Leavening

For some reason my back hurt so I could not stand to mix the pumpkin pie. I decided I would just sit at the table. But, the process called for my new hand mixer. So, I nixed that. We ate about 5:30, much earlier than Tommy likes to eat, but on Thanksgiving he was eager to eat early. It was all delicious if I do say so.

I ended up buying two little cartons of McCormick gravy. Two diced boiled eggs made it better. Some of the dark juice from the hen made it taste almost homemade, right down to the lumps. The hen was cooked in a cooking bag which requires flour in the bag, so the flour and juices were almost like homemade.

For some reason the cooking bag broke and juices were stuck to the pan. Those were brown, hence the brown gravy taste. The hen was well-done and juicy.

Even though we both ate moderately and did not have seconds, I was stuffed. And, I did not go back for seconds, a first for me. And, we had no dessert.

Yesterday or the day before, forgot which, he got all his papers off the table. I cleaned it with soapy water and then with vinegar. It is a round table with smoky glass which made the room gloomy. Plus, he had the table located under the light fixture so that the light would shine on one person's head, creating a shadow for eating. I asked him to help me move the table where it would be located right. He said the table was in the center of the room like it should be, that the fixture was not correct.

Then, I pointed out that he would not hit the table or have to go around it if the table were under the fixture. He denied this was the problem. He never thinks things through. So, I got in there Wednesday night and moved it myself. Maybe that is why my back hurts. I washed and dried one of the blankets we got at the dinner last week. It was a light blue buffalo check in a rough weave. Now that I put it on the table, it actually seems more like a tablecloth than a blanket even though it has fringe on two sides. I was going to get out his Blue Willow dishes, wash and use them. But, he had a screaming fit about something else, so we just used paper plates.

Thanksgiving was pleasant until about 4 pm, then it disintegrated. I did not yell or raise my voice. He went from pleasant to screaming in about 3 seconds. We did have fun watching the Thanksgiving Day parade. He has asked me what I want to watch lately, but I know it is because he wants to watch the Iron Bowl...lol. In Alabama I would never try to come between a man and the Iron Bowl. He probably has a whole lineup for Saturday.

Just cooking a hen instead of a turkey was the best decision I have made. I had to half throw and half drop it into the oven. Tommy had trouble getting it out. His walker had to be in front of him and between the stove, so he had a reach to even grab it. He can pick up four pounds. I cannot.

At Publix, I needed baking powder in case I got the energy to bake a chocolate pound cake, but was searching the shelves in the baking aisle when an employee asked if she could help me find something. I said, "Yes, I need, I need ...." "Baking powder" had fled my mind. "Leavening," I said. She and two other employees declared they had never heard of that and doubted they carried it. My mind pulled "baking soda" from its recesses. Then, they did not know if they carried that brand. UGH When I explained "leavening" was used in baking to make things rise, they were amazed.

Then, they asked why the one I chose was better. I explained it had been implicated in dementia but may have been disproven. At any rate, the aluminum leaves a bitter taste in biscuits.
So, this was my little lesson.

Today, we are going out to find a mattress cover that will keep allergens from my face and being breathed by me. I have problems every day with allergies.

Did you watch the dog show after the parade. I did and had my favorites. What was your favorite dog breed? Mine is always a Border Collie.