Cassie-b

The end of my corporate career

I have just completed my first week of being a stay-at-home wife (thanks to being laid off).  It has been just great.  The main thing I have to learn to do now is to stop rushing.  I have time. 

Our Christmas preparations are way ahead of schedule.  And I’ve really enjoyed getting things done with time to spare. 

I’ll be out of work for a good while, with severance and other benefits.  Then it will be a decision whether I want to go back to work or not.  Staying at home is very tempting.  And volunteer work is always available.  Only time will tell.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Applesauce -

I’m canning applesauce for the second time this year. The first batch was a bushel of apples, and this is another bushel.  I think this is the end for this year.  It’s quite a bit of work, but the applesauce is so very good. 

I don’t do a lot of canning, but I have a few things I manage to can each year.  Applesauce, Vidalia onion relish, and blueberry jam. 

I don’t know if the results are worth all the work, but I keep on doing it.

Now that I’m not working, maybe I can finish the job in just one day, rather than spreading it out over three days!

My recipe is simple: cook the cored and sliced apples till they are soft, run them through a food mill or seive to get rid of the skins (or cook them peeled, but then you lose that pretty rosy color), then freeze or can them.  I don’t add anything, but I do like to use at least 2 kinds of apples, at least one of them a tart cooking apple.

A New Phrase - At Least to Me

Mouse Potato

slang : a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer

This is a phrase I haven’t heard before,
but I believe there are many people of all ages with the symptoms.

THE PILGRIMS FEAST

As I was starting to prepare the dishes we are bringing to Thanksgiving dinner, I took a moment to check up on the first Thanksgiving feast.

Foods Available to the Pilgrims for their 1621 Thanksgiving

FISH: cod, bass, herring, shad, bluefish, and lots of eel.

SEAFOOD: clams, lobsters, mussels, and very small quantities of oysters

BIRDS: wild turkey, goose, duck, crane, swan, partridge, and other miscellaneous waterfowl; they were also known to have occasionally eaten eagles (which “tasted like mutton” according to Winslow in 1623.)

OTHER MEAT: venison (deer), possibly some salt pork or chicken.

GRAIN: wheat flour, Indian corn and corn meal; barley (mainly for beer-making).

FRUITS: raspberries, strawberries, grapes, plums, cherries, blueberries, gooseberries (these would have been dried, as none would have been in season).

VEGETABLES: small quantity of peas, squashes (including pumpkins), beans

NUTS: walnuts, chestnuts, acorns, hickory nuts, ground nuts

HERBS and SEASONINGS: onions, leeks, strawberry leaves, currants, sorrel, yarrow, carvel, brooklime, liverwort, watercress, and flax; from England they brought seeds and probably planted radishes, lettuce, carrots, onions, and cabbage.  Olive oil in small quantities may have been brought over, though the Pilgrims had to sell most of their oil and butter before sailing, in order to stay on budget.

OTHER: maple syrup, honey; small quantities of butter, Holland cheese; and eggs

Some perhaps startling omissions
from the authentic Thanksgiving menu

Ham. (The Pilgrims most likely did not have pigs with them).

Sweet Potatoes-Potatoes-Yams.  (These had not yet been introduced to New England).

Corn on the cob. (Indian corn was only good for making cornmeal, not eating on the cob).

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Thanksgiving celebrating friends. 

He’s almost home

Don has been in California this past week visiting his Dad, who just came home from a long hospital stay. 

Don is on his way home now, and I just can’t wait to see him.

Usually, we travel together, but it wasn’t possible this time.  I’ve been busy passing my job responsibilities off to the two other people in my group, and have been at offsite meetings at another site in another state this whole week.  I’m glad that’s done.

My last day at work is either Tuesday or Wednesday.  Then it’s time to start getting ready for the holidays. 

Really tired

This is my last full of work before being laid off.  I’m travelling every day, and “transitioning” my job to others.  I’m late getting home, and just too tired to think.

I’ll try to catch up next weekend.

Cas
How ‘bout them Cowboys  

Almost out of Work

As I mentioned a while ago, I’ve been D0WNSIZED.  Only 11 more days to set my alarm clock!

V0TE

As soon as Don gets home, we’re off to the P0lls.

How about you?

Tell these people to get a life!

What is this??

(n.) The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.

I hope I never fall for any of these scams! 

And I hope you never do either!