.

Colleen and I were on an early ferry so stopped in Chimicum for breakfast at the "local hangout" which was a glimpse into local life. Actually it was more of a coffee/bakery place but we had a tasty breakfast while eavesdropping on the adjacent table of local retired geezers who discussed everything from local personalities to a bit about some aspects of good grammar. All very entertaining. I am always game for trying a local establishment as opposed to some chain restaurant, although I doubt there was even a McDonalds in Chimicum.

We have been invited to Jordan and Cliff's for Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to deep-fried turkey; a specialty of Cliff's. Craig, Cassie, and Greta are going to Stayton for Oregon to see her family, and in particular her grandfather who is in failing health. That said, I am going to have an early Thanksgiving dinner next weekend for them and Colleen.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Ciao.