On Thanksgiving, Part II
I love Thanksgiving! Four days off, chilly weather, and lots of goins on--but not too many. Here are the highlights:
Thursday:
Awoke in a leisurely manner. Took time getting ready, but needed to be out of the house by 9:30 to get to brother and new sister-in law's for dinner at 1. They live near Akron. This is normally a 2-hour drive (I'm relying on past visits to the general area--I've never been to their house) but, thanks to a pretty bad snow storm and heavy traffic, took nearly 3 sometimes perilous hours.
The menfolk were living up to stereotypes. Found them in the garage, huddled around the turkey fryer, attempting increasingly dangerous ways of heating up the oil in the teen-degreed weather, drinking ice cold beer. They were given one directive by the lady of the house--have the turkey in the oil by 11 a.m. It was 12:15 p.m. and the oil wasn't nearly hot enough.
Inside, my new sister was busy getting EVERYTHING ELSE ready. Sure, some of it had been pre-cooked, but it's still a scramble to get everything on the table, hot, at the same time, and that was her job. Let's see . . . she does roughly 80%, the boyz do 20%, she's ready and we're contemplating a Thanksgiving dinner with ham but no turkey. Everyone in amazingly good spirits, though!
Dinner was very good. The turkey made it into the oil and was out before we finished our first plates. It was delicious!
We left soon after dinner--I'm pregnant, the house was cramped with all the folks and the big dogs, and the birds were bugging me. For the life of me I don't understand why people want big birds in their house. There are 4, all in the family room. Mostly, they were quiet. But when a semi-strange dog showed up one of them started screeching in that awful way that big green birds screech and I just can't take it.
The trip home was pleasant and much safer, and we chilled that evening.
Friday:
Nice, calm day. Hung out in pjs, wrapped a few presents, watched a movie or two. In the afternoon, Stevie and I got ready and headed out with my mom and stepdad to a Blue Jackets game. My stepdad had won four awesome, rich person seats through work. We went to a quirky, family-style Italian restaurant beforehand. The food was good and the atmosphere was really fun. Then to the game, where the home team got trounced. Still, the seats were fantastic--50-yard line, 11 rows up, perfect view of the loss and the little people in the cheap seats. Good times.
Saturday:
I actually went to Wal-Mart. Before you pelt me with things, listen up. I received a gift certificate to WM from a dear friend and, after using most of it, had a little bit left on the card. Wanting to get out of the house, get some more Christmas stamps, and get a book from the library detailing how to build bluebird houses, I decided to go there and use up the rest of the card so I would never have to go again. I used it up.
For the rest of the day I did exactly what I wanted to do, which was pretty much nothing. I watched "The Upside of Anger" and the only upside to the film was when it ended. Really bad! I usually love talky dramas but Joan Allen's character gave me nothing to sympathize with--she was just an asshole. And then to find out that it was all a big misunderstanding! Hated it! D-
And because I didn't do it sooner, I'll review "Fever Pitch" which I watched earlier in the week. Surprise! I really liked it! Sure it's formulaic, but the scenes highlighting Jimmy Fallon's Sox fanaticism were really funny, and it's an all-around easy crowd-pleaser. Solid B, maybe a B+.
Sunday:
The day started in a promising way. I made biscuits and sausage gravy. I began to finish the last of the rag quilts I'm making for too many damn people. Then I got the call from the folks. Seems that little Mabel, the dog I gave them 9 years ago after raising her wild in the Meigs County woods, was found that morning by the garage in an apparently unending seizure. They had been at Med Vet all morning while they ran tests on her. I went back to my thang and received a call from my sobbing mother a few hours later. They had ruled out everything except a brain tumor, which may or may not be operable, and euthanasia was the likeliest option. Would I be on standby to run them down there so that they (or just mom) could be there while they put her down? Of course. Jumped into the shower. Jumped out and got the call. Went to pick up the folks and we drove to the animal hospital.
They put us in a conference room and they brought her in. She was still in a continuous seizure, but one tempered by valium. She was laying on her side on a table and her eyes and ears and weird little Beagle body with German Shepherd coloring was softly twitching. We all pet her, but mom's constant touch and gentle whisper really did make a difference. Mabel closed her eyes and her breathing rate slowed. Soon after they administered the drugs and she peacefully slipped away. Really, it couldn't have gone much better. She probably wasn't in pain, she probably didn't know that she was at the vet's, and she got to go out with her family right next to her.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm really sick of dogs, after a lifetime of owning them and loving them. But Mabel was a sweet and cute little dog. During her time with me she lived out at the cabin. She tore through those hills like nobody's business, a crazy badger-dog. One time as we walked up the trail toward the cabin, she suddenly tore off in front of us. We saw her cut to the left and heard her run a few yards and then stop. When we caught up to her, it was very quiet except for a little crunching sound. Seems as though she had remembered a previously killed and stashed squirrel, and she was calmly munching a squirrel leg. This was a dog--a little lap dog--that killed and ate squirrels, tore into deer carcasses with the ferocity of a rabid coyote, lived in the wild with the hippies. After my mom and stepdad got her, she was a might bit sissified, running to the basement during storms and stuffed with Beggin' Strips and people food. Still, she was a charmer--never obnoxious--and I appreciate that in a dog. R.I.P. you rotten pig of a dog.
Got home, finished another quilt, watched a bit of a football game, called it a good weekend.
