Hec's leftovers stories are making me even more sad that I didn't host T-day this year.

Next time I'm 35 weeks pregnant during the holidays, I'm damn well cooking a turkey anyway. (Throwing a latke party next weekend would be insane, right? Even though it would require me to eat massive quantities of fried potatoes?)

Hec's leftovers stories are making me even more sad that I didn't host T-day this year.

My stuffin' muffins came out great, btw. I even had to take pictures of them they looked so pretty.

And they were very easy to do since I had all the ingredients lying around after cooking Thanksgiving.

Now I can send a couple in with JZ for her lunch with a side of the rich, sherry laced veggie gravy.

Allyson, if you and K want to run away but can't make it all the way to the cabin, you are more than welcome to join our annual urban family Thanksgiving next year. We always have a great time, and it's no drama with good food. Just throwing it out there.

One summer I found myself about 10 feet away from a young coyote. I said, "Oh, hello. Where did you come from?" and he whirled around to look at me, then ran away.

Whoa, Allyson. That's cool, yet scary.

Eek!

I know it hurts still, Allyson, but I'm now extra glad you brought Oliver in.

Yeah, I don't think coyotes are scarifying. They're always out and about at my parents' place, and where I run. They're easy to scare off. (This is oddly the second time I've mentioned this this weekend).

So, picked up the cats from boarding for the first time and cool-as-a-cucumber Kripkat escaped. Thrice. Not sure what we'll do about Christmas.

I've seen mountain lions and bobcats at JPL. The deer just walk up to you and say, "hey, how ya doin? got any apples?"

We're super urban, here, and he was just a few feet away from me. Freaked me out.

There's another freeze advisory. In a just world, Oliver would be stuffing himself full of leftover turkey and then napping front of the heater. I just washed his blanket.

Mona is curled up with her head in my lap, and Ruby is curled up in her basket. I sprinkled crumbled bacon from breakfast in their kibble this morning.

They're going to live forever, you know.

They're going to live forever, you know.

I remind my cats about this. A lot.

You were amazing for Oliver, Allyson. You really gave him a loved and warm and cared for place when he could have been scared, cold and alone. I know it's hard. And honestly I cried reading about it and have a few more times thinking about you losing him. But you were amazing and a good person. Who made the best and most loving choices.

Coyotes will still startle me if I see one unexpectedly because, where I am from, you only really see them if they are ill and too bold. You hear them. A lot. But they don't naturally choose to have a lot of human interaction going on.