I'll Have a Slice of Life Pie, Please

Thanksgiving Day fell on my dearly loved Grandmother's birthday this year. She was all of 96 years yesterday! She's still getting around on her own, living in her own home, having ups and downs but still moving forward.

She tells us she can't really taste her food anymore, everything pretty much tastes the same. She can't hear us very well either, so we have to speak REAL LOUD close to her ear. But she sits there and eats with us and watches us talk, eat, laugh, and laugh some more.

Grandma had a loving audience of 3 of her daughters, Rachel (in orange), Alicia (in the middle) and Grace (at the far end).

Grandma's dearly loved son-in-law, my Uncle John (aka Papa John) was chief Carving Master for the turkey; grandson's Paul and Guy, were present for wit and wisdom and myself, her first granddaughter watching her watch us.

My Aunt Rachel did all the cooking for us, and did an excellent job too! She brined the turkey and it came out with a beautifully tanned skin, extra crispy, and a moist, meaty, plump and juicy interior. Nice Job. All the usual comfort foods were in attendance as well with a real nice giblet gravey.

Everyone did their best to pitch-in and make the afternoon come together as one happy occasion, which it was. I think Grandma had a very wonderful birthday. We brought out the cake, sang the birthday song while her daughter Gloria was calling in from Florida, singing along. It was so cute to see our little "Princessa" cutting her cake and talking on the phone. So 2008!

After the cake ceremony we all settled down to a game of Taboo. We aren't much on reading directions on packages but we are great at listening to the directions of others telling us how to play. (as it turns out, I saw 4 Christmas's today and we were playing it wrong!). Regardless, we had so much fun bungling things up nobody really cared.

It was a family evening together that I haven't experienced in a long time. It was fun! Everyone got along, everyone was happy and everyone wanted to play the game. No Poop-Heads! Yea!

It was a great day of Thanksgiving for everyone I think. Perhaps not the turkey but he was greatly appreciated nevertheless and was almost the center of attention for most of the day!

We set a nice little table for him too. God Bless you Tiny Tim the Turkey.

Hoping everyone had a Thanksgiving was just as lovely in it's own way.

Yawn, Another Birthday Flies By

This year was a bust for the birthday. Had a head cold, didn't feel spunky, and really getting tired of these B-Days. Way too many of them now!

I'm hoping this head stuffage issue clears up soon as it is affecting my sense of humor gene. How funny is it to blow epidermis layers off the schnoze all day while trying to cook! Yeeeuuuck! Oh, and I just love the hacking attack during the Chef's lectures. I have to leave the room to spare my classmates and the Chef from my congested wheezing. Gettin' to be an ol' geezer like this.

I want it to go away so I can act silly and immature again. No one believes you when you've got a cold. You just can't be silly or immature with pockets full of kleenex and a hang dog look. Poo. Darn. Rats. I'll post when I'm more fun. Later.