Turkey Day 2010

Up at 730am, I thought I might wake feeling hungover but thankfully didn't. Downstairs I started a pot of Starbucks then turned my attention to exercise. I cranked out 55 sit-ups then 55 push-ups. Frankie, meanwhile, was sound asleep in her pen albeit with the door wide open. For the first time ever, I left her sleeping on the sofa the night before. She must've headed to her pen on her own, exhibiting Ykraps like behavior. Good girl! While waiting on the coffee the finish its brewing cycle, I took to my PC checking the headlines, weather, and the prices of a few potential Xmas gifts. I enjoyed coffee then took Frankie out. It could tell that it rained hard through the overnight, but was reduced to only sprinkles as we headed out. It was seasonably warm, about 43 degrees. The backyard was swampy just like it is after a heavy summer rain. I could see standing water where the grass has thinned. Frankie eventually took care of business. We headed back inside where I enjoyed more coffee and quiet time. That quiet time didn't last. Mindy was up around 800a. I didn't waste too much time before heading out on my run. I'm thinking I left around 830-845a. I wanted to get back and then to Barleys by 930a to pick-up our Friday feast. I ran the full 4.1 miles. A couple folks wished me well, and one woman even cheered me on for having the foresight to run before heavy holiday eating. Ah, yeah, right! I wished her well and moved on. I was home by 915a. By then both kids were up. I asked both Jacob & Bella if they wanted to ride along with me to pick-up the turkey & possibly even stop at Tim Horton's, although I wasn't really sure if they'd be open. Both declined, but said that they still wanted donuts. Bella was especially insistent on me stopping. I brushed my teeth then headed out, still dressed in my sweaty running attire. I took the Honda. Mindy headed up for a shower as I headed out the door. I arrived at Barley's around 945a. I was the only customer there, but that wasn't too surprising given the early hour. Both Dan's were in as was Scott, the brew master. They fetched my TG feast right away. They also asked if I wanted to stick around for a beer. No, not this early. Said I looked like I just crawled out of bed. I shared that I had been up for a few hours, but had just completed a 4 mile run. I went on to share a morsel or two about my streak in a nonboastful manner. Big Dan helped me carry the feast to the Honda. I felt good about the deal, $85 for a 15lb smoked turkey, 2 qts mashed spuds, 2 qts stuffing, 2 qts green beans, 1 qt gravy, and a jug of Xmas ale. I gave 'em a nominal tip, too. I left Barley's heading directly across the street to Tim Horton's, which happily I could see was open for business. I picked out a dozen donuts and then another ten Timbits, a favorite of Bella's. Homeward. I called my mom on my drive back home. She sounded good and was making TG dinner for Tommy & Charles. Shared a little about her carpal tunnel procedure, which is scheduled in two installments over the next few weeks. I bid her farewell as I pulled into the drive. Bella was at the door in a hurry to assist, but really hoping for donuts. I carried them in last. Temporarily anyway, I was a hero. :) Mindy was still in the shower. I wasn't home 5 minutes when Jimaken arrived to pick-up the kids. They'd be spending TG day with Jimaken's family, but joining us at Gloria's late afternoon/early evening. They hung out for a while waiting on Mindy to come down after her shower. Soon after they departed, I started making my cheesecake. I was anxious to try out my newest creation - a brownie, caramel cheesecake. While mixing up the brownie batter the Macy's TG day parade whirled in the background. I paused a few times to catch a few defining moments. One particular singer caught my attention with his raspy, bluesy voice. I never did hear who it was. Dang it! Then, a few minutes later, Joan Rivers was introduced as some sort of dignitary leading in Santa. She looked frightening - little Miss Botox! I snapped a photo. And then, just as I try to do every year, I caught Santa's arrival. I'm most interested to observe how his image has morphed over the years. Very modern looking Santa these days. Back to the cheesecake. The cheesecake was essentially a three step process: the brownie crust (bottom layer), the caramel center layer, and lastly, the cheese cake layer (top). Easily the most tedious part was unraveling an entire bag of individually wrapped caramels for melting. I asked Mindy for help, but then decided to retask her with other things. First, I wanted her to call Barley's to ask for reheating instructions, something I forgot to request when I picked up the food a bit earlier. I also asked her to phone the neighbors to see if by chance I left my fleece jacket there the night before. Turns out I had. Mindy walked down to get it. She brought home my umbrella too. The cheesecake baked for about 45 minutes. And I don't mind saying that it looked really good. I forgot to mention that we managed to squeeze the TG feast into the fridge after thinking we might have to borrow the neighbor's garage fridge. I spent the middle afternoon relaxing and writing in my blog ahead of taking a shower. Mindy requested we leave for her mother's around 230p. I was showered and ready by 2p, leaving myself 30 minutes for more writing. Mindy gathered most of our take alongs in a clothes basket. Our contribution to the family feast was a fruit tray, wine, and six-pack of beer, which was a mix of Xmas ales (Gloria's favorite!). It was raining when we left the house. I failed to mention that they were forecasting heavy rain for the duration of the day, and possibly changing to snow through the over night as the temperature was expected to drop well below freezing. We arrived at Gloria's around 250p. Mindy's younger brother was already there with his family. Others had yet to arrive. We visited, snacked, and watched football for the next hour or so as the others slowly trickled in. C & J wouldn't be joining since they decided to spend their TG in sunny Florida. And the word from them was that it was 83 and sunny down there. Sounds very nice, but I'd sooner be snow skiing. I was surprised to learn that Pat & Mel, C & J's friends, would be joining us despite C & J not being there. But then again, they've spent many a TG with the Thompson clan. I enjoyed two beers through the afternoon. They hit the spot, and certainly took the edge off. Not sure the exact time we finally sat to eat, but I am guessing around 5-530p. It was a traditional TG feast: turkey, stuffing, spuds, gravy, corn pudding. I ate only one helping but then picked from the stuffing bowl after finishing dinner plate. I excused myself from the dinner table as others had done before me. That's a good strategy to help stop the binging. Get up and walk away! As is tradition, several family members went on a walk after the meal even in though it was pouring rain. They were gone for a good 20-30 minutes. The rest of us looked at all the store adds that accompanied the TG day edition of the Columbus Dispatch. The walkers returned wet. Apparently the rain really picked up during their stroll. Another tradition is spending the lion's share of the holiday in the lower level (TG and Xmas). We gathered there for fun and conversation just before and during dessert. Dessert consisted of three options: pumpkin pie, lemon cheesecake, and Boston Cream cake. We watched the finish of the Dallas/New Orleans game, too. Exciting finish! Dallas lost. I'm guessing it was near 8p when we gathered our things for home. It was still raining at a good clip. We said our goodbyes and headed off a few minutes later. At home, we all changed into our jammies and got comfy on the sofa. I poured myself a Jack & Coke, the last of my summer stash, to enjoy while watching TV. Can't recall what we watched. We didn't stay up that late though. Everyone was tired, Frankie included.