Never again...

will I go to a restaurant on Thanksgiving day! Ever again! I'm not saying it's a bad thing for everyone, just me. And it was sort of my fault.

My sister is coming next week for a few weeks. I just thought we should wait til she got here to have Thanksgiving. Like a real family meal with more family. Because my daughter Abby and her husband Jason have to hurry and go to his parents at 4 to eat again, so they are rushed. Sounded like a good idea.

So then my mom decided we should go out for Thanksgiving. It was just going to be me, my husband and her. Then Tuesday, we talked about going on Wednesday instead, but we never totally sealed that deal. I was thinking that'd be better anyway, if we were going to go out. So on Wed. afternoon, mom called wondering where I was. I said home, why? She said we were supposed to have gone out to eat. And she fell asleep on the couch anyway. I said I never did get a for sure, so forgot about it.

So we ended up eating at Cracker Barrel on Thanksgiving day. At 11 am. With 523,324 other people and their whole families. It was CRAZY!! Seriously! I mean, OMG, it was crazy! People everywhere. Couldn't even get inside. Mom of course got there at 10:30, so she worked her way inside to get our name in. Then she got back outside and waited for us. We had our oldest grand daughter with us. And our youngest daughter Abby came too.

So we waited. And waited some more. Then we heard mom's name called over the loud speaker! It took us 5 minutes to get in to the desk. Then another 5 minutes to get to the table. She put us 5 people at the biggest round table in the back front. We were so far apart, we couldn't even talk.

Then they didn't have baked sweet potatoes or seasonal veggies. That's what I wanted. So ended up with chicken salad and apple slices on lettuce. Mom and Tiny had the turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie.

Anyway, I said that was my first time ever in a restaurant on Thanksgiving day and it would be my last. But mom said when me and my brother were littler, before my sister was born, we were in Ga. visiting family. Mom said she wanted to go back to Calif. It was near Thanksgiving. We had to stop at the only place open that day. It was a fish place. So we had fish and chops. I never knew that. So 2 times I ate out on Thanksgiving.

Long story, I know. Sorry. But there are several things I am thankful for. Like right now, walking on dry ground with regular shoes on. Not sloshing through mud with knee high boots. That will come next week though.

And a few really nice days. Nice enough to not have the wood stove going.

And I found a new nest where the hens are laying. Right on the very top of the round hay bale! perfect. They also lay eggs in the hay bales in the milk room.

It's supposed to be nice tomorrow for the 1st day of the holiday market at Cloudland Station! Maybe a 30% chance on Sunday. Maybe that will go down too.

I am all packed and ready for this weekend! I made 7 new soaps. Plus those I already had made.

And Olga is much better. A friend called after seeing her picture last week and told me some things I should do for her. She's looking much better. The scab fell off today. I think she'll make it. And I hope, if she is pregnant, that she won't lose the kids.

So I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. And have a wonderful weekend too!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL!!!!!

Goofy Alpaca

I got all the kale I could get from the garden this morning. Then let the sheep and alpacas out in it. They could actually have gotten in there any time if they'd tried, because the fence leading out there wasn't even attached. But they are sheep. And alpacas. And not the brightest of God's creatures.

Can you see Sugar, the white alpaca? Can you see where he is? Not with the others in the garden. He could not figure out how to get out there. And he's right beside the opening to the right of him. But no, he was not going through.

He was making that sad alpaca noise the whole time, watching the others.

                                                                 He ran this way...

                                                                            and that way...  

                           

                                                                     What a mess he is!

                                       Then finally, he figured it out! It was really simple, he said.

                                                      And all is well in the kingdom again!

I picked a bunch for the goats too, just to be fair. They love kale and it's so good for them. I already have some in the freezer. Plus the electric fence is around the older kale and the collards. So I can still pick it for a long time to come.

I'm kinda bummed about this weekend. Looks like rain, rain, and more rain both Saturday and Sunday. Both days of the holiday market at Cloudland Station. Even though the "artisans" will be inside the barn, people do not like walking in the rain. I hope it passes over us.