No turkey for us?

[Lil Leo]

On 11/19/2022 at 2:38 PM, AbabeBill said:

The Turkey (which is dry, I agree, as most do), was almost named the National bird of the United States. Who knows what we would be eating, had the turkey achieved that status. ? 

Prolly Bald eagles for Thanksgiving 

? ? ? 

[~Brian~]

as I get older, change and times change, i've learned that times have to change, and with that holiday traditions. for many many years, I would go to either my dad's my mom's for Christmas or Thanksgiving, and this year it is even different than it has been in the last 10 years, because dad isn't doing Thanksgiving, and my mom is probably going to go to my Cousins for Thanksgiving. For the first time I will spend most of both holidays by myself or with my brother mike or with my other brothers. Most times, we would end up spending Christmas or Thanksgiving together for a few hours, watch video games being played or watch TV being played, usually football, but as I age, football doesn't seem to have the same draws it used to.

So this year, i've ordered both Thanksgiving feasts. there are two organizations that are doing Thanksgiving dinner for us. one is the National Life Sodexo Food Services, and the other is the American Legion Post 10 in Barre.  I ordered two meals from sodexo, and one from the American Legion. because Thanksgiving weekend will be a long weekend for me, because I'm not going in on Saturday the 26th.  Instead, one of my colleagues will stand in for me that one day. I told her that I would probably re enter the shop the shop again the first Saturday in December. we will have to see how that goes.

Because I am the kind of guy that likes to help people in need, i'm the kind of guy that wants to make sure that everybody has what they need As much as possible. in my mind, everybody deserves the opportunity to enjoy Thanksgiving the way they want to enjoy it or to enjoy Christmas The way they want to enjoy it. This means that anyone who wants to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal should have that opportunity. We've been very blessed that we have organizations in our central Vermont area that provide the meals to those in need.

And let's not forget the one man who keeps this place running: Mikey: i'm sure that he like all of us has been that he has to pay, and sometimes the money doesn't go as far as he wants it to. if there's one thing that I have learned it is that if you give to somebody who is in need, you always feel Like you have done something nice or important or something that makes you feel good. In my mind, mikey deserves the ability to enjoy a Thanksgiving the way he wants to enjoy it, the way he wants to do it. Donating a small amount of my money will help him to do this, and and doing this makes me feel good: it's like when I have to decide how I'm going to help my community: locally, I make decisions that I can give to the church so that they can make those things happen, and even though DD is not part of my church community, it is a community, and as such we try to help people as much as we can. In my mind, giving the money that I did makes me feel good because it means that someone who is in need can do what he wants to do, and can enjoy thanks giving the way he wants to enjoy it.

We all try to make ends meet.  as times move forward, of the old adage that the grass is greener on one side of the fence: sometimes that is true, most times that is false. Each person works their hardest to do their best to make ends meet, and sometimes that is harder to do then it is to say. with a cast of using our government, inflation, unemployment,, and the price of gas and heating oil, everything is more expensive. I am very fortunate that as a young man, I learned that most times you wanna save money. my grandparents always used to have us wear sweatshirts and warm clothing when we were staying at the house. My grandfather would turn the heat up because of me or maybe my younger cousins, but after a while, I got to the point where I would know that I needed to wear warmer clothing at my grandparents house, so that they wouldn't have to turn the heat up so much.

And then there were times that we were being heated by coal: I never thought that I would see a time when things would be hotter than a regular wood stove, but man that was the time! there were times that it would be 30 below 0, and it would be about 100 by the stove, and I'd have to open the door or someone opened the door for two minutes to cool it off, but it wouldn't even phase me. There were two coal stoves in the house one in the kitchen and one in the dining room, and if those were on full blast, there was nothing you had to worry about and you could walk around and basically AT shirt and a diaper, depending on what age you were. Those were the days, when you didn't even have to worry about things and everything was taken care of for you. When you went to your grandmother's house, you didn't leave hungry: if you did you were either ill, or that was your fault! there were so much good food that I could write write a book on what it felt like to be there on a Christmas Day or a Thanksgiving Day, or even an Easter dinner

I have very fond memories of this time of year where my grandparents houses. depending on which set of grandparents I'm, different traditions were done. My grandmother baker would cook the turkey either in the oven, or in two ovens: and even and even then sometimes she would cook the turkey on the Weber charcoal Grill: and I can tell you that there has always been a soft spot for that for that: when my dad to his new house, he got himself a smoker and he got himself a Weber charcoal Grill. I'm sure now, that that particular girl has been passed down to the new generation to someone in the family, but those grills were awesome and they were always Good to us, because everything that came out of that charcoal grill was amazing. i've even remembering A time when the grill from that had to be removed so that somebody could actually add more charcoal, removed at the end of service, and then it was dropped on the grass. That day the grass was burnt rating that space for many months!

