Sunday, November 21, 2010

It's been a quiet week here in Lake Woebegone.... no wait.  That's a radio program.(a Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor).  But it has been a quiet week here in my world as well.


sunset and the PATCO station on Monday

I haven't been sleeping well (have no idea why but suspect it may have something to do with the perimenopause my body keeps flirting with) and have been so sleepy all day that if I closed my eyes, I'd fall asleep at my desk.  This was not conducive to creative writing/sharing with you all.  Last night I slept soundly (except for the dream where I was searching for an elusive white dpn) and I slept for 10 hours.  This is a lot for me at one stretch but I guess my body needed it.

I thought I'd share my week in photos. 



Hobbes asleep on my gym bag on Tuesday.


Magnolia train station (retired) on Wednesday










My tree on Thursday











On Friday we played hookie and went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt.1.  It was spectacular and we had a great time.  A quick trip to our lbs (local book store) to check out the savings since they are closing and everything was 20-30% off.  We picked up a Christmas gift there and then we picked Elanor up and went to dinner only to find that the Chinese buffet we enjoy had closed so we went to another restaurant.

my neighbor's trees
Saturday we spent at the grocery store and then it was laundry time.  I am the Empress of All Laundry and was able to get the butter stains out of Pk's shirt (popcorn at the movies) so it was all good. 

We have noticed quite a few local evergreen trees turning brown lately.  First, my one neighbor's cedar turned brown and seemed to die overnight and now my other neighbor's trees are turning cinnamon colored and are dying.  Pk said there is a new parasite, a pine bark beetle, that is killing whole swathes of trees in north Jersey and we're afraid that it may have worked its way down here as well.  Today we went to Walmart to look at holiday lights and saw several examples of brown evergreens.  It's sad and awful.  So far, our trees are ok but I have a feeling it's just a matter of time.

Mattress guy
And last but hardly least, we saw Mattress Guy outside the shopping center today.  He was dancing and waving to the cars.  I kept thinking "poor guy.  at least it's not August".  I think the costume would be a killer.

Preparations are moving along for Thanksgiving.  I have enough seating for everyone and am working on logistics this week so that no one feels like they're sitting "at the kids' table".   I have three sets of china but not enough of any one to set a table for 10 and have it match.  I'm going to mix it up and use our wedding china (4 place settings) and my grandmother's china for the rest. 


We have been trying to figure out a way to get football games for Jim and Em but so far, no luck.  With no actual television, there's nothing to bring in the signal.  Computers aren't enough, apparently.  We'll have to make do with conversation and maybe some board games.  The turkey is almost 22 pounds (10 kg) so we are beginning the defrosting today. It will take most of the next three days in the fridge and it takes up a huge amount of space while doing it. 

For dinner tonight, I'm having creative thoughts that involve bacon, chicken thighs and maybe some pierogies.  Mmmmmmm. 

Have a good week y'all. 

5 comments:

roxie said...

I mix china all the time. I think it's fun and amusing to have a simple white plate with floral tea cup and saucer, next to an Asian theme plate with depression glass cup and saucer . . . well, you know how it goes. Will you post a photo of the table?

hooray for playing hookey!

Kaye said...

Yes, spruce bark beetles are a huge killer in Alaska. That sucks that they have cousins here in Jersey. Makes everything a real tinderbox.
And that's probably not butter that stained PK's shirt--we weren't allowed to call it that when I worked at the movie theater--"Butter Flavoring." Which probably explains why it was so hard to get out! LOL!
Have a great week!

Saren Johnson said...

My table this year will be white (paper), so matching isn't much of an issue.

Anonymous said...

oh so sad about the trees! hope your sleeping evens out, i live in fear of not sleeping! yes please photos of your thanksgiving table, of all the american holidays i think this is the one i wish we had! enjoy your preparations.

amy said...

We do like the football. The Patriots are on this year, too. It's something we (husband and I) enjoy together, and I still think our first married Thanksgiving was one of my best ever: recuperating from an emergency appendectomy, I didn't want to go anywhere, so we cooked for ourselves, stayed in jammies, and ate while watching football together. It was so CALM--something my Thanksgivings up until that point most definitely had never been. And now I guard our peaceful family Thanksgiving fiercely!!

Happy Sunday!  I am sitting here working on my sweater made with the cashmere yarn my husband gave me for my birthday last year. I’m further...