friday afternoon

I got home from work about five o'clock. The traffic downtown was wicked ass bad and it was chilly in the house so I turned on the fireplace, lit some candles, turned on World Cafe, and we sat at the front window and watched the birds. Ah, the peace of the home fires. It was a good week but I am looking forward to the next one.

Regis kept an eye out for the birds. This is a red bellied woodpecker. I don't know why they call his belly red when it's his head that is most clearly red. Maybe to distinguish him from all the other so-called red headed woodpeckers. We do have a pair of those that flit about the yard, too.

Here is one of the fat cardinals that frequents our feeder. There is this adult male, a female, and two juvenile males. This guy gets to eat first.

I love getting up early on Saturday. Gus and I went out in the yard for a while. It's cold enough now that I wear my goose down coat and gloves. I love picking up dog poop with my red velvet gloves. I use a bag, of course, but the irony does not escape me. He's some dog.

Gus goes back to bed when we come in the house. He and Regis are later sleepers than I am. I love the early morning.

Today, I have my Thanksgiving binder of recipes out and I am planning my meal. For being the random person that I typically am, I can organize the shit out of a holiday meal. I make a list of the serving dishes I will use, I make notes on where the tables should be and what should be on them, I have a to do list down to the half hour (at the end) and will start today. I love it.

I checked with all our young baristas to make sure that they had a place to go. Only one young woman was away from home so she's coming.

Regis is whipping up another batch of apple pie. It's a perennial favorite, as they say. I'm going to make a batch of chocolate pumpkin truffles. I'm not sure if anybody eats them because I usually have to put them in the freezer and haul them out a few at a time for months but I love the idea of them.

The menu should be finalized today so I can cross-check the ingredients and the grocery list. I hate making more than one trip to the store. I think we're doing the big shopping trip on Monday morning. Very early.

Next week, I have an almost-vacation! I am going to work very limited hours (like 2) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It's the most time I've had off since last Christmas and I'm really looking forward to it.

Time to go mess around with recipes and planning!