This thread was a lot of fun. Makes me nostalgic for the old Mudcat, but things change and life goes on, and newer folks are here now and happy with Mudcat as it is today.

That is OK, just as it is ok for me to be nostalgic and to miss 'seeing' the many folks who posted here back then. Especially miss the playful humor.

10 years later. For myself, life is very different now in many respects. Divorced. Son grown. In-laws and my father gone. Mom not able to manage the drive here to be together, and me not willing to go away for the Holiday to WV and abandon my retail working young adult son.

Used to be in the kitchen or the kitchen garden if I wasn't at work or asleep. I divorced several years ago. My son is now a young adult and moved out with his girlfriend 2 years ago. I have worked 2 jobs and 50-65 hours a week for the past several years and have rarely touched the stove since he moved out. I admire people who cook for themselves, but I am not one of them. I need more than my own audience to enjoy cooking.

Stressing again for the past 4 days and busy planning, prepping, brining, baking. Crazy as a bat that everything is not going to turn out perfectly and fixing enough food to feed 14 when there will only be four - my son and a good friend and his adult daughter. Had a pretty simple menu planned. Checked with my son and he said, and meant, that was fine - but I saw the longing in his face for time consuming, complex holiday dishes associated with his childhood, and made the *mistake* of texting to say, "if you prefer" and he did, given a choice.

I'm exhausted from staying up late to do prep work over the past 5 days.

And, absolutely delighted to be so engaged.

Now, in what dark recess of a cabinet did I stow the turkey baster....?