Woe Is Me.......NOT!

I need milk. It's pretty hard to have twigs and milk for breakfast without the milk. Actually, twigs for breakfast is not all that great, even with the milk. But twigs are good for me and so, I eat them. It says “bran buds” on the box, but they look like twigs. And yes, they taste like twigs, too.

I thought about going to the store on the way home from work tonight. But then, so did everybody else in Podunk. Every store I passed had a parking lot full of cars, which means there had to be a minimum of one person per car in the store, right?

I am sure the popularity of the grocery stores this evening is directly related to the close proximity of the national holiday that is all about being thankful for our blessings and overeating. In order to overeat, there has to be food in the house. And food comes from the store.

Of course, it has to get to the store somehow, but that's not my problem. I've seen the commercials on TV: the hand comes out of the orange tree and gives the carton of orange juice to the lady shopper in the grocery store. I know how it works, really, I do.

So, I came home. I am hungry, so I am going to fix supper first, eat, and THEN go to the store. Tomorrow morning, as I toast a piece of bread for breakfast, I will chide myself for not going to the store tonight. I am not a pessimist, I just know how I am: once I'm home from work, I don't want to go anywhere.

I am lucky though. I am working on Thursday. I don't need to brave the crowds in the grocery store in order to get a turkey and all the trimmings.

On Black Friday, while everybody else is standing in line to get one of only TWO of the advertised doorbusters that is available, I will be in the grocery store, buying a turkey and all the trimmings.

I will get a small turkey, or a boneless turkey breast, stuffing mix, celery, onion, and walnuts to make it special, and shhhhhhhhhhhhh mashed potatoes in a box! You only have to serve REAL potatoes on the holiday, you can use boxed potatoes any other day of the year. Just don't tell Martha Stewart.

To me, the best part of the turkey is the leftovers. Turkey sandwiches, made with cream cheese and cranberry salsa are yummy! And then, all those little bits and pieces of turkey can be made into homemade turkey and rice soup, or turkey curry, served on mounds of fluffy rice as my

mother's recipe said.

Of course, as crowded as the grocery stores are tonight, they will be much easier to shop in on Thursday. I have never understood why the grocery store has to be open on Thanksgiving. I mean, if you forget olives, or cranberries, or something else, wouldn't you rather just do without?

That would be much better than having someone have to work on the holiday, instead of getting to be at home with family, I think.

It's different for me though. Right now, there is somebody in Podunk General Hospital, hoping he or she gets to go home tomorrow, in time to spend the holiday with family and friends. And somewhere in Podunk is a physician who will write the order discharging

that patient from the hospital.

The patient might have an IV antibiotic ordered, or a wound that needs care, or medications that he has to be taught to use. So, the physician will write orders for the home health nurse to visit him. And I will go see him on Thursday and make sure he is doing okay.

How cool is that?