It has been 80 here for weeks and turned to 50ish for Thanksgiving to everyone's surprise just overnight.

I was making chateaubriand (which I still am), but I got so excited by all those mixed spice sachets I bought in Marseilles from Provence that I had to do a turkey. So...now this 14 lb. turkey is almost done for just the two of us.

Sue, I remember the year you did that St. Lucia FAM. You have had a lot of experiences, and kudos for being in fabulous shape and finding wonderful things to help make your life terrific again. You look great, and it sounds like you feel great. I am anxious to meet you after so many years.

I must tell everyone my story today. I woke up this morning with an email from my mother, Pat. The subjct was Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer. Well, she is in so much community theatre, and also a few people forward us stuff. I almost didn't read the thing. I kept wondering why I had not heard about her arriving at my sister's (on top of that, Mom leaves for a cruise tomorrow, followed by a trip to Beaches Boscobel). Here is a synopsis of what happened to her last night:

Well, she hit a deer going to my sister's (a 5 hour trip for her). She never even saw the deer. It shattered her windshield, and glass came in the car all over her. The top is dented, as was the passenger door, and the side mirror came all the way off. Since it was the day before Thanksgiving in between two podunk towns, the tow service couldn't get to her. They told her to have the sheriff tow her. Then two of my nieces who were already home for Thanksgiving came after her. It was 2 hours each way from where she was. So, they dealt with Geico and my BIL has to go deal with the car on Friday while she departs for her cruise! She never saw the deer. She didn't even know what it was until the state trooper that rescued her saw the deer hair on the car somewhere. She said it felt like an explosion. Thankfully, she is unharmed and enjoying making rolls and having a "yeast crisis" at my sister's.