Happy Thanksgiving!

My ex and I used to entertain on Thanksgiving — the more the merrier, and we always had a nice group of guests. I would rarely cook during the year, but on Thanksgiving, I did the bulk of it.

Here's my secret for a moist turkey: soften (don't melt) a stick of butter and add in all of your favorite flavorings...garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, turkey seasoning, etc. Mix it all together. Now, starting at the neck cavity, move your hand up under the skin on the breast and separate it from the meat to form a sort of pocket. (I always thought it felt kinda creepy when I did it so I'd always wear a latex glove.) THAT is where you evenly spread your butter concoction. Don't worry about using too much since it will melt and the extra will end up at the bottom of the pan to be absorbed into the bread crumbs for nice rich stuffing and gravy.

I'll be having Thanksgiving dinner with my best-friend/next-door neighbor and her family. She made the invite and told me they'd make up a plate for me to bring home to my mom. Her mother died two years ago after many years of Alzheimer's. With that understanding, they have been very supportive. We have a great time, even if she is a staunch Republican!

On Friday, I'm invited over to my childhood sweetheart/next-next-door neighbor for Thanksgiving II. They go to relatives on T-Day then have their own the following day.

I've written before that I'm a popular dinner guest with the neighbors. They find me funny and I function as the free entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I'd still be invited if I didn't have such sparkling wit, but it's a bonus for them when I get on a roll. The teenagers like me because I'm edgy with a filthy mouth; the adults like me because I remember all the bullshit stuff we did growing up and I recount the stories in a way that makes them threaten that they're gonna pee their pants.

I know to the outside world I appear very outgoing and engaging. On the inside, I consider myself really shy and usually afraid. I've formed a protective invisible inner shield to keep from getting hurt from rejection.
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