The kittens, George and Ira, have basically destroyed the main floor of the house.  I e mailed this to Gitte, another cat fanatic, and she said it’s just a phase, they’ll get over it.  So I just have too remain calm as I right plants and scoop the dirt back in, get the vacuum, and clean every few hours.

As there’ll just be four of us for Thanksgiving dinner, mom, me, Freddie and Wendy, I thought a roasted chicken might be a good idea.  Mom and I aren’t crazy about turkey, so this might be a nice alternative.  I’ll still make stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and have cranberries.

But for fun, I’m going to try a roasted Brussels sprouts, red onion, apple and bacon side dish.  As well I’m going to make diced yams tossed with honey and baked.  We’ll see how these new concoctions turn out.

Something I made at Christmas and loved is rum mousse.  It’s decadent and rummy and lovely after a heavy meal.  But just in case, I’m also making two pumpkin pies, a la The Joy of Cooking as their recipe is nice and low in sugar, yet delicious.  This can be served with dollops of whipping cream to keep us in a good mood.

Due to the dry weather I had no honey this fall because there was nothing for the bees to forage on by late August onward.  So I started feeding them with jars of sugar syrup, and soon will wrap the hives and get them ready for winter.  It’s fine, as my honey extractor’s still not repaired, so what I would’ve done with more honey I don’t know.

Being the lazy person I am, and not having the extractor, I scrape tablespoons of honey and honeycomb right off the filled frames I’ve stored from the early summer harvest.  It fills the room with fresh pollen scents when I open the lid, and I love to eat the “nectar of the Gods” by the tablespoon.  Imagine my weight.

Recently Superstore had little boxes of 10 figs for $10 and I must’ve had 30 figs on my little tree this year.  Isn’t that great?  I have to overwinter it in the garage, then transplant it next spring as its container is way too small.  Imagine next year’s bounty.

But between the figs, bees, kittens, adult cat and dog, I’ve come to the realisation my dream of chickens is going to have to just remain that.  I noticed I was constantly wondering if the kittens were happy, or if Mango was upset due to the interlopers.  I’d sometimes feel sick inside and realised someone like that doesn’t need chickens.

Because then at night, instead of worrying if the bees are warm enough, I’d have to add the chickens to that.  Young cats are often picked off by the coyotes, and I know chickens are a worry given the raccoon family that lives under my cedar hedge.  Isn’t it upsetting enough to wonder how George and Ira will fare?

So this Thanksgiving I’m very thankful for coming to terms and knowing my limits.