Turkey Day Dilemma

It had been all set. We were going to experience living in the little states by driving through five of them. MA to NJ or bust. For those who are geographically impaired like me, that's MA - RI - CT - NY - NJ. What a difference from Texas where one can drive and drive and drive and still end up in Texas. We were looking forward to seeing family and surviving Black Friday in New York City. We had to take our budding scientists to the American Museum of Natural History!

Best laid plans etc. etc. A hosting family member will be going through surgery on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The prognosis is good, but somewhat undetermined. So we were suddenly on our own for our first Turkey Day as yankees.

And now. I'm at a bit of a loss. We're not used to doing the turkey thing ourselves. Before kids, we'd usually travel, either to see family or to just travel. One of the very best Thanksgivings I can remember was spent at Estes Park, hiking the Rocky Mountains. We'd spent another Thanksgiving hiking the Guadalupe Mountains. Talk about driving and driving and driving through endless West Texas!

The arrival of children put an end to the hiking holidays, but we'd still go to someone else's home for turkey. Usually one set of parents.

So.

Now.

For some vague, undefinable reason, I'm resistant to doing the whole turkey thing this Thanksgiving. Not that I'm not thankful. I am. And not that I don't love holidays. I do. Perhaps it's because we're new to the turkey thing, and the whole turkey/stuffing/sides preparation seems daunting. Perhaps it's because our kitchen is held together by duct tape. Perhaps it's because it seems silly to spend hours lavishing care on a bird and assorted yummies for the five of us (three of whom would be more likely to appreciate a thin cheese pizza).

So.

Is it so very wrong to just order a premade Thanksgiving dinner and call it a day? No slaving away. Just some reheating and perhaps making one or two things from scratch? And spending the rest of the day watching football and playing Uno and redoing our kitchen countertops if the spirit moves us?

We'd better decide. I think the order deadlines are coming soon (if they haven't already passed).

Sweet

Overheard.

Lou telling her big sister (now five!) that big sis can sit in the front of the bathtub because it's her birthday. Who sits in the front of the bathtub can be quite the bone of contention.

Big awwww...

That's huge generosity from a 3.75-year-old. Especially one who watched the birthday girl choose lunch and dinner, select a cake, and open presents.

Love when they're sweet to each other. Which happens fairly often.

The most amazing thing

The most amazing thing about this area is that you can be at the beach and then in mere minutes, be in the woods. Treasures found: two horseshoe crab shells (they molt the shells when they're outgrown) and an enormous piece of driftwood that was a perfect springboard.





Sproing:

Reflections upon leaves

These photos are from our recent trip to the Ipswich River wildlife sanctuary. The largest Audubon site in Massachusetts, this sanctuary offers over ten miles of trails winding through 2,265 acres, mainly wetlands.

The sanctuary's most famous feature is the Rockery, a project commissioned by Thomas Proctor, a wealthy landowner. Designed by Japanese landscape architect, Shintare Anamete, work on the Rockery began in 1902. Anamete stayed on the site during the entire nine-year construction period, overseeing every detail. (From Of Fantasies and Footpaths: Seven Landscapes to Enjoy With Children by Maryann Alberts Malarkey) Enormous boulders, brought in by cart and horse from miles away, form tunnels, ledges, overhangs, and many, many opportunities for excited little guys to climb, clamber, and explore. We had to pry the kiddos away.





Fall color at Ipswich River. Glorious. You don't need to trek to a sanctuary to see the leaves. Color is everywhere. I've had to remind myself to pay attention because I'm gawking as I drive down the highways.





The reflections of the trees shimmering in the many ponds were almost literally enchanting.

Kitchen and food thoughts

The kitchen renovation is crawling along. More demo than anything else. And, of course, constantly thinking and rethinking choices. Here it is as it stands now. Note the lovely duct tape flooring. Chic, yes? A touch of the unexpected.



We removed the sagging kitchen desk and the old peninsula. The desk was a miracle of old houses. It was only supported on one side and totally unsupported on the other so it had been gradually sagging. I don't know how it survived these past decades. The duct tape covers the spaces where asbestos flooring has been revealed. So far, the renovation suffers from a severe case of the domino effect. We can't have the flooring removed until all the cabinets and pantries have been demolished. We can't demolish the cabinets until we've decided on the new cabinet layout, the cabinet maker, etc. etc.

So basically, until the spring, we'll be living with duct-tape patched flooring. The glamorous life in a vintage house.

For now, we moved the peninsula against the wall and laid the old counter on top. It's just extra counter space. We brought up an IKEA office cabinet for extra storage. The drawers are very, very useful, but its surface is not food safe. We've purchased some very inexpensive IKEA butcher block countertops to replace the worn, laminate counters. These will only be a stopgap measure, but the old counters simply won't do. The counter's metal-rimmed inserts let crumbs fall through into the drawers and gruck accumulates along the metal. Gross!

Interestingly enough, we've been cooking very well in this makeshift kitchen. Last night, fried eggplant and homemade pizza (with homemade dough). Thin crust pizza with pepperoni, fried eggplant, and lots of cheese...mmmm...made an excellent leftover lunch too. Tonight, garlic lemon tilapia and baked bay scallops with stuffing, asparagus, and baguettes. Tomorrow is beef bourgignon.

Tomorrow we're off on a day trip for cider donuts, a fall delicacy here, and more apples and possibly free range eggs. And hiking. And leaf peeping.

Glorious.