Is there a courteous, team player way to say "When you talk to me, you order me around, and I'm beginning not to care for it?"(Is that it?) Because I know, by signing up to be on the precinct committee(there were petitions...it's a whole thing) my "yes" is...kind of implied, to the district chair,at least some of the time. And I feel slightly bad that she joins the list of people that I can't "touch base"(argh) at night with because of the whole attendant thing, even though I need another working Zoom like another hole in my head anyway. But my problem is that she has absolutely stopped asking, like,ever--she presents me with some plan she made up, deadlines included, and the people who can talk to me like that, like actually pay things here(and I secretly hate their guts, but we don't need to talk about that again) But she knows I'm juggling a bunch of stuff(and maybe she doesn't get that putting me to work can, at times, give Mom a job, too, which she will help with, but is not as into as I am.) Also, the whole Bossy Cow thing from above, which I know we are collectively re-framing as "female leadership potential" but personally I'm finding a big pain right this minute. I've sucked it up a few times, but if I do it forever, I won't feel good about it.

cereal: There is a whole round of small-p politics I never learned, not being at work. And I'm finding it slightly passive-aggressive that after one day she "brought someone in" on our conversation after not even a day...maybe in case I might be like a mom at a birthday party, all "What do we say when we want someone to do us a favor? Please don't be an idiot, thank you." I know we all got a shitty district with a registration gap(and honestly, not sure how much the scurrying around really helps, but maybe my attitude is bad.)

a courteous, team player way to say "...you order me around, and I'm beginning not to care for it."

Start with "No." "No" is a complete sentence.

Anything softer leaves room for getting mis-heard or mis-understood or just plain ignored.

Then you can talk. "Oh, you would like me to assist you? Then ask nicely."

Sometimes you have to step on their toes until they apologize.

Well, that's a thought. Maybe I've been too available.

Start with "No." "No" is a complete sentence.

That is difficult to learn and so important.

For the first time in a year and a half, I have a working furnace.

Woot!

Yay, heat!

Yay, heat!

I keep turning it up, just to hear it kick in.

Also, I got a new thermostat out of it and it's much nicer. The other one was sort of the gaslight special where the buttons would press in without any sense that they were activating and often not. You know...bad buttons.

I have brined my bird, and it's in