Just a Lazy Sunday

I spent the day picking at the boxes of kitchen stuff. There are only a few shelves I can use at this point as they all need to be washed down and have new shelf liners. The problem is with no plumbing (water) in the kitchen yet it’s hard to make much progress with just a bucket and running back and forth to the bathroom for refills of fresh water.

I got through 2 boxes and gave up. I really need the shelves fixed in the new cabinets so I can figure out what I can put there and what needs to go back into the existing cabinets. I also have to keep the counter clear until the tile people get here.

counters 004 copy

I have a big box of cleaning stuff that needs to be under the sink but I can’t put that away  until the plumber is done. Oh and did I mention the glassware is covered in dust from the sawing and sanding and all needs to be washed. Of course the dishwasher isn’t working yet either! Same thing with the stove. It’s disgusting. The stove top is covered with a fine dust! No way can any food be prepared on that stove top. I think I know why people add new appliances when they re-do their kitchens. Its to  avoid the clean up of the old appliances!  I hope I have an old toothbrush so I can get into the little cracks and crevasses.

kitchen2 011 copy

I think I’m going to cut back on my Thanksgiving dinner. I’m beginning to doubt I’ll have the kitchen ready for the preparation. I’ll have the turkey and maybe some green beans (from a can), sweet potatoes, stuffing (Stove top) and gravy. Skip the mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and cranberries, and desert. Just stick with the basics. That will be more than enough food for just for me and will minimize the pots and pans I’ll need to locate!

The Thanksgiving Turkey float  during th

Of course, I’ll be watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade 🙂  and I will be counting my blessings because for all my complaining, I still have a very blessed life.

Happy Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving! This is the first time in years I haven’t had to work. My new company is a strong believer in a balanced work and personal life. To help us all achieve that balance the offices are closed today and tomorrow.

I am thankful for an employer that recognizes and supports quality of life. 🙂 (I’m watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in years!)

macy's

I am thankful for family and friends.

friends

I am thankful for my furry family, Rocky, Smokey and Buddy. They give unconditional love and make me laugh.

cats

I am happy for the professionals that help me keep my little world running…from my Doctor to the Vet and my Pet Sitter!

I am thankful for good health.

I am thankful for my home, humble though it may be.

I’m thankful for the job that pays the bills and gave me the means for a little celebration today, Turkey, stuffing and yams this afternoon!

thanksgiving_dinner

I am Happy and Thankful for so much this year. But I need to get back to the Parade. 🙂

happy-thanksgiving-4

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Thanksgiving Secret

What would you say if I told you the first Thanksgiving wasn’t in Plymouth? I bet  you’d ask me how many glasses of holiday wine I’d had! But I promise you, it’s true.

pilgrims

Long before the Pilgrims even set foot on Plymouth Rock the Spanish had settled parts of Florida. 55 years before the Mayflower the costal town of St. Augustine was established and the settlers came together to share a feast with the native Timucuans.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Now you may not want to let the children read the rest of this post. Because I’m going to tell you something else about Thanksgiving.

Back up north the Pilgrims were starving, that’s true, until they learned to cultivate the rocky soil and hunt the native game. Legend says that it was the Native Americans that helped them survive and that in gratitude the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to celebrate the harvest.

hunters_easternwoodlands

Once again, not quite true. The Wampanoag were actually invited to that Thanksgiving feast for the purpose of negotiating a treaty that would secure the lands of the Plymouth Plantation for the Pilgrims. It should also be noted that the INDIANS, possibly out of a sense of charity toward their hosts, ended up bringing the majority of the food for the feast.

pilgrimsdinner2

But even that story is disputed in some corners. Some say the Pilgrims weren’t expecting any Indians that day. If that’s true then the Wampanoag that came down the trail that morning were some of the first gate crashers!

Native-American-Indians-and-pilgrims
The history of the White Puritan Settlers and the native tribes of America  is complicated and punctuated with many wars and bloodshed. We were no kinder to the local population  in the east than we were years later when we expanded to the West.

It’s a long, sad story but if you want to know about what really happened, here is a good resource for further reading. http://www.manataka.org/page269.html

Something to think about as Thanksgiving nears.

Scared Turkey with Sign