thanksgiving, penguins, and lydia

Yesterday, I got this email message regarding the mileage on my Fitbit.

Terrific!
You've earned the Penguin March badge!
With 70 lifetime miles, you just matched the distance of the March of the Penguins—the annual trip emperor penguins make to their breeding grounds. You're doing swimmingly well!

My athletic life appears to be forever linked to penguins. When I was running, John Bingham, the penguin was my guru. He claims you do not have to be fast, a truth I have affirmed many times in my life.

Distance runners say the penguins of the world have ruined their sport, but I think the slow folks have just captured some of their fun. I won a medal once for being first in my age group. Turns out I was the only person in my age group, proving that you don't have to get faster, you only need to get older. (I have used that line many times.)

I picked Elliot up at his after-school program yesterday. A little girl named Lydia, captured my attention the minute I walked in the door. She told me very earnestly about her horseback riding lesson after school, the names of the three horses and their colors, and her letter to Santa. It was heartwarming.

I reviewed the final Thanksgiving game plan this morning. Tiffany is coming over to help with the Tuesday preparations: toasting pecans, chopping vegetables, making apple cake and cranberry sauce. I wonder how the Pilgrims did it without spreadsheets. Seriously. There are spreadsheets. Put it in the google.

When we went to the store yesterday it was crazy mayhem. Shelves were being emptied faster than they could stock them. I had to ask three times where to find things which is unprecedented in my grocery shopping life. Getting down an aisle unimpeded was impossible. No U-turns were possible. Traffic jams were everywhere. There was much gnashing of teeth and copious weeping.

I noticed the shoppers, the employees who walk around with a list and fill a cart for a person who has placed an order online. They gather the groceries, take them to a van, and deliver them to your house. And get this: Free if you spend over a hundred dollars... but you have to live in Mankato. I suggest this, my friends. We place an order, drive to Mankato for lunch, and have our groceries delivered to the car at Hooligan's while we enjoy a cheeseburger and a bowl of soup. Genius.

The fellow behind me in line was buying seven cans of Bush's baked beans. That's it. I wouldn't brave those crowds for baked beans if they were giving them away.

There are so many convenience foods. I wonder if someday boxed stuffing, bagged mashed potatoes, turkey roll, and brown and serve rolls will be appealing to me. Right before meals on wheels, I suppose.

My biggest internal debate today is napkins: paper or cloth. We're using real dishes, not paper, so I might as well go the extra mile.

Enough rambling for today. Onward and upward. Let the cooking begin.