My Thanksgiving was pretty quiet and calm, except for the part where I had to run to the supermarket for a meat thermometer while the bird was cooking! My brother had ordered a pre-cooked, heat-it-yourself meal from the market (to feed 6-8 people – the order was placed before my other bro went into the hospital and our gathering was reduced by half!); he had asked me to pick it up, take it to his house and heat it while he drove to the retirement center/medical facility to pick up our father. Only when I took the turkey out of the wrap and read the instructions did I realize that I needed a meat thermometer, and brother and father were already on the way! Luckily the supermarket still had some thermometers in stock, so a crisis was averted. :^)

Also luckily, my father was relatively lucid that day, so we all had a pleasant conversation without too many side trips into the fantasyland of his dementia. He told some stories from his time aboard a battleship during WWII; I have no idea what percentage of the tales were truth and what percentage were delusion, but it really doesn't matter. The important thing is that he was talking and not ranting! After my bro drove Dad back, bro and I spent the evening relaxing and watching TV before I took home 'WAY too many leftovers – I'll never eat them all before they spoil!

My other brother, the one who was in the hospital, was released last Friday and is recuperating at home ...with lots of Thanksgiving leftovers to eat, donated by his neighbors and colleagues! He'll still be pretty inactive for the next couple of weeks but hopes to start physical therapy on his legs afterward. We're all acutely aware that the blood clots are still in his lungs, so there's still the possibility that they could dislodge and cause further damage, but his condition is as stabilized as possible so we're all hoping for the best. Thanks, everybody, for your thoughts for him!

Here's hoping that the Christmas/Hanukah/Ramadan/Solstice/Kwanzaa/Boxing Day holidays are a time for happy gatherings, pleasant memories and bright hopes for everyone at Mudcat! Be well, all,
Sharon