Thanksgiving

After almost a decade back in Canada I still can't seem to get the hang of Canadian holidays.

Usually I find myself echoing in my own head, someone else's inquiry as to what I'll be doing over the holiday....and in that very moment realizing it would be a holiday soon.

This year my dear sister brought me into the know how about thanksgiving with time to be prepared and even cook a turkey.

I enjoyed the time. I put the turkey in the fridge a day before the cooking process to give it a reasonable pre-thaw period. Not sure I would be able to sustain the dumping of the sink water every 30 minutes as the webpage I'd found on how to thaw a frozen turkey had instructed, I proceeded to preheat the oven and cook the turkey from frozen. this is allowed & and do-able as far as I know, I simply needed to account for the extra time required due to the still frozen parts of turkey. I gave it an extra hour and a half and it came out beautifully. It feels like its been a few years since I've had turkey. It's not a meat I tend to eat outside of thanksgiving so even if it was just last year I enjoyed it, it still tends to feel like a long time.

After I started the turkey I proceeded to boil the potatoes I had cut and peeled to make a nice mashed potatoe. I also boiled a veggie mix of carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, which I then drained and let dry a bit on sheets of paper towel to prevent their excess water from dripping into the next step - cheese sauce. I love this cheese sauce, its a family recipe. Simple yet wonderfully flavorful and the perfect treat to compliment the taste of the nicely cooked veggies.

Next I started on the gravy, and the Yorkshire puddings. These have become a family favorite for myself and I think Mike too. We never seem to have any leftover. To finish off the assortment of dishes I put the stuffing on. I've always like to enjoy my foods separate instead of mixed together. I remain glad that I did not stuff the turkey. It was frozen which made the task seems somewhat impossible, but to be honest, even if the turkey was thawed.. I've never stuffed a turkey before. I enjoy the separate flavors and textures. I suppose in that way, things worked out well for me.

The meal proceeded in courses for several hours over the afternoon. It felt good to put so much focus on food & feasting throughout the day. It's rare for me.

The snow fell as Mike and I took Penny out for a walk after the first big helping. It had stopped before we'd both returned home. I was both relieved and thankful temperatures stayed above zero for most parts of the day. Most days I woke last week to very cold temperatures. -5 one day. -10 the next.

The -10 day was the day that had allowed me time to pick up some groceries before my shift. Every difficulty felt amplified in the crisp, windy weather. I parked my car & forgot my list. It felt like the wrong day to be forgetful. I could feel the crispiness pinching away at my skin as I race back to the car, wondering why I'd parked so far away. - It was because of the ice I could see lining many of the closer parking stalls.

The cold temperatures had kept the previous days snow from melting., instead it compacted down firmly into Ice and stayed around for the next few days or until someone chipped away at it.

In the work place, extra shifts became available as the Ice imposed risks not just to drivers but also to those out walking their pets, or simply out walking.

I realize It is an important time to be extra safe & drive/walk extra slow.