David, I am so sorry for your loss, and for all who knew her. Thank you for sharing your memories of her; they were beautiful to read. 48 is way the hell too young.

Thank you for all your kind thoughts.

I don't mean to derail the thread with the sad cancer stories.

I'm okay. It's definitely a painful sense of loss but that's a tribute to the impact she had on my life.

I have so many vivid memories of her. She considered orthodontia to be a bit of a bourgeois affectation and prized that her eye-teeth were ever so slightly crooked. The perfume Opium came out when we were together and she wore it, so I always associate that scent with her.

She had strong opinions about everything, including which of Andrew Lang's Fairy books were the best. (The Blue Fairy and the Green Fairy Books, for the record.) She liked green and black olives on her pizza.

I remember going to surprise her when I knew she'd be leaving one of the art studios, and watched her coming across a snow field slowly towards me, wearing the rabbit skin coat she'd inherited from her grandmother. She looked so beautiful coming across the snow with her pale skin, dark hair and red lips, wrapped in fur.

Think about her if you flip past The Turning Point on cable. There's a scene where Leslie Brown's character comes running out of the ballet school to the street. You can see Julia leaned up against the wall in that shot, artfully posed.

Anyway. That's enough reminiscing.

I do worry about her kids, though.

So, how are everybody's Thanksgiving menus coming together? I'm about to go shopping. I need a fresh, free-range bird about 12-14 pounds. A bottle of white wine to baste it with. (I don't brine my turkey, I stuff herbs and butter under the skin and baste it with first butter, then wine, then all the pan drippings. It stays moist and gets very flavorful.) Also, lots of butter and some Gruyere. Potatoes and apples to make a Potatoes Savoyard. Fresh sage, thyme and rosemary. A steak for Emmett who doesn't like turkey.

I only need to bring a side-dish so I'm bringing the typical cheesy potato bomb that involves ingredient measurements like "stick", "bag", "tub", and "can".

I am making rolls, cranberry salad, and pies. I still did not make the pie crusts today, so I really need to do that tomorrow or tonight.

I did make banana muffins though and last night I made banana pudding. mac is in banana heaven.

Hmmm.... apparently I need to prove that the $10 I spent at a place called "Village Pediatrics" is medically related.

I need to do all the shopping--the bird, the fixin's and the sides as well as do a pie.

And I'm sitting here trying to figure out why Chrome keeps crashing on me.

It is trying to tell you to go shopping now.

We're driving out to Oklahoma City tomorrow and Thursday (stopping in Little Rock on Wed. night), so we're not expected to make or bring anything, though if we leave early enough tomorrow, we'll try to get a pie from the Family Pie Shop in DeValls Bluff, Arkansas.

Not until DH is home to watch the kids. No way I'm taking a four year old and a six year old into the grocery store today or tomorrow. *shudder*

I did take them to the Scholastic book fair at Owen's school so they could buy some books. Owen bought Captain Underpants and Ook & Gluk and Olivia bought Goldilicious. I bought How to Eat Fried Worms to read to them and a recipe book.

msbelle, mr. flea brought home an extra kitten 2 months ago and it is SO STRESSFUL to me to have 2 fighting cats on top of the usual level of child-induced chaos. That dog is so cute that someone will adopt it, and it would totally be One More Thing for you.

It is very weird to be doing no Thanksgiving food shopping or planning (we are eating at my grandfather's ritzy retirement home).

Also, it would be wrong to have a glass of wine before leading a Girl Scout meeting, wouldn't it? Sigh. I was not made for human interaction.

Deaths of parents of children under about 16 is one of the awfullest things for me. That poor little girl, David's friend's daughter.