POST-THANKSGIVING SIGH

What a week it was! On Monday evening, whilst my LH was getting an adult beverage out of the garage dorm style fridge, he yells that I should take a look at my tire.
Yikes! The wheel was cracked and an edge sticking out.
6 days earlier, I had slid into the curb on my way down our street. I also slid into the curb the very next morning as the street dept. didn't treat the road. I slid into the curb harder the 2nd time as I was going about 20 mph not thinking that they hadn't treated the street by now. I stopped at the stop sign at the bottom of the slope and made my left turn and parked the van. I got out and looked at the passenger front end and tire and didn't see a thing wrong. While I was looking, another person slid into the curb at the point I did. Seeing nothing wrong, I drove 17 miles to the church office. I drove all over the county making visits. I drove 1/2 hour to Football Hall of Fame city to make a visit and back. I drove to the Presbyterian College Town city 20 minutes in the opposite direction. For 5 days, I had been driving on that cracked wheel - highway at 65+ mph and in town, commuting 34 miles each day. I think all the driving on a cracked wheel caused it fissure more and push that piece outward. I am still giving thanks to God, that it didn't collapse while I was driving and cause anyone harm, including me.
So, that meant on Tuesday morning, a quick 2 minute drive to the dealership with service shop. They don't have wheels in stock. They will have to go pick one up somewhere and can't go til after 11 am. They drive me home while it is snowing, snowing, snowing.
I call our stated clerk and let her know I won't be in the office. Work on my sermon and service and get it all done! Yeehaw! My car is finally done very late afternoon. While I work on sermon, the turkey stock is cooking. I picked up the turkey Monday after work, since the weather report for Tuesday didn't sound good at all. That was a good call to make.
I cooked the rice.
Wednesday was a vacation day for me. I slept in til 8 am, what a luxury! Had my breakfast and coffee. Then received a call, that a parishioner had been in an auto accident the night before and was in ICU. I took care of a few things, changed into
more professional duds, and headed out the door. The roads were now clean as could be even with snow on the lawns. The street dept. had salted and plowed!
Drove down to Football Hall of Fame city and made my visit. Since, I was on vacation and in the region's shopping mecca, thought I'd look for a black sweater. Three stores later, not one in my size! Ok, so what's all this about the bad economy? Not one black sweater (to go with a skirt) in my size.
Got home and began the stuffing, the cheeseball and after dinner the Pumpkin Mousse dessert. Fortune smiled on us, as it was cold enough to keep the stuffing
in the garage. Actually, it's been too cold. We've had Dec/Jan weather for most of the month of November. What happened to some 45 degree days?
Thanksgiving Day found me up before 8, fed and let the dogs out, had breakfast and coffee. Washed the turkey, seasoned the turkey, stuffed the turkey. LH then sewed up Turkey Leaky. (Named because it leaked all over the fridge and I had major cleaning and sanitizing work the day before.)
LH basted Turkey Leaky and checked on it all day. I set the table, cleaned bathrooms, put the plate decorations out, rolled the cheeseball in pecans, put out all the serving plates and silverware. Scrubbed potatoes. Cooked and mashed potatoes, microwaved the sweet potatoes, stuck the rolls in the oven all while the turkey rested. After serving, I cleaned up the table, put stuff away, served coffee and dessert. FIL and 2 SILS left while I was decarcassing the turkey, separating human leftovers from dog leftovers. Washed and dried all the crystal, china, silverware, pots, pans,etc. I finally finished at 9 pm too exhausted and sore to put the china away.
Spent Black Friday, doing the usual Fri. grocery shopping. Then worked on my Christmas letter. Then I spent 2 hours working on the German version of the Christmas letter. (yup, I actually write 2 Christmas letters; 1 english and 1 german) The German takes longer as I cannot remember all the vocabulary and have to look up words. The grammar always needs to be checked about a day later when my mind is clear. Even then, the grammatical errors still slip through, but I believe that most of my relatives grasp what I am trying to say.
Sunday was our First Sunday of Advent service which all went very well. LH's church had an Advent Event from 3 pm- 5 pm which we attended. I wrapped several skinny teddy bears - the service project and frost & sprinkled several left-over cookies also destined for the shut-ins. I made a cranberry/popcorn string for the birds as well as a peanut butter slathered pine cone rolled in birdseed. Since it was raining all night long, those items will go out when it is drier.
Worked up my liturgies for the rest of Advent.
I think it's been quite a week with more ahead. Now, if it would just quit snowing and being so darn cold!!!