Thursday:
Awoke in a leisurely manner. Took time getting ready, but needed to be out of the house by 9:30 to get to brother and new sister-in law's for dinner at 1. They live near Akron. This is normally a 2-hour drive (I'm relying on past visits to the general area--I've never been to their house) but, thanks to a pretty bad snow storm and heavy traffic, took nearly 3 sometimes perilous hours.
The menfolk were living up to stereotypes. Found them in the garage, huddled around the turkey fryer, attempting increasingly dangerous ways of heating up the oil in the teen-degreed weather, drinking ice cold beer. They were given one directive by the lady of the house--have the turkey in the oil by 11 a.m. It was 12:15 p.m. and the oil wasn't nearly hot enough.
Inside, my new sister was busy getting EVERYTHING ELSE ready. Sure, some of it had been pre-cooked, but it's still a scramble to get everything on the table, hot, at the same time, and that was her job. Let's see . . . she does roughly 80%, the boyz do 20%, she's ready and we're contemplating a Thanksgiving dinner with ham but no turkey. Everyone in amazingly good spirits, though!
Dinner was very good. The turkey made it into the oil and was out before we finished our first plates. It was delicious!
We left soon after dinner--I'm pregnant, the house was cramped with all the folks and the big dogs, and the birds were bugging me. For the life of me I don't understand why people want big birds in their house. There are 4, all in the family room. Mostly, they were quiet. But when a semi-strange dog showed up one of them started screeching in that awful way that big green birds screech and I just can't take it.
The trip home was pleasant and much safer, and we chilled that evening.
Friday:
Nice, calm day. Hung out in pjs, wrapped a few presents, watched a movie or two. In the afternoon, Stevie and I got ready and headed out with my mom and stepdad to a Blue Jackets game. My stepdad had won four awesome, rich person seats through work. We went to a quirky, family-style Italian restaurant beforehand. The food was good and the atmosphere was really fun. Then to the game, where the home team got trounced. Still, the seats were fantastic--50-yard line, 11 rows up, perfect view of the loss and the little people in the cheap seats. Good times.
Saturday:
I actually went to Wal-Mart. Before you pelt me with things, listen up. I received a gift certificate to WM from a dear friend and, after using most of it, had a little bit left on the card. Wanting to get out of the house, get some more Christmas stamps, and get a book from the library detailing how to build bluebird houses, I decided to go there and use up the rest of the card so I would never have to go again. I used it up.
For the rest of the day I did exactly what I wanted to do, which was pretty much nothing. I watched "The Upside of Anger" and the only upside to the film was when it ended. Really bad! I usually love talky dramas but Joan Allen's character gave me nothing to sympathize with--she was just an asshole. And then to find out that it was all a big misunderstanding! Hated it! D-
And because I didn't do it sooner, I'll review "Fever Pitch" which I watched earlier in the week. Surprise! I really liked it! Sure it's formulaic, but the scenes highlighting Jimmy Fallon's Sox fanaticism were really funny, and it's an all-around easy crowd-pleaser. Solid B, maybe a B+.
Sunday:
The day started in a promising way. I made biscuits and sausage gravy. I began to finish the last of the rag quilts I'm making for too many damn people. Then I got the call from the folks. Seems that little Mabel, the dog I gave them 9 years ago after raising her wild in the Meigs County woods, was found that morning by the garage in an apparently unending seizure. They had been at Med Vet all morning while they ran tests on her. I went back to my thang and received a call from my sobbing mother a few hours later. They had ruled out everything except a brain tumor, which may or may not be operable, and euthanasia was the likeliest option. Would I be on standby to run them down there so that they (or just mom) could be there while they put her down? Of course. Jumped into the shower. Jumped out and got the call. Went to pick up the folks and we drove to the animal hospital.
They put us in a conference room and they brought her in. She was still in a continuous seizure, but one tempered by valium. She was laying on her side on a table and her eyes and ears and weird little Beagle body with German Shepherd coloring was softly twitching. We all pet her, but mom's constant touch and gentle whisper really did make a difference. Mabel closed her eyes and her breathing rate slowed. Soon after they administered the drugs and she peacefully slipped away. Really, it couldn't have gone much better. She probably wasn't in pain, she probably didn't know that she was at the vet's, and she got to go out with her family right next to her.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm really sick of dogs, after a lifetime of owning them and loving them. But Mabel was a sweet and cute little dog. During her time with me she lived out at the cabin. She tore through those hills like nobody's business, a crazy badger-dog. One time as we walked up the trail toward the cabin, she suddenly tore off in front of us. We saw her cut to the left and heard her run a few yards and then stop. When we caught up to her, it was very quiet except for a little crunching sound. Seems as though she had remembered a previously killed and stashed squirrel, and she was calmly munching a squirrel leg. This was a dog--a little lap dog--that killed and ate squirrels, tore into deer carcasses with the ferocity of a rabid coyote, lived in the wild with the hippies. After my mom and stepdad got her, she was a might bit sissified, running to the basement during storms and stuffed with Beggin' Strips and people food. Still, she was a charmer--never obnoxious--and I appreciate that in a dog. R.I.P. you rotten pig of a dog.
Got home, finished another quilt, watched a bit of a football game, called it a good weekend.
posted by lulu | 6:56 AM
1 Comments:
thank you dear heart - I love you...
Post a Comment
<< Home