Thanksgiving is on Thursday. It is the cook's holiday, and I intend to make the most of my opportunities this year (I started a set of no bake cookies last night, because easy things were all I had energy for after work and rehearsal). And while the holiday is only a single day, the spirit of being thankful is supposed to last all year long. Many people I know have celebrated a month of thanks, a laudable notion, though I've been having a hard time committing to anything other than the show.
In no particular order, I'm thankful for:
1. My husband. He's put up with my constant absense for the show and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We aren't the neatest people, but the house hasn't devolved into nothing but mess in my absense either. It's good to get home and not immediately want to pull my hair out with the amount of cleaning that needs to be done.
2. Victor. Mr. Victor McBarknsniffs is our little general. (Note: that page is also my husband's fault.) Lately he's been staying in his crate to snooze in the mornings for as long as possible. I cannot completely blame him for that. I think I will get a lot of sleep on December 2nd, because that's pretty much what I took the day off for.
3. Saru-chan. Saru-chan is my furry little monkey cat. She is soft and will cuddle next to me when I start making waking up sounds in the morning. I love petting her and getting monster purrs. (Note: that page is also my husband's fault.)
4. Warm woolies. It got cold yesterday, and my new mittens helped immensely. The same could not be said for my scarf, but it wasn't the scarf's fault. It cannot warm me if it isn't with me.
5. The internet. While I do love my cookbooks, the internet is a veritable treasure trove of tested recipes with full color (and black and white) photos. And while there are recipes from published books and magazines, the greatest ones are the people who just make things and tell us how they did it. Their own recipes from their own heads. While Smitten Kitchen is my favorite, I read a ton of food blogs and they all make this time of year easier.
6. Leftovers. Good food choices are always easier when there is good food to be had. Nom, nom, nom. Right now we're almost out of leftovers from the birthday party, which is good because how else are we going to fit the thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge otherwise?
7. The cast and crew of Sorcerer. No matter how much we are doing prayer hands or bobbing up and down, the good humor and intensity of the group makes the long hours worth it. The show has also been a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with people I haven't seen since the first show I've done.
8. The heat. Oh, natural gas, how do I love you. I wish you were more environmentally sound, but once it starts getting cold I have to admit that I stop caring about the environment as much as I ought.
9. The piles of leaves. We did some raking and there is definitely more raking in our future. Rake, rake, rake. The current piles and bags and barrels of leaves are an indication that we did work over the weekend. It might not be glamorous, but at least we are attempting to do the useful things home owners do.
10. My kitchenaid (and new island). This was a group gift from my friends and it is a near constant companion in the kitchen. The kitchen island might not be in the best spot, but it lets me interact with people in the living room while still doing useful things in the kitchen. I have about 4 more recipes that will use the kitchenaid this weekend, so thank goodness for this tool. So darn useful.
