Today we took it totally easy. We’d had invitations to go to friends homes for Thanksgiving and turned them down because having two whole days with nothing on the schedule seemed much more appealing. I made blueberry walnut muffins for breakfast.
Around mid-day I realized that we basically had apples and some salsa in the house. Maybe a little more than that, but still, it was not presenting any easy menu options so I ventured out to the store. To my surprise, the stores were a) open and b) no more crowded than usual.
For dinner we had lemon rice, seared ahi tuna with black pepper and sesame seeds, and sauteed mixed winter greens with a tea broth. Afterwards we watched Groundhog Day, which Rob had never seen.
There are many things in the world to be thankful for and today, I’m thankful for a chance to be utterly lazy with my husband.
If you didn’t have to be anywhere at all, how would you spend the day?
Just how I did- with my family, eating good food and enjoying each other’s company.
And yes, two days off for “whatever” is wonderful.
I begged off all plans with everyone, actually. I stayed in, ate pasta with shrimp and feta sauce, and played Bejeweled. Still am, actually. Doing my best to forget, just for today, everything that’s stressing me out/occupying every moment of my days lately. Someday it will slack off–but no end is in sight anytime soon, so this is my day OFF.
Cream of parsnip soup with jerusalem artichokes, board games with children in front of crackling fireplace, Someone else bakes the pies. Hey, that sounds familiar… it was my day!
What did Rob think of Groundhog Day? It is one of David’s favorites, and I just saw it for the first time a few months ago
Annual trek to the NC Zoo, which is one of the best in the country. It’s open, but few visitors come, especially if you get there just when it opens at nine. We started at the aviary — a tropical paradise full of orchids, palms, and exotic, brightly colored avifauna. They were relaxed and active, because of the absence of screaming hordes of children. I conversed with a Sun Bittern, whose plaintive two-note call echoed through the tall trees, and watched a Rainbow Lory crack open the shell of an almond with its massive beak, then delicately extract the nut with its tongue.
After a vigorous hike through the hilly terrain and a few more exhibit stops (the newly improved African Plains exhibit is gorgeous and brings you close enough to see numerous animals in detail without visual aids), we dined on our modest picnic before heading home.
A lovely, serene, stress-free day.
What we used to do, when we were writing Fall of the Kings and Ellen was working more than full-time at WGBH on Sound & Spirit, was tell everyone we were going to her family for Thanksgiving, then hole up in the house with the wood stove going and a pot of chicken stew and write. Sometimes we’d make duck breast and our Special Sweet Potato and Apple Thing (also known as Orange Glop) which we made up a few years ago. We were planning on doing just that this year, but got an invitation we didn’t want to turn down. I’m glad we went, but miss the Day of Complete Rest and Laziness.
I too want to know Rob’s review of Groundhog Day. I love it, but your mother thinks it is silly and hasn’t ever watched it to the end.