Then of course there were the times when my uncle Jack would be part of the fun! I remember as a kid, one day we slept in my grandmother's bedroom: my parents were in my grandparents bed, and I was sleeping on the floor on a foam in a sleeping bag. I'd hear this giant ho Ho Ho! and I thought it was Santa Claus! of course that was what my dad and my grandparents wanted me and my aunt Julie to believe. you see, aunt Julie believed in Santa Claus, and she had Down syndrome, so she always was a kid A kid at heart, even at age 20, 30, 40, 50, and she was still that kid at heart until she started going downhill and then not knowing where she was or who she was, ever since she broke her hip at age 51. after that, she went downhill and was not and was not the same person. Prior to that, she was always asking grammy Baker to remember to put out the Christmas cookies, or we would be singing Christmas songs or doing something that would remind us of that holiday. she died at age 53 and we buried her at 55. She will always be burned into my memory as a kid that had a disability, but she always had the mentality of a young girl, she was always mesmerized by the holiday hustle and bustle, and it reminded her of certain things that we did every year. When I think of her, I think of all the fun times I spent with her, and she would be the older of the two of us, teaching me things, but she Was the one that was more disabled than I was, but I didn't care: it was a fun time together as a family, and that's what matters to me the most.

Now here comes 2022: my mom and my stepdad are getting older, my dad is moved, and it's just not the same as it was before, and it never will be again. so I always take talk in what I have, and I'm always proud of what I know, proud of my family, proud of my accomplishments, proud of what someone else has done, and always be there for someone when they need it the Times may have changed, and the Times may be years later, but the fact that the holiday season arrives every year, while reminding me of good times, always reminds me of every year that passes: for each year that passes, my parents get one year older, and I get one year older, and my parents will get older faster than I will, because they are and their 70s while I am in my 50s. I'm not sure if my dad's health or my mom or my stepdad's health but I know for a fact that they probably think they are healthier than me, and I think that that might be a tad bit wrong. irregardless of that, my parents will be my parents all the way, they've always been there for me when I need them the most, but as time goes by I worry that some day, as everyone keeps saying one of these days i'm not gonna have them around anymore, so I have to take stock in the fact that they are here and I love them and I care about them, and I set that to my mom and my stepdad directly to their face in September. I told them that this is not the time for me or you to get into a disagreement over stupid stuff that happened 30 years ago. I told them that both of us are getting older, our bodies have changed, our times that we do things might have changed, the things we do may have changed, but we're still the same people at heart that we always will and always have been. I love my parents, and I don't apologize apologize for that, even if my parents disagree with me, or I disagree with them: I told them that I never ever ever meant to meant to disrespect them, but sometimes it gets really hard as I get older, because I don't understand why they don't understand that the most important thing is my and my ability to function, and not whether my house is the most cleanest house in the block or whether I do things the way they think I should, cause I do things away I think I want to do them and the way I want to do them. as long as I am functioning normally and I'm able to function down here, they should not worry so much. I know parents are gonna worry regardless if they're 20 or if they're 70, but I can't be worried about things that happen to me 35 years ago comment hold a grudge that continues to be something that is a Bad memory for me all my life. eventually I have to drop those bad memories off and let them die.

In 2020, I believe that was the turning point: I wasn't worried about what other people thought or what people said or what people believed: after talking to several of my support staff as well as my case management team and my medical team, I realized that I have to live the best life that I possibly can, and not worry about what everybody else thinks or what everybody else believes. I have to do what makes me happy and I have to do things that make me happy, or go places that make me happy. I can tell you from experience this week, that I went to see my father for the first time since he moved this summer: my dad moved to his new home this fall, and I spent my birthday with him at the old house for the last time. Myself and my brother probably are worried about our dad, but we know that dad will function to the best of his ability, and you will always be there for us in ways that he always has been. Dad may not be able to do much for me as far as physically, but he does things to help me emotionally and he helps me to keep my head about me, even when the world around me seems to think Crazy things about me or say things about me. he always taught me not to worry about whether the people think say or believe, and just be yourself, because that is the best way.

