Poor Working Man...

Poor Working Man. He works harder than anyone else and he gets so many injuries. At any one time, I find myself pointing to a bruise or a cut or dripping blood in some cases and ask (stupidly I still ask), "How did that happen?" It's stupid because WM never knows. He never ever knows. He gets so many lumps, bumps, bruises...he's a very colorful man.

I love my Working Man but it baffles me that he can get injured and never know how he got it. He doesn't bruise easily so he has indeed incurred a significant amount of pain, or at least a noticeable amount of pain and has simply...not noticed it. Please, someone, tell me how this is possible and how I can get some. I don't want to feel only a little pain. Just dangerous amounts of pain. I get a paper cut and I know when and how I got it and better yet, I can tell you that it hurts until it's been sewed up tight with new skin. Am I the only one who feels every lump, bump, and bruise? Maybe I'm weak, I know WM is not.

Anyway, all that to say that WM will not soon forget what caused this:

Any guesses what caused my husband's very colorful toe? Note: This is several days after the initial incident.


This is 1300lb of Mule meets toe.


Toe never wins in this case, unless he had his steel toes on. Which he didn't. Unusually.

I think he'll be wearing those around Henry from now on.

I'm surprised it hasn't happened to me yet.

I'm also surprised it's only broken in two places and not crushed.

I'm sure it's because Henry had no shoes on.

Thank goodness Henry didn't have his steel toes on!

*Crickets chirp*

Fine. I'm done with you dear audience for you have lost your sense of humor. And your sensibilities. I know I've lost mine. Until tomorrow. When I talk to you again, not when I get my sensibilities back. Those will never return. They ran away screaming to be honest.

Flip Flop Rider

More words on snow...

With all of our flooring excitement and Thanksgiving, I didn't get a chance to finish my post on our wedding weekend. Here's some of the pretty landscape pictures I got of the snow.


Look at that snow move on the mountain!


Just in case you missed it, here it is up close.





A couple of perspective shots for you. Fun to play with the manual focus sometimes.


I think I know where Disneyland got the Matterhorn from...


Kind of old-timey expect for the bus and semi in the background.


The wind was blowing so hard that all the fresh snow was being blown off the top of the buildings.


White out, complete and utter lack of visibility.

FFR

So we ate...and we played...

When all the food was cooked, all of us sat down to a meal and then we played Pictionary.

I've never cooked for so many people before. Fortunately, MIL J did all the side dishes. I got to just face down the turkey.



For whatever reason, what I had on my plate was better than what he had on his.


Uncle R at the pictionary board.


MIL J getting ready.


And then little F steals the show, as always. Lucy is such a patient girl.


Then Little F takes to the board. I was amazed at how well this kid grasped the concept of Pictionary. His drawing skills weren't very good (probably on par with my own!) but he knew he had to draw until we guessed it.


He was told to draw a dinosaur. He also drew train tracks and chicken legs. It was really amusing.

So your host and her friends and family rolled around for several hours on Thanksgiving. I went to work in my fat pants the next day and the rest of the family got to stay home in their sweats. Alas, it is good that Thanksgiving is but once a year, we would suffer much more if it were even twice a year. Happy very late Thanksgiving from our household to yours.

FFR

That cute kid...

So I can't get over this cute kid. Here's some more for you:

His entire purpose was to get the whole cracker in his mouth.


The dogs loved him...


It was not mutual.


Notice the tongue.


Smooch!


And get away!

FFR

My First Thanksgiving Turkey...

Thanksgiving, like every other holiday, was a busy day around our house. This year I had the terrifying pleasure of cooking the turkey. I have cooked a turkey once before, but not on Thanksgiving. Believe it or not, turkeys do exist even outside of Thanksgiving. Anyway, that went well after much coaching by MIL J. So this year, she felt like she could pass the big bird on to me. Less coaching was needed this year to get the 14lb bird done, but I was definitely appreciative of what she did help me with.

I told you I would be channeling Pioneer Woman, and today I will be doing just that as I show you how to make MY turkey.

It all starts with the prep:

Four turned out to be too many for our turkey. Three would have been enough.


Cut into chunks.


Fresh garlic is key. Peeled and smashed with the flat of the knife, just once.


An onion, cut in quarters and pulled apart.


And now the bird. Wash him really good, remove any remaining feathers, and pull out his giblets and organ bags. One of these will probably be in his neck area. Once you've washed him, DRY HIM. Inside and out, very very very dry.


Then stuff his neck with the apples, garlic, and onion.


Fold over the neck skin and close as best you can. It can be really useful to use the bigger layers of onion to keep the apple in.


Now stuff his butt, and you can see how the big layers of onion can be used here like in the neck.


Put the big boy in the roasting pan on the rack.


Now for the massage...for the bird.


Take that room temperature butter and rub him over good. Cover the neck skin and get in his butt what you can without disturbing your stuffing.


Liberally salt (with COARSE salt) and pepper him.


Pour in a whole bunch of chicken broth (this is what transfers the heat according to Working Man).


Who could live without this stuff?


Wrap his wing-a-dings. We don't want them to burn.


If they don't fit, cut the wings off at the joint and toss them. No one eats them anyway.


Cook for several hours all the while basting with the chicken broth and have a beautiful turkey.

Note: The white part on his back is fault of the roaster. The lid was sitting on his back because he was too big. So that part didn't get brown. He was a mighty tasty bird though.

Next year, more garlic...maybe some on his skin. Garlic powder would be lovely.

FFR

PS: Next year, I won't eat so much...That's a lie, especially if I put on more garlic.