More thoughts on the Turkey cooking

Well a beautiful Day in CT and the week that was is over. I think i caused trouble today and it was busy most of the week, but it is over and now i have a weekend.
I have decide where I am going with my Thanksgiving tastes and it looks like we have a number of people over, so I can not cook too much, cause others will bring things as well.
I am going to center things around my own creation, pumpkin butter.
During grilling season, I used a "mint" butter for corn, which was a wonderful twist and so Pumpkin butter is a good variation.
The stuffing, partially cooked and hot before it goes into the bird (that is a health secret!) will be composed of celery, onion, salt and a sage seasoning (bell's) as the "savory" components. It will have cranberries, apples, orange zest and walnuts as a fruit and nut portion. Egg, toasted bread (croutons of an unknown type cause I still am thinking about it) and pumpkin butter will hold it together. Savory, sweet, fruity and nutty and those flavors do blend together.
The pumpkin butter?
Butter and pumpkin melted and blended together with at least nutmeg and a touch of brown sugar, then strained. I could add allspice, ginger and cinnamon (making it pumpkin pie spice) but I may hold off on those others because I do not know if I want all that flavor.
The turkey will have a sage and butter rub between the skin and the meat and the pumpkin butter on top (or visa versa, depending if I want the meat savory or sweet).
My mind and taste buds are getting excited.
I cook cranberry sauce tonight and prepare the pumpkin butter!

lessons

It was a strange and difficult day today with many things happening at once.
I had the opportunity to observe some of my closest friends handle the same kind of day and there was a lot to learn.
As many things were happening at once, they took time to be gracious, despite phones ringing and people coming at them from all sides.
You knew that you being there was important, to them. they did not brush me off because they were too busy.
I was trying to think how I handled things and in the chaos of being so busy, I am not sure, but I think I was showing a least some of those qualities and that is good and very important.
One asked permission to ask me a question, she did not have too, she is in that place in my life that she is allowed to say or ask anything of me. And that was graciousness and I was blessed.
I had reports for the other, that actually gives her more work, but despite having phones ringing and other people dropping others things on her desk, she motioned for me to stay to ask how I was doing. that was intense.
In the middleo f mindless bureaucrats, it is nice to know that there are others who care.

Thinking Thanksgiving

As some one who really enjoys cooking, I have started to think how i want to do the feast this year.
I do not think I will have anyone over except the 3 guys I live with, but that is okay, I will take whatever I can. if others show up, there will be food.
One of the things I really enjoy is the blending of flavors, fruit, nut and meat and I have not decided how I will proceed.
There will be turkey,stuffing and always cranberries (that I make), but I do not know how I will put it together.
Cranberries I like to make with orange flavors with it. Will I add walnuts? Maybe, I have not decided.
The Turkey, will I go traditional, Bell;s seasoning, or try something else?
The stuffing is always a truly fun thing - always celery and some form of bread, but then do I go with sausage and walnuts and raisins with a sage type spice? Or something else, I am undecided.
I have already decided to do one thing I have not done before - corn pudding.
Will I do a yam dish? Unknown.
Salad? Probably.
I have some young fresh fennel in the garden, which I will use, along with flat leaf parsley they will be used.

I know I will send some things over to a friend, who remains at best "gun shy" (having been mistreated and taken advantage of), she will not come over and that is okay.

Will anyone else come over? Anyone in the area? You will be welcomed.

Dessert will be bought, I am not a baker and we have a fabulous bakery down the street.

Last year Thanksgiving, I do not remember except that I could not cook and was some how instructing John on what to do. It was very Traditional in flavor and composition and I was not able to eat much of it.
This year is different.

Why?

who are oppressed?
Why does a smile mean so much to me?
Why will I speak my mind and not back down, when I am right?
Why do I search for some one in need, where just a smile cheers them?
Why do I tackle every question with my full attention?
Why do I look for kindness from people?
Why do I cry at happy endings?
Why do I fight for people?
Why do I believe you must look carefully and find out as much as possible, instead of saying I do not want to know?
These are defining questions of me.

Back to recovery!

For long months I have delayed this because I felt the lives of 200 or more people to be worth more than a few months of my progress.
The price was high because not only did my eyes not improve over the extra hours and work, they became worse. More stagnant, the vision more doubled.
Last week put an end to it all and this last weekend I for the first time had a full weekend off.
The samples came in, but I needed to nothing because as far as I could see, my portion of the work was done.
The worst of the effected houses had city water to the foundation (for city work, this is amazing) and now the rest of the environmental community (scientist) have begun saying what I have all along, that the stuff was not from the dump. Oh the dump still needs to be cleaned up and that is a work in progress, so my task has been completed and even more so, I have raised awareness of something that has effected many millions of home owners on wells in past agricultural areas.
Did i say millions? Yes, the environmental agencies have had there beliefs rocked by this little side track and realize that we have done terrible things to ourselves.
Knowledge is essential for change.
It was not only the move from the extra days, it was restricting my hours.
I am no longer trying to "push" it.
I work till I feel it is time to finish and I leave.
Then my friend, the Reiki Master gave me a session on my birthday that was very helpful.
Then my friends gave me money to go to a Massage therapist who worked on the tension i had stored.
Everything became looser.

One weekend off and I wake up in the morning and my test "screen" is slowly coming together without the glasses.
Progress is slow, but it is progress with the images not far apart like they were before, during those months of much work.
Last night, I went out to eat and for the first time in a year and a half, with the glasses, things were single at a distance. I used to get 30 feet at best.
Was the wait worth it?
Yes!
Is the recovery make me feeling better?
Yes!
Ah back to the adventure!

Beauty

I awoke early, as usual and
felt unseen arms hold on to me,
caressing my head and face.
I am very lucky to have persons who care so deeply for me, I thought,
for it was not one, but several.
Each with their hearts caring for me.

I have sent pieces of my heart out
to most of those I meet.
Some hide the piece
and pretend they never had it.
Other grasp for more,
to take it all is what they want.
Others still crunch it between their heel,
for any thought is unwelcome.

Then there are those who treasure it,
and i return send a piece of their heart back.
Those are the ones I woke up to this morning.
It was beautiful.

Maybe one day I will wake up and
they will not be invisible.

The wind blew today,
but the leaves of many colors stayed strong.
many were gone,
but many more hung on.
In their brilliant show,
yellows, ocher, orange and red.
They are beautiful.

Soon these will pass,
but for now they are beautiful.

Varied Offerings at 55 words

With much going on, today we have varied offerings.

A photo which captures what my vision sees.


(Ducks that David is raising).

Neighborhood children playing together.


(All shapes, sizes and ages!)

More Autumn colors.



Odd situations at work, with me becoming the person who is willing to talk to people about water issues.
Very Amazing.