My dad will for example Save me quarters or nickels or dimes or pennies, and every time he has a little bit of change call me puts it into a container. he'll put that container in his dresser drawer, every time he gets more money, he'll add those picnicles or pennies or quarters to that particular container. When they get full enough, he'll put them into a styrofoam cooler, and then he will start filling up this thing With tons of coins. the last time I got a styrofoam cooler from dad for Christmas, the thing was full all the way to the top with money. I think I had over $100 in quarters and other And other money when I got done counting it. dad knows that I have fun counting that, and I'll have fun telling them how much there was there cuz he knows that's fun for me to do it might take me a few hours, but it's fun because I know that it means dad cares enough to give me such a awesome present. people may say that that might not be a good present, but to me it's like gold! I cherish everything that I can get for my parents and I cherish all the time that I can spend with them. because my dad is medically more fragile than my Step dad and my mom are, I always wonder and I'm concerned about him to a point: I know that eventually there might be a time when I get that call, but I don't worry about it because I know that if that should happen there are good people that work up at that place, and they know how to take care of people: when dad introduced me to all of his friends and all of these support stuff, I quickly gained the knowledge that these people are very professional and they know how to take care of situations, I met a few neighbors of his as well, and I'm proud to say that I am not as worried as I was two months ago: they are well taken care of.

So I wonder what I may get for Christmas this year: of course I gave my mom a list because she always asks, and she always asks about clothing sizes in the whole 9 yards. This year she made sure that I put those sizes on the list, so I gave her some things that I really wanted from Amazon for example, and then I ended up Submitting this list. it seemed that for every year that we were doing this, it got early and earlier and earlier that she would ask me for this list. It got to the point where I didn't even warn a giver a list, because I would be asking for Thanks for my birthday, which I don't give her a list for, and she would always ask me for the list in August. during the pandemic however, I gave her that list in January of 2020, because we didn't know what was going to happen with the pandemic, and we didn't want anyone getting sick. So for two years, they would come down here and drop off my Christmas gifts. i'd spend a few moments with my stepdad and I would thank them both because I knew that they love me and that That will never change. Times have changed, but my love for my family has not: sometimes it's hard to even put into words the way I feel about my family, even though some people think that I may be heartless and uncaring, but that's the furthest thing from the truth! I was always taught to be respectful of people around me, the only caveat was that they should be respectful of me colin i've taken this to heart because if someone disrespects me, my attitude changes, and their response will dictate how I respond: I even use that in response to my parents when they're yelling at me.

So to put it into perspective: my most important thing that I always want people to understand is to an enjoy the holidays with your family, doing whatever it is that you do, and if for some reason you don't have your family around you, do, do things that make you feel happy or go places that make you feel good. In times when inflation is so high, things may change so that people may not be able to afford as much as they used to, but you should always take a moment to be thankful for what you do have, and I am glad that I have my home, A comfortable bed, food to eat, A job that I can do that I leave every week for, and friends that I can call to talk to if I need them. I'm also thankful that I'm able to come to the conclusion that the best thing that I can do is to be happy rather than worry about everybody else's ills. being that I am as old as I am, I don't want to relive everything that happened 30 years ago, because it's just not practical. If everybody kept score about everybody else's actions then it would be a boring life, and everybody would probably be owing somebody else something. I'm just glad that I am who I am, that I'm able to help people, that I love as many people as I do, and I am loved by as many people as I am.

So I'm thankful that I'm able to sit here and dictate this to you all: I am thankful that I am still able to be the person I wanna be and that I'm doing what I want to, and I'm doing it in an appropriate manner so no one can come after me and say i'm doing something wrong. i'm thankful that I'm able to take negatives and turn them into positives, and I'm also glad that I'm able to get rid of negative influences to the extent possible, because I don't need somebody that is a grumpy pants trying to ruin my holiday season. I still miss the relatives that I don't see anymore, or that are no longer with us, but I always will remember their smiling faces and the good times and all of the good things that we did together during the time that they were here. I cherish and relish those times, because there are times that will never be able to be recreated again, which is why new traditions must be made every time major changes in your family's happen.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and may you all be safe happy and healthy!

Brian

[DailyDi]

Thanks again to those of you who helped Mom and I afford Thanksgiving dinner! We had a moist and delicious turkey breast, dressing with cranberries and whipped butternut squash. All that was missing is pie....

Pie is tricky in our house, as we have different tastes. Mom would prefer a pumpkin or Dutch apple pie, where as I go for pecan pie. Some years we by both, but I always feel guilty as I only eat a slice or two and the rest gets wasted. Mom on the other hand will finish her pie and feel guilty about it later lol.

[Little Cub Pants]

3 hours ago, DailyDi said:

Thanks again to those of you who helped Mom and I afford Thanksgiving dinner! We had a moist and delicious turkey breast, dressing with cranberries and whipped butternut squash. All that was missing is pie....

Pie is tricky in our house, as we have different tastes. Mom would prefer a pumpkin or Dutch apple pie, where as I go for pecan pie. Some years we by both, but I always feel guilty as I only eat a slice or two and the rest gets wasted. Mom on the other hand will finish her pie and feel guilty about it later lol.

Well good! I'm glad you had a nice Thanksgiving Mikey!????♥️? Did you have any rolls to go with the dinner?!?♥️?????☺️?? And I'm SO happy I could help you out this year!???? Oh, and how was the turkey breast?!???????☺️? What's a peanut butter squish?!??????♥️?

[DailyDi]

Turkey breast came out great! Peanutbutter squish sounds gross lol.

[~Brian~]

6 minutes ago, Little Spider said:

Well good! I'm glad you had a nice Thanksgiving Mikey!????♥️? Did you have any rolls to go with the dinner?!?♥️?????☺️?? And I'm SO happy I could help you out this year!???? Oh, and how was the turkey breast?!???????☺️? What's a peanut butter squish?!??????♥️?

@DailyDi @Little Spider

I am also glad that you had a nice Thanksgiving. one of the things that I want to make sure happens is that best of my ability when possible, that I take care of people People who take care of me or us. Mikey, you work so hard and you do so much for everyone in the community, so it is a no-brainer that the best way to help a friend out is to help them when they need it the most. if there's one thing I can't stand it's a situation where someone May not be able to enjoy the holiday the way they want to. In your case, giving to you or helping you is a way that I can give you something something that you need, because you give us a place to hang out and enjoy ourselves.

I've always been taught that if you can you should always help those in need: in this case you are a friend in need, and you are a friend indeed, so it's no problem for me to help you when I can. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner the way you the way you wanted to, with your mother. I know that yesterday I had pumpkin pumpkin pie for dessert, and I have another piece in there for later today. I also have Another Thanksgiving dinner that I ordered the other day, and I will have that later on. this way I have enough food to last me through the holiday, and I can enjoy Turkey for at least two days.

It is always a pleasure to help you sir! especially when I can make sure that your holiday is happy: hopefully you will be able to enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, And do things that you want to do to help you relax. One of the good things about this holiday weekend is that last night when I went to bed, I was so darn comfortable that I didn't want to get up, and I'm still in that condition now.

Thank You for all you do Mikey! it is appreciated!

Brian

[Little Cub Pants]

16 minutes ago, DailyDi said:

Turkey breast came out great! Peanutbutter squish sounds gross lol.

Oh it was a peanut butter SQUASH! Oh okay, I read that wrong. Now it makes a LOT more sense.??? Did you have any rolls Mikey?!?????

[AbabeBill]

1 hour ago, Little Spider said:

Oh it was a peanut butter SQUASH! Oh okay, I read that wrong. Now it makes a LOT more sense.??? Did you have any rolls Mikey?!?????

No, I think he said butternut splash!  ? Why would you eat something squash ? ? lol

[DailyDi]

4 hours ago, Little Spider said:

Oh it was a peanut butter SQUASH! Oh okay, I read that wrong. Now it makes a LOT more sense.??? Did you have any rolls Mikey?!?????

BUTTERNUT squash No rolls, didn't get a chance to pick any up.

[Crinklz Kat]

7 hours ago, DailyDi said:

Pie is tricky in our house, as we have different tastes. Mom would prefer a pumpkin or Dutch apple pie, where as I go for pecan pie. Some years we by both, but I always feel guilty as I only eat a slice or two and the rest gets wasted. Mom on the other hand will finish her pie and feel guilty about it later lol.

I know one of the store chains here has cake by the slice.  Never looked to see if they have pie by the slice.   I'm not really a fan of pie anyway... rather have the cake!

[~Brian~]

2 minutes ago, DailyDi said:

BUTTERNUT squash No rolls, didn't get a chance to pick any up.

@DailyDi

Butternut squash sounds more believable than peanut butter squash! although it might taste good if you put peanut butter in it, I don't think it tastes very good if you were eating it out of dinner table, unless of course that was a dessert delicacy that you're not sure of. I love the idea that you can enjoy Thanksgiving and the food that you can eat but I have to be careful too coz I don't want to overeat.

As I said before I am glad that you and your mom are able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner the way you wanted it. you might not have been able to get a couple of things, but at least you are able to have your Turkey and eat it too, with the one person that you would want to probably be with and that is your mom. My mind makes pretty good food, in the last two years she's brought me some, but she cut back severely after this incident that happened a couple summers ago. i'm not sure exactly what will happen, but I know That I will enjoy my holidays regardless of what happens. I don't want my holidays to be turned into dark clouds because somebody decides to be a meanie pants: I told my cousin that the other day and I just said that I wanted to make sure I had fun, regardless of what happens I am not gonna be Superman trying to do things that are hard for me to do. It's also not very comfortable because you're in pain or you're trying to do something and you're forcing your body to do something you don't Feel like doing but you do it anyway. pain is something that you and I know a lot about, and it sucks!

let us know in December what you plan on putting up for your wish list! if if I have enough left you may just find that I will make sure that You may get something on your wish list. I was always taught to be generous To those that help out others, and we both do that for a living. You help me by allowing me to be a user here and be in your cyber house, and I help you by making sure that you have what you need, because you work so hard. I'm glad that you're able to enjoy The holidays in your own way. I look forward to the Christmas holiday and see what happens, but we'll have to see!

maybe I'll call my dad like the second or third week of December and see what he's up to, and then just go up see him for a couple hours like I did this past month period I had a lot of fun that day and I enjoyed having dad around and I talked to him a lot cause I miss him. it's kinda hard when you don't have your mom and your dad around like they used to be, but being older and being that they Are running their own lives, they have their own things they do, it makes it easier cause I know both of them are happy in what they're doing. being able to spend time with your family is important if you can, and always try to. I will probably end up talking to dad in the next couple weeks because I want to see how he's doing.

Brian

[Little Cub Pants]

43 minutes ago, DailyDi said:

BUTTERNUT squash No rolls, didn't get a chance to pick any up.

Oh that's right BUTTERNUT squash! I CAN'T read today. LOL!???? I think I am REALLY becoming a baby.???

[AbabeBill]

32 minutes ago, Little Spider said:

Oh that's right BUTTERNUT squash! I CAN'T read today. LOL!???? I think I am REALLY becoming a baby.???

Just for Little Spider,

[zzyzx]

12 hours ago, DailyDi said:

Pie is tricky in our house, as we have different tastes. Mom would prefer a pumpkin or Dutch apple pie, where as I go for pecan pie. Some years we by both, but I always feel guilty as I only eat a slice or two and the rest gets wasted. Mom on the other hand will finish her pie and feel guilty about it later lol.

@DailyDi:  Don't know if you have something like Shari's near you.  I believe they will sell pie by the slice, even for take out.  I do know they will sell whole pies to go.....  Ah, and it looks like this is a regional restaurant, so maybe you don't have a good option near you.

[feralfreak]

just get a couple of those little .75 cent pies from walfart, one for each

[Little Cub Pants]

5 hours ago, AbabeBill said:

Just for Little Spider,

Mmmm! That looks tasty!?????? DEFINITELY brings out my BABY side!???♥️?☺️??♥️????

[ValentinesStuff]

11 hours ago, DailyDi said:

BUTTERNUT squash No rolls, didn't get a chance to pick any up.

So it was crunchy peanut butter squash?

[rusty pins]

Ok, it really doesn't matter.  It starts out as Squash and ends up as Squish in your diaper after you eat it!

[Babygeebee]

1 hour ago, rusty pins said:

Ok, it really doesn't matter.  It starts out as Squash and ends up as Squish in your diaper after you eat it!

It's the buttered nuts that has me concerned. 

[rusty pins]

Better that than if you lived in England and had "Spotted Dick"

[ValentinesStuff]

3 minutes ago, rusty pins said:

Better that than if you lived in England and had "Spotted Dick"

A little penicillin will clear that up.

[ValentinesStuff]

2 hours ago, Dee Cee said:

By…gove , that’s sounds splendid , spotted Dick , and Dezz , Nuts ! Sounds like something a , bloody Englishman , might say !   I think they eat all kinds of weird, shit over there ! But I have heard that the queen , likes  Dezz , Nuts , and she likes them often , too ! 

 

I am very sorry , I’m not up on all the new … language, but just what is …nonbinary … mean , or do ? Sounds like something I have never in countered ?! ? !  Agh , todays world , it’s almost as if I was in a coma , fer the last …decade or so !

 

No problems.

 

I am asexual, not attracted to anyone, and agender, I don't identify as male or female.

 

Nonbinary covers a lot that isn't just male or female.