Happy Thanksgiving! November 23, 2023

We are in the Grand Caymans. Leaving to snorkel a bit after 8 am (we will be done by noon).

After we get back from snorkeling, I will call the kids. They all have plans - DS FaceTimed yesterday from his birth Aunt's home where they were actively working on preparations for a large group today. Younger DD will be with her BF and his family and elder DD will be with her half-brother and his family including her favorite nieces.

Thanksgiving dinner tonight in the main dining room. I don't know how good it will be. I have been missing Late DH's stuffing and side dishes for quite a few years so I am sure I will feel the same. This family seems to thrive on the appetizers mostly so I think that is what they are going to miss.

Time to get moving toward the departure area. We have to take a tender into the port. When we arrived I saw two other large cruise ships in port so there will be a lot of people around. Luckily we are on a private boat with just the family.

Have a thankful Thursday and a great Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of you!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Liz I join you in gratitude for our tribe. It's wonderful to be part of a group where you can laugh, learn, and speak your truth, knowing it will be held with compassion.

I need to get down to the kitchen and peel some potatoes. DH is picking up DD right now, and she requested hash downs for breakfast. DS is asleep in my office/2nd guest room. Joy.

Happy thanksgiving all! I too am thankful for all of our tribe - the ones who post regularly and the ones who might not, but hold us in their hearts all the same.

First full day with Kirby down. He is busy! That joke about dogs doing something then... "squirrel!!" is so apt! He will be chewing on something then see something and jump on that, but in flight toward the second thing he sees a third that needs him... pretty funny.

He was up twice in the night. The last was about 4 something so I took him out, then let him curl up with me instead of going back in the crate. After crawling around, trying to chew my ears and hair, thoroughly licking my hand and trying to chew my fingers, he eventually settled and he let me sleep until after 6. Good puppy!

I put half his breakfast in a bowl in his family room crate and half I sprinkled around his play pen. I'm not sure scent work will be his thing. He couldn't find a lot of it lying right in front of him. But hopefully it tired his brain a little.

Today my neighbor invited me to come over. I might for a little bit to introduce the puppy. My house had been neglected as have I. I need a shower and clean clothes! And my house needs a tidy if I can swing it.

The balloons were out in force today, but didn't move much. No breeze. There was one I haven't seen before.

I think that's it! Happy thanksgiving all!

Yes, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Hope your cruise ship Thanksgiving cuisine is not a disappointment to you Liz! We decided quite a few years ago that we preferred home cooked family fare for both Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. While maybe not the culinary delight some places may offer, yearly tradition treats like our favorite dressing recipe (with chestnuts, pears, sausage and sage) make these holidays feel familiar and comfortable.

Diamond D, your glee at having your children with you reminds me of my own mom Thanksgiving 1987. I surprised my family by flying home from NYC for Thanksgiving. She had invited friends for the holiday. When I arrived she was so happy she practically cried. Later, she pulled me aside and said I should have told her I was coming because then she wouldn't have invite anyone, because she would have had both her boys to herself! My brother was living in So Cal at that time and we were both home. Enjoy your grown up babies!

Happy first Thanksgiving together to Kirby and CC! May there be many, many more! I bet your dad can't wait to meet him. You be careful with his "bed time". You know it's easy to create a pattern - make sure it's one you can live with. You know me, I'm hard core about crate training when they are little.

Diane S., hope you are enjoying the same glorious, sunny autumn day I am experiencing here! Perfect CA fall weather. Do you and Shrinking Nerd have plans for today?

My morning has been leisurely - feeding puppies, drinking some coffee, surfing the net, all while the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade plays in the background. Cooking will start around noon.

Thankful for our tribe!

You can be my crate training guru. It's okay if he screams and howls for a while? I'm not damaging his little pysche? Today he was super worked up, zoomies, touching every toy and not settling on any, peed twice, then pooped, which I caught him mid-go. So I took him out to finish, and he attacked plants, picked up every tiny rock (that is going to be a big issue. Lord save me from obstruction surgery). He was a maniac. So I put him in his crate and he was inconsolable. But eventually tired himself out and has been sleeping for 45 minutes. That's okay right? I feed him in there, give him filled kong treats in there, but he doesn't like being contained.

Wow! A curious boy! Sounds like he is trying to absorb all these new experiences as fast as he can.

Yes, of course he can scream and howl for a while. He's like a 1 year old having a tantrum. You are not damaging his psyche, but instead setting boundaries and rules for living that will set him up for a successful life as a beloved and well behaved pet.

Is he peeing and pooping in his crate?

Of course, I just lost my answer, because it's been that kind of day! He peed once in the crate, which was my fault because he was napping in there, and I fed him when he woke trying to consolidating two pee breaks into one, and he should have gone out when he woke up and then after lunch. But pee breaks have quickly become very unproductive, which is exhausting. Now when we go out, he won't go. He's distracted by rocks and plants and chewing on the leash, and then just lays down. And he definitely needs less freedom in the house. Yesterday he stuck really close, today not so much! He can get into a lot of trouble just a few feet away. So I'm frustrated and need to regroup!

Happy Thanksgiving all

I too am grateful for our tribe and the daily support and connection we have. Y'all are the best!

Yes it's a sunny fall day here with not a cloud in the sky. That could change but hopefully not until much later. We are set to go to some friends for dinner with about 9 people. These are the grown up friends who entertain in a very classy elegant way. They have a lovely home but it's a raised ranch so there is no way in and out of it without some stairs. They just put in one of those stair chairs so the featured entertainment will be that we all get to take rides on it! Talk about excitement. Anyway I will be making parmesan cheese crisps and a cauliflower side dish shortly. Missed the parade but who cares.

Liz I didn't think about Thanksgiving dinner on a cruise ship but of course! Might be fun to depart from the usual fare. Snorkeling sounds grand. Enjoy. At least you can't look at phone while snorkeling or at least I think you can't.

Speaking of phone, I left mine at the studio yesterday so I had to play "find my phone" with the iPad. Will pick it up today and I am sure there will be people there. Plenty of counter culture types around here who eschew traditional holidays.

CC sounds like a great day with Kirby. Puppies are so fun to watch as they discover their world. Other people swear by those treat balls that dogs roll around with an occasional treat falling out. My dogs never got into it. Too spoiled to work for treats. Hope you have a field dummy for Kirby to develop retrieve instinct. Does he know about the pool yet?

DD have fun with the kids. How could you not? Nothing as delightful as kitchen bustling.

Here is my new motto for the year "Think Before You *****".

Have a great day all.

Diane S

He stepped onto the cover to drink the water that was in the corner. Argh. He doesn't know there is a pool under there yet! I can't handle him knowing that yet!