Unusual Thanksgiving Day

Usually,  I cook or go to a friend's house. Neither were happening this time, so I went to a local church that was preparing Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who wanted to come. I did. So, I went.

The portions were huge and delicious. Usually, the meat portion is small. There was almost a half cup of meat, breast, on my plate, much more than a half cup of green beans, scalloped potatoes, smidgen of cranberry sauce, dressing and gravy.

I asked for breast only, so I was pleasantly surprised when I had no dark meat. The green beans were not over-salted, over-peppered, or overly-vinegared. I have had all in the last two months, always inedible for me. The scalloped potatoes where undercooked, but I can fix that. They were delicious! I could have eaten more dressing, but did not need much. A sliver of bought pound cake was dessert. If there had been more, I would have made a pig of myself.

The best part was that the giblet gravy had diced boiled eggs in it. YAY! That is the way I like it and have always had it except at friend's houses in Birmingham.

Then, about 4 pm, someone knocked on my door. It was my neighbor's nephew. That was a surprise. He brought me food, not really Thanksgiving food, but food I love--three huge chicken fingers, potato wedges, and great mashed potatoes. I tasted it all and refrigerated it. There was a little 4" pie, rolls, tiny bottle of catsup, and a quart of bought tea. The tea was sweetened, so I gave it back. Was that rude?

I had brought home a go-plate from the church, so I can eat for tomorrow and maybe the next on what was given me. So, it is sort of like the best part of Thanksgiving--leftovers. I have cranberry sauce in the can and can get my quota of eating too much.

Saturday night, I was given four hens. Two weighed over eight pound--almost nine, another weighed almost eight pounds, while the fourth weighed 6.5 pounds. I have never seen such large hens. They were pure as the driven snow--no hormones, no preservatives, no lots of stuff.

I left them in plastic bags, put them in canvas bags so I could carry them home. At home, I placed all four of them on the cold floor and wrapped them in two fleece jackets. Since there was no heat in the house, the two I finally put in two crockpots were frozen solid. Monday night, I asked my neighbor to come get one so I would not have to deal with it. He puts out my garbage each week.

Then, on Monday night I unwrapped the last two from the fleece coats. Amazingly, they were still rock hard! That was Monday night, or was it Tuesday? The last two are still in  the crock pot! Can a person leave a hen in a crock pot too long?

Saturday night as I sat on the bed getting cold in the below freezing weather, I felt a bone chill coming over me. Finally, there was a stab in my throat where my Eustachian tube is located.  If I had put on a tshirt under my sweat shirt or wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, I might have fared better! At any rate, Sunday I just felt crummy. By Monday morning the bit of temp grew to a fever. I got myself to the doctor, complaining of head and face and ear pain.

I saw a nurse practitioner so stayed in the exam room for an hour with her and the nurses coming in and out. No complaints. I refused a flu test or whatever you call it because they stick a prickly thing up in the nose between the eyebrows. I knew it was not strep throat even though she said my throat was very red. I did allow the strep culture.

When she said she would give me a Z-pack, I told her I had that one a month before and had not gotten over that sinus infection or earaches, so she gave me a refill. Maybe this time I will get fully well. Oh, she spent lots of time trying to remove ear wax. But, she gave up.

By Monday night, my chest was involved. I spent Tuesday in bed all day, sleeping most of the day. I had wild dreams. Wednesday, I was not much better, so I knew I needed to give up on the cooking. I was too ill to drive to Birmingham even if I had wanted to inflict myself on friends and have them hate me.

At any rate, Thanksgiving was different.

After the church dinner, I took me and the go plate to WM. For some reason I wanted vanilla ice cream. I checked out the Black Friday items and came home with ice cream. 

Tonight, I have a very, very productive cough. Hopefully, the chest congestion will be gone soon. Coughing so much and so hard is wearing me out.

It was not such a bad Thanksgiving. The worst part is to come--removing hens from crock pot and all that involves.

Your turn
Do you think three days in a crock pot is too long for a hen? Have you ever just lost a Thanksgiving due to health problems? Do you like diced boiled eggs in your giblet gravy? Was I rude to give back the sweetened tea? No one I see very often drinks sweetened tea.