Frost

We woke up to frost this morning.
This made Jackie's trip out to the backyard take a little longer than normal. There are so many more smells out there Mom!!!!!
In my neck of the woods, we have just finished celebrating Thanksgiving.
My family and I visited with my parents. There is some absolutely, drop dead, gorgeous scenery.
We drive past a lot of camping areas next to lakes.




I am always super anxious before I arrive at my parents. I wonder if a lot of other daughters feel this mixed lot of feelings.
I know she means well. I know she loves me.
Her main goal in life, when she was my age, was to please her husband, keep the house and children tidy. There were clear lines of women's work and men's work.
I do not have these defined lines in my life. In our home, if you have time, you do it, be it cleaning, food prep or whatever other domestic chore needs attending. We are teaching Little Man, if you have two feet and a heart beat, you can do a lot of things as well.
Surprisingly, my step-father is a feminist. He believes that he can make a sandwich for himself just as well as asking my mother to do it. In fact, he cleans and cooks as best as he can, whenever it needs to be done. I say surprisingly because he grew up on a small island within a home that was not always a happy place to be. His father was quite the patriarch with very clear ideas on what was done and not done. When my step-father suffered a stroke many years ago, it limited his mobility quite a bit. At that point, he learned to appreciate the task of just making a simple meal without have the full use of his body.
I wonder if Mom understands that when she takes a very simple little situation, like where will I park with the all the construction in front of her house to: OMG parking will be impossible. You will have to park on the next street over or in the park, that it does not really make for an easy going drive.
When we arrived, the city was putting sidewalks on her section of road. We park in front of her house. No problem. I get a lot of my anxiety from my mother. I realize this. I try very hard not to go from 0 to crazy over insignificant details. I am very lucky to have a partner who does not experience stress on my level. Keeps me grounded.
The dinner was lovely. My parents roast a great turkey. Little Man, with his growth spurts was pleasantly stuffed.
We had quite a few little feathery visitors.



We even had a very fluffy visitor!


It was a lucky break that my parents were in charge of Thanksgiving dinner this year. A few days prior, the lower element in our oven had an electrical situation.

I was already in bed, almost at that sweet spot where you are so very ready to actually sleep, when all of a sudden, I smelled something very weird.
I find my glasses, go downstairs and lo and behold, a little flammage in the oven.
I open the door. Yep, there is a tiny flame. Oven is off. I grab baking soda. That was drilled into me from such a young age.
Sprinkle the baking soda over the little flame.
Nope not working.
Sprinkle a little more.
Nope. Still not working.
I grab my oven mitt and beat the shit out of it.
Nope.
Fire still going.
I'm way too tired. I think I had better call a more effective brain.
I call Hubs at work.
He tells me, turn the oven all the way up, then down again.
I'm thinking, ok. Sounds weird. But it is probably more effective that beating the hell out of your oven.
At first, nothing was happening. Then that little flame got smaller and smaller and then vanished.
So, if ever the element in your oven is feeling a little naughty and decides to make an appearance when it should be resting, you turn your oven up to broil, then off. It was like magic!
Now we are on the hunt for an element small enough to fit into the oven. Ours is an older model. Saturday we will have to venture to the larger city to pick one up as there are none available closer to us.

Those are my adventures.
We are all safe. Healthy, with the exception of a little cold that is running amok in our house at the moment. Have a roof over our heads and very supportive of one another.
There is so much to be thankful for.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
Talk with you later.