Friday, November 23, 2012

Lessons Learned

Thanks to my younger son and our DIL we spent a very nice Thanksgiving at their home. They hosted a houseful. Our family includes six adults and five children. DIL’s  mother,  her sister and her two girls, and her brother and his two girls attended.  DIL’s mother’s huband could not attend because of health problems. We hope he feels better soon. The food was great, the company was better. Our son and his wife are great hosts who always make visitors feel welcome.

I do believe this Thanksgiving has taught me two lessons. You would think that after having cooked more than 40 Thanksgiving meals I would have learned by now. I simply cannot make pies. Every year I try. I can make a passable pecan pie if you ignore the crust that always burns gets too brown. Pies seem to be beyond me. I decided to try one more time with fruit pies this year—one cherry, one apple. I thought that if I bought canned pie filling and ready-made crusts nothing could go wrong. The results were that the cherry pie didn’t even make it to the car and the apple remained in the trunk. Next year there will be no pies except for cheese cake that I make from a mix.

This is the most important lesson—make sure you have enough dishwasher detergent. Even with the small contribution I made to the meal, I think I used every utensil in the kitchen. I spent more time hand washing dishes than cooking.

Friday, November 9, 2012

In the News

This story appeared this morning in one of our local papers. It made me think about my own reactions to certain situations as I age. A number of years ago, I would have been appalled. This morning I found it to be hilarious. Of course, I would be outraged if this nut was observed by children.

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/nov/08/man-accused-of-using-french-maid-outfit-to-at/

Yahoo!/ABC News reported that FEMA centers, sources of food, water, and other supplies in struggling New York, were closed "due to weather." The decision to close the centers was made by FEMA's head honcho, Craig Fugate. Where in the world do they find these people for this particular position? It's a puzzle.