Melenie arrived Wednesday  afternoon and we talked a while and then made apple cranberry sauce. She brought us apples from a farm near her house and also some winter squashes.  We used to produce so many butternuts we gave some away.  Now the rabbits  eat them almost at once and we got exactly one kabuchka this year.  Without cats being able to go out safely and our resident fox dying of mange two and a half years ago, we can’t keep the rabbits out of the lower garden.

We had a good time and I made a Greek lamb dish with our greenbeans.  Jay joined us just before supper. The next day, Melenie and I started cooking around 10:30.  Woody worked outside with Jay much of the day but then roasted the turkey on a spit.  It came out just right and very delicious and not dry at all – the curse of most people’s p.  We made a rum pumpkin pie, mushrooms Pierrot, roasted Brussels sprouts, a great improvised dressing and my version of Julia Child’s potiron tout rond –a stuffed whole pumpkin full of gruyere, etc.

Tasha made crispy squash niblets and crab cakes.  I love them and almost never get them here.  I was piggy and ate 2 ½ of them.  Dale madea a pistachio cake.  It was all a great feast.  I like leftovefs actually more than the feast itself, as the flavors often strengthen overnight and we can concentrate on them instead of making conversation. 

The boy cats had a wonderful time.  Even Willow joined in (briefly). But one thing I realized, that Woody telling me  how much stronger I am now is actually true. I remember last Thanksgiving. I left everyone at the table around 8:00 and went upstairs to lie down, as I could not keep going at all by that time. No problem this time.  We stayed up till  11 cleaning up.  I hope to see Melenie again in December.

Willow came out when Melenie arrived Wednesday – she remembered Melenie from when she herself was a tiny kitten.  She is the only other person beside the two of us who is permitted by Willow to pet her and even to rub her gorgeous white belly..

I gave Melenie the Gish Jen’s book I had just finished, RESISTERS.  I liked it a lot and thought she might well like it.  We split the leftovers with Jay and Melenie.  They are in Ptown visiting with friends there today.  We spoke just now about a possible return of our annual solstice party.

Friday I took it  easy, putting the living room back together, catching up on all I had put aside for two days.  Back to my book. Back to exercise. I watched the 49er Saehawks game I had taped, sipping through it as best I could.  I have a soft spot for San Francisco because of the good times I had there. I know nothing of what I loved still exists.  It was cheap then. Now nobody but the rich can enjoy it the way I did.  I have a soft spot for Brock their quarterback beause he was so  underrated and turned out so talented.  I think I identify with that. In collefe was not the writer that my fellow students thought would be successful.  Wrong class level [out of poverty], ill dressed, and female.