A Plan

 I love gravy at Thanksgiving and Christmas or any time that I have turkey and dressing. I cannot stand at the stove long enough to brown the oil and flour. I don't need a lot of gravy. The mixes and bottles of store gravy are just not getting it for me. 

Remember how well Tommy makes white sauce? Well, a little bit of oil and some flour are all I need along with ground sage and some pepper. So, this is the plan. He can sit on his walker and stir the gravy, making sure it is smooth and that it does not brown. I don't even care if it is smooth! Lumpy gravy works. 

In my state, I must plan ahead! Food is a big part of most holidays. I don't cook as many things as I did for holiday meals in the past. I do have a turkey breast in the freezer gotten the first of the year and a bag of Ocean Spray Cranberries in the freezer. I can have Thanksgiving dinner with no shopping. Of course, I will shop for good prices, but that might be after the holidays. 

So, that is the plan--homemade gravy. I have not made gravy in years. I will freeze the flour and oil mixture and finish it just before eating it. 

There are other plans that I will share with you later. Now, I am going down for a nap.

Okay, I took a short nap. 

Tommy was eating his dinner he heated. Well, Microwave Man may have learned something. I asked how was his steak. He said he thought he reheated it too long in the microwave. He said it was tough. I did not say "I told you so" or remind him of what I have told him. I am having chicken breast, with cheddar and broccoli with carrots. 

Today, other than a lack of sleep last night, I feel better. This is how allergies go with me, causing me to end up ill and needing an antibiotic.I awoke Tuesday with malaise and no symptoms of illness.

Once upon a time, not too many years ago, I was capable of starting on Wednesday, and by Thursday, I had cakes, pies, turkey and dressing, gravy with giblets, potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce and half a dozen other sides ready to eat. Now? Not so much. I don't have energy. Of course, over the years I got smart and cooked a few things ahead, like cakes and pies.

This is a new plan, making the roux for gravy and freezing. It is the first time I have ever had anyone do the stirring and browning. And, it is the first time Tommy has made gravy. Of course, I will add broth and pan drippings  and diced, boiled eggs for the final product. 

Do you have any long-term plans for cooking ahead of time for Thanksgiving Day? Do you cook differently now than you did years ago?

A Long, Tiring Day Full of Smoke

Early Tuesday, Tommy uncovered the plants he kept safe with plastic bags. The front of the house is in shade until noon, so there was no chance of the sun and plastic bags ruining the plants. Wednesday evening, he recovered them as we are expecting below freezing weather once again.

I washed my hair and ate the scrambled eggs I had cooked the night before. After I bathed and threw on clothes, we left. A spectacular vehicle fire slowed traffic and we arrived just in time to get lunch. 

Wednesday, we went to the pickup lunch in Cullman and picked up a lunch...lol. We had spaghetti, bread, and salad. We ate all the spaghetti, a bit of the salad, and a bit of the bread. Since he had called and found out the menu, I took parmesan cheese for mine. 

The next program was under a pavilion about 80' x 40 '. The floor was concrete with an open space about 6 feet wide running down the middle. It was full of rocks and covered with plywood. A portion of the plywood was uncovered. In the opening were large logs burning. Where we sat, the smoke and ash made it almost impossible to breathe. The ash covered the new sweater I wore. My eyes and others' eyes were stinging. After about 45 minutes, the wind died down and changed direction. I was miserable. 

I had worn my mask the whole time since nice fall days with falling leaves are almost lethal to me with asthma. Finally, I held my sweater over my face. 

The director of the center is a great niece of a friend of mine in Cullman. She and several other people helped me with food, well, putting my pouch of food in the fire and then retrieving it. 

The program at the agriplex was cooking over an open fire. I had repeated to Tommy the purpose was building an open fire. The showed us how to make a pouch from foil, heavy duty foil. It was pretty easy, but lots of people had trouble. When we had the pouch made, we went to fill it with vegetables. I took carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, mushroom, one piece of onion, clove of garlic. There were also diced red peppers, Conecuh sausage. I passed on those. Tommy took sausage and Worcestershire. There were multiple seasonings--soy, Worcestershire, pepper, salt, other ground seasonings. I just used water.

Tommy's pouch did not make it. His burned and everything spilled. Of course, I shared mine. We could have flavored water of some sort from a dispenser or bottles of water. We chose water. 

At the beginning, water was boiling on the fire. Boxes of elbow macaroni were dumped in and cooked. Later, a bag of shredded cheese was added. 

For dessert we had banana boats. A banana and foil were used. The banana had a small strip of the skin removed but left connected. A portion, a little strip of the banana was removed. In the little trench there were goodies to put in for the boat. I chose chocolate chips. I think there were peanuts, other nuts, marshmallows, and various other items that I don't remember. Wrapped in foil, too, the boat was place amongst the coals. 

It was all delicious. I had shared some of my vegetables with Tommy and still brought some home. I brought most of the banana boat home. I ate most of it on the way home. The leftovers of mac and cheese and the vegetables made it home. 

When we first arrived, I told the director we had three butternut squash to share. She called the person in charge of gleaning who retrieved them from the car. I did not even know there was a person in charge of gleaning. So, those were not wasted. 

I went to the store with Double Luck greens beans for $0.69/can and bought ten with date of October 2023 and two 48 oz cans of Argo peaches with a date of Nov. 2025. 

Getting my mail was at top of the list of things to do. Well, we forgot it! I need to go back Friday, so I suppose it will last until then. There was nothing appealing in the ads from this small store. 

We did nothing else at all. I did not even have to go to bathroom. We arrived home by 3:30 pm and I took a nap from 5-7 pm. When I awoke, Tommy had had the second plate of spaghetti and a salad we got, and I had mine and the salad I started at lunch. The bread I bought home is still here. 

The highest temperature was almost 60F, but we were hot in the car and hot at the event outdoors. Our seats were in the sun and the fire was in front of us. With sun it was a warm and pleasant day. 

There was one question and a prize of a thermos for the answer to one question--when is the first evidence of fire being used to cook food. Answer--1.9 million years ago. Neither of us guessed right. 

The smoke smell is still in my hair. It is going to be rough sleeping with it all night. I hope all my meds, pills, nose sprays, and inhalers for allergies work tonight so I will not wake ill tomorrow! 

When was the last time you cooked over a open wood fire? When was the last time you cooked on an open wood fire with a foil pouch? When was the last time you were exposed to wood fire smoke?! Does smoke affect your health? 

Susie, how is Fritzi?

Lunch with Friends

Wednesday, we went to Cullman. Lunch was the first order of the day.  It was too windy to eat outdoors, so we picked up lunches at the church for our friends that go to the lake with us for lunch. They invited us to eat at their house since they knew how careful we are. Their grown grandchildren won't come into their house for fear they will give covid to two nonagenarians. 

It was a very congenial visit. Soup and salad was the lunch. Tommy ate both the soups and I ate both the salads. There were peas in the soup. We had two more of these meals for our Wednesday dinner. Scrambled eggs will be my protein. Tommy's soup has a lot of meat and smelled delicious, but had too much heat for me.  I don't need more fiber today. 

We went to PO, my lot, and two grocery stores--bananas at one and for $0.69/can green beans at the other along with a 2 lb. bag of cornmeal for $0.99. 

I went into AT&T to try to get a new phone for 5G use. No, no flip phones there that are 5G. However, I did pay my bill so my phone would be turned on. Since I have auto pay, I am not sure why my service was turned off. I did not want to debate with them, just turn on my phone! Done. Now, to find the free 5G flip phone AT&T keeps offering me. 

The daffodils that were poking their green shoots at New Year's visits are now fully bloomed. I forgot pick them to bring them home.  My allergies bothered me Wednesday, so I could not have had them in the car. Daffodils are one thing that triggers my allergies. 

When I had my battery replaced in a store in town, I remembered they carried canning items. their lids and rings were expected in six weeks. Well, they were in stock when I checked this week. I bought two boxes of lids and rings. I have had no trouble finding canning jars, but the lids and rings were nowhere to be found. Now, I have enough with what came on the jars. 

Dinner on Friday night--pork loin chop, Tommy had cabbage and blackeyed peas, I had coleslaw with my pork. 

Have you had trouble with AT&T? What carrier do you use? What is your experience with carriers?

Wednesday

 On Tuesday, Tommy told me one of the hummingbirds was within a foot of the door while he was standing there. On Wednesday, he told me to look, and there was a hummingbird right at the door. I think they have finally figured out we fill the feeders. So, washing and filling at least one feeder is on the immediate agenda. 

I think I am in a slow decline toward a complete breakdown toward my October allergies. Last week before my birthday, we had plans. They never happened! You may have noticed. Hopefully, my new allergy/sinus med will clear my ears and stop the pain I have had for eleven months! 

As for a little trip, Tommy told me he did not think he could go anywhere. He told me this summer that  the trip to Memphis for my hs reunion was too hard on him. It is only 244 miles. So, not so far. Besides, I did not want to travel that far. It appears the little excursions we planned in 2020 won't happen unless I drive. That is still possible. 

He wants to get in the car and drive too far and turn around and come back. He is reluctant to spend money on a motel room! But, I had him convinced, so now he cannot drive so far. Oh well. 

Some of the coat hangers that come with clothing is very helpful. Some are not helpful at all. I had two of those and decided to make chip clips of them. These hard plastic hangers are hard to cut. Well, I don't have anything left to easily cut them. However, I decided to try my soldering iron. It cut through the plastic like butter. I only cut one because I cut it in the house. bad idea. The fumes are awful. So, when I get outside with an extension cord, I can have three more clips. 

Tommy uses binder clips; I use clothes pins. But, these are to replace the clothes pins. As I was admiring my handiwork with the soldering iron, I surmised I could use the clips on a clothes line. So, I transformed trash to a useful item. 

Have you ever separated these clips from the hanger in order to use elsewhere than holding clothes? For what do you use them?

I had other things to say, but I forgot what those things were. 

Resident Alien

 Two new series are on tv. One is a keeper. The other we don't like. If you have not seen Resident Alien, you are missing a hilarious story of an alien sent here to kill everyone on earth. I won't go into the rest of the plot. It is a comedy on syfy. The other is Debris on NBC. Tommy does not like it and I don't think I will either! Debris from a space ship falls to earth, all I know. 

I passed on dinner, having only meatballs and one piece of 76% cacao. Maybe some strawberries. Oh, I had one bite of carrot and one bite of cabbage. 

Monday, I may have overdone the pedalling. So, today, I will dial the time back to five minutes. I just need rest now.

Have you seen Resident Alien? Debris?