Well, the evening before Thanksgiving, I returned home from helping the Veterans at about 5:00 p.m. ready to finish prepping the holiday meal. I walked in the door and the living room was dark..uh oh. I walk in the kitchen and the overhead light was on, but the refrigerator was dark as was the stove. My neighbor came over and helped me change the fuses (which required finding a hardware store open at 5:30 the night before Thanksgiving) and viola! lights, frig and oven on. It was now 7:00 p.m. but I made the cranberry jelly and prepped the stuffing.

Next morning I head back to the Veteran’s to prepare their holiday meal and was home by 9:00 to get the turkey in the oven, make pies, and everything else. I also had a little housework to do still as the evening before didn’t go as planned. Well, I walk in the door to no lights, no oven and no frig that work….okey dokey. I called my friend and thankfully neighbor Nancy and put the turkey in her oven. I ran home finished doing some last minute housework, put champagne on the little bit of ice that I had as it as there was no way to chill it in the frig that wasn’t cold. I put some groceries and freezer items in another neighbors frig and freezer so it all wouldn’t go bad. As I was about out of time, I made just the filling for the pumpkin pie and placed it crustless into ramekins and put them in this same neighbors oven.

By this time I’m starting to get the giggles! My son and his girlfriend Erika arrived to all of this and we drank champagne, ran back and forth to the aforementioned neighbors and counted our blessings. There are people all over the world that never have a frig or oven, much less so much food. My daughter Kathryn walked in about this time and we all had appetizers, sipped some more and laughed a lot as we gathered food from here and there! I only had one plug that worked so I whipped the potatoes in the bathroom! I’m pretty sure my son filmed that one…

Life doesn’t always turn out as planned, but it’s what you do with it that counts, correct? What’s the saying… if you want to make God laugh tell him your 5-year plan? There you go. When the situation gets, well, interesting, just do your best, keep your sense of humor and always be thankful and count your blessings.

By the way, dinner was served at 2:00 as planned, all that was supposed to be hot was and all that supposed to be cold was. Leftovers were put in neighbors’ houses and in coolers packed with ice. It was a really fun, wonderful day.

I hope yours was as well!