Right Now: November 2022

Tempus fugit and Happy November! November 1st seems like a good day for a catch-up post, so that's what I'm doing today.

Excited About - The fact that I've cooked enough over the past several days that we can have a smorgasbord for dinner. Don't confuse these with plain old leftovers, these are much better. I think that venison barley stew, chicken bacon ranch pasta, and cider-roasted turkey breast are all delicious so I'm already thinking about what I'm going to have for dinner. 

Making - I already made turkey stock and picked all the meat off the turkey breast. For anybody that lives on the east coast and has access to a WaWa, I will be making a Gobbler for dinner some night this week. For those that have never had a Gobbler, it's turkey, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, on a hoagie roll. It's also available as a bowl, but I like the sandwich better. I realize it may sound disgusting to some, but I think it's delicious. It's only available for a limited time so that may add to my enjoyment. 

Making Part 2 - I'm going up to Ryan's today to pick the rest of the hot peppers, help John clean up the garden, and make chili paste with Ryan. It seems like a good way to use up lots of these peppers and Ryan will use the chili paste in soup, on pasta, in eggs, etc. Any remaining hot peppers will go to Justin to take to his Hispanic co-workers.

Grateful For - The fact that we did not get topsoil delivered to Ryan's last week. It had rained for four days and the topsoil guy said it had been too wet for them to sieve the soil. I talked to him on the phone and he said that topsoil needed to be sieved to remove rocks, glass, and all manner of things. He seemed surprised that I didn't know this but now I do. We don't have any estimated delivery for the future, but I was glad to put off what I imagined as back-breaking work. 

Planning - Thanksgiving dinner. It's actually my favorite holiday, mainly because I enjoy the food and adore the leftovers (like fried stuffing and pumpkin pie for breakfast the day after). I also like it because it doesn't require gifts, decorations, or much of the stress of other holidays. We just have the usual turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc., but I always make homemade crescent rolls and cranberry-orange relish. 

Glad - That I got my flu shot last Saturday. I looked around for appointments and the only place I could find that would do it within two weeks was Walmart. It was my first year for the 65 and over HD dosage. I usually have a slight reaction to the regular flu shot, and I don't know if it was the power of suggestion due to the warning from the pharmacist, but I felt awful on Sunday. I woke up with a fever and shaking chills at 2:00 am, and had a headache and muscle aches through Monday. But it's done and I feel better for having done what I could. I'll continue to wear a mask in public and wash my hands and I don't want either flu or covid. 

Dreading - Paying bills. I've never enjoyed it, but since John has retired we no longer have income coming in every month. We've both decided to wait as long as possible to get Social Security but may need to start that next year. We were quite thrifty while he was working and we have a 401k, but before we start tapping into it we are living off of our savings account. It's painful to see it decrease so rapidly each month. 

Made Me Laugh - It's a little bit mean and childish, but still funny. It's from an NPR article about Bob Woodward's release of his original interview tapes with Trump. NPR has since corrected it, but I'm not above laughing at Trump.

Watching - Nothing, because the power is off for the fifth time in the last week! When I reported it they said it would be off for another four hours. So I'm glad I didn't do the load of sheets I had planned because I wouldn't be able to dry them in the dryer. I do wish I had turned the heat up above 62 though.

Grateful for Part 2 - Electricity! After seven hours, it's back, along with internet and wifi. I found out I can knit with just a flashlight but some sort of light that goes around my neck would be much better. I've also added AA and AAA batteries to the list because I've gone through all of them. The heat is turned up to 65, I have light to knit by, my phone and iPod are charging, and things aren't looking quite as bleak as they did in the dark. 

What I've Just Ordered - This! 

What's going on in your world right now?