November Rose

 

I picked this rose on Friday . . .  it almost doesn't look real.   It's nearly December and it has been cold, but obviously not cold enough to kill this beauty.  It makes me happy.  I'm hoping it will last three more days until the first of December.

Pete and Clara and I had Thanksgiving in the City.  We made a stop in Brooklyn at Clara's new apartment in DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass).  It really is under the overpass.  The apartment is a spacious fourth floor walk up which she'll be sharing with one of her roommates from her semester in Florence.  I became very nostalgic driving in on the BQE, always our route home when we lived on St. Marks Place.  I miss the City, although I am glad not to live there full time anymore.

There's a park at the end of the street -- isn't this bench cool?  Something you would expect out in the country . . . .

You can see the Empire Street Building across the East River . . .  and the Brooklyn Bridge Park, built after we moved away, starts just around the corner.  The neighborhood is filled with great stores and bistros.  It's an exciting place to be for a new college graduate.

We had Thanksgiving dinner in Soho, at Pete's cousin's home.  They have a great loft, and after dinner we climbed five flights of stairs (burned off all that stuffing) to look at the roof top gardens.in the neighborhood.  There's a lot of magic in New York City, as well as all the yucky stuff, and I love being able to partake of that sometimes.  I guess that's one of the things I'm thankful for this year . . .

What I'm Thankful For

I am thankful last week is over! Actually, I am thankful for many things, but I made so many silly demands of myself last week, that I couldn't even think about being thankful until today.  I learned a big lesson this holiday -- my friends and family love me even if my house isn't completely finished.  Our guests didn't notice what was missing or what wasn't perfect.  They were just happy to be here.

We had a massive meal on Thanksgiving.  I planned on 20, but we ended up with 16 (see some of them above).  I cooked a 22 pound turkey, most of which is still here . . .    We started with an assortment of nuts (smoked almonds, pistachios, and mixed nuts to open yourself) and hummus with pita bread triangles.  Paul and Linda brought an assortment of cheeses and crackers, tortilla chips and guacamole, and more hummus! We had lots of vegetarians so I made lots of side dishes.

Baked Wisconsin Wild Rice (from the Odena Reservation -- a gift from Pete's parents)
Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Truffles (my favorite dish of the day)
Cippolini Onions Roasted with Thyme and Sea Salt
Swiss Chard (home grown by Pete) with Tomatoes and White Beans
Cranberry Pecan Dressing
Roasted Butternut Squash
Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic
Cranberry Relish
Spinach Salad

Claire brought:
Beet Salad
Sweet Potatoe Casserole
Sauteed Mix Greens

Tamir brought:
Tofurkey

For dessert: 2 pumpkin pies, 2 apple pies, and vanilla ice cream

We were stuffed to the gills, but managed to play a spirited game of Trivial Pursuit with questions from 1984, the year I bought the game.  The young'uns couldn't answer most of the very old school questions.

It was wonderful to be together with Pete's cousins again, although we missed Joe and Spencer, and Max and Ros and their families.  We spent many summer weekends together at their parent's home in Southampton when we were younger.  The day brought brought back fond memories for all of us.

Now I am off to make Turkey Soup, Turkey Enchiladas, and maybe Turkey Tetrazini.