Give Thanks...

for leftovers!



And let me take this opportunity to reiterate that the directions on the turkey wrapping and pop-up timers are THE DEVIL, and downright wrong.



This beautiful bird was cooked from start to finish in TWO AND A HALF HOURS- not 6 like the package of the 16lb carcass said... and it was juicy and delicious, and after a mere thirty minutes yielded that delicious pile of meat in the first pic!

Having gotten the annual Turkey-debate rant out, let me say how much I appreciated NOT stressing this thanksgiving. It really is my favorite holiday, and it was so nice to enjoy it with family, and feel relaxed the entire time (even when the complaints about eating at 9 pm started when the turkey wasn't in by 1 pm...)

procrastination

OK relax. First let me say this pic represents a long period of wine tasting- and a long period of holding on to bottles I liked to try to record their info. Like my Shelfari account, I'm finally getting around to updating my Cork'd account, and input these bottles. Sadly though, all I can remember at this point is I liked these bottles, enough to not throw the bottles out...

NA- but Cork'd is a great site... my only complaint, is there is no OTHER option, which is what is keeping me from posting two of the more outstanding bottles of this group.


So this bottle was a gift from my wonderful friends at the German Embassy- that has been sitting under the bookcase for a year. When I opened it- it smelled like old dirt. Not dry old dirt-moist, stinky old dirt. Not good, the wine was a burnt red color too... I was pretty sure it was corked. But, the flavor was pretty good (when I held my nose). A few Days later, the weird smell was gone,and the full flavor was really good, complex and full, with just enough edge to round it out. the kind of bottle you kinda regretting opening alone. (check the blog tag line for my feeling on that subject). Now, it's figuring if this is a buy able wine state-side...

another bottle I can't enter but really enjoyed:


I'll admit- I bought it bc it was two donkeys winery, and I like their little manifesto "Far from the world of global wine making ,we seek the simple pleasures of life in which wine reflects our identities and is a focus of friendship. This desire to follow our own convictions means we are always questioning attitudes and practices, but we get enormous satisfaction and pleasure from it. It is that pleasure that we would like to share with you through our wines."

anyway, for a bottle picked up on a whim for $12 at Best Cellars, very enjoyable.

spell better to feed the world

Shoma, the lovely and talented, sent me this link. I gave 350 grains this morning while eating my breakfast. AND got to practice using ten cent words!

www.freerice.com

24 hours of silence

Yesterday I spent in silence.

For a lot of reasons-most of you reading know some (thank you again). With all that's been swirling around, I wanted to take some time to be alone with my thoughts, not to figure them out, but to just let them be and settle. I've been trying so hard to figure things out, I'm loosing sight of what's important, and drowning out the voices that I should be listening to.

So what did it involve? Well my apartment is a wreck, so it did involve a lot of careful cleaning and clearing. But I wanted no voices- no radio, no talking, no cell, no internet. I focused on what I was doing, and worked hard to keep my mind from hopping ahead.

It was amazing.

We so easily forget how grossly overstimulated we are every day at every turn. It's one of the things I've found with no TV-with two magazine subscriptions, daily newspaper, books to read and blogs to read, I can't imagine WHEN I would watch TV. (still thought think the Wii is the most spendiferous invention ever, and still on the fence of trying to cram a TV in here for that...)

Overstimulation speaks to the clearing too. I still remember well when I moved in here and had nothing-literally sleeping on a pile of blankets. Now there so much crap in my place it amazes me. I have hit the point where I feel I have no more wall space (sorry Nora-the cow hide may not get up). i threw out two years worth of magazines- some of which I never read- and one years worth I actually MOVED two years ago. I also sorted out two big boxes of donation clothes, and didn't even get thru my entire closet.

OK, those last bits weren't the most exciting things in the world, but they were examples. And the point is-cleanign and clearing made me realize how rich I am. That I HAVE that much clothing to give away and still have a full wardrobe. That I could toss the questionable milk (it shouldn't taste like metal right?) and still have a full pantry of good fresh food.

I may not always be happy, but I recognize I am lucky.