HAPPY TOFURKEY DAY

DELAYED DUE TO COMPUTER ISSUES!

This Thanksgiving, I was invited to join friends for dinner at a restaurant over on the beach. However, I had already bought and planned my holiday meal. And I can't count on my old garage freezer to last much longer.

Last year, the day before, an elderly man in one of those motorized scooters tried to pick me up at Walmart. I was scanning the frozen food section for side dishes when he drove by. He stopped to tell me that I was very pretty. I thanked him and we started to talk. He invited me to have Thanksgiving dinner with him in his home, just the 2 of us. I politely refused. That day I happened to be wearing one of my French berets with the nipple on top. -- Those seem to really excite men of a certain generation!

Any holiday alone is a great one. I've had too many previous ones ruined by other peoples' antics and drama. Now they are custom-tailored just for me. So I'm getting out my elegant lace tablecloth and fancy dishes. I'm moving to the big formal table under the chandelier. Also I will light my pumpkin-spice & vanilla scented candles.

I decided I am finally going to cook a Tofurkey. I'm what you call a semi-vegetarian. I won't eat anything with fur, or anything considered mammal for moral and ethical reasons. I'd feel like a cannibal! I do however eat fish & fowl. Truthfully, I hate most vegetables. A platter of salad is tantamount to lawn clippings as far as I'm concerned. But I've been eager and excited for the Tofurkey experience, a more humane choice. It comes stuffed with brown rice & whole wheat bread cubes, vegetarian gravy is included.

Preparing this thing sounds almost as big a pain as cooking an actual turkey. It needs defrosting the night before and takes 1 entire hour & 30 minutes to cook. (When I'm hungry I want my meal in 6 min. or less!) It bakes in a casserole dish along with other vegetables. I'm adding small potatoes & mushrooms. I've also got a squash souffle I can cook in the microwave. For dessert, I'm having a cranberry scone. There will be enough food for about 3 meals. I can freeze the rest for later.

Last year, after my feast, I watched the 1975 film BARRY LYNDON. It was over 3 hrs. long! In 1976 I was touring Ireland. Our guide pointed out spots where scenes from the movie had been shot. I planned to see it after I returned home. I never imagined it would take me 35 years! So finally seeing this film felt kind of special.

Occasionally, I do watch something besides flesh-eating zombies & psycho killer clowns.

This Thanksgiving, I plan to watch the 3 hr. long 1960 movie LA DOLCE VITA (The Sweet Life) I've always loved the title. It's taking me 52 yrs. to get around to viewing this one. I was 9 when the movie was released. Only 1 week before Thanksgiving 1959 my family moved to our new home on the river. My life there was hardly sweet.

Now that I am alone, I revel in the holidays! Each and every one, I savor as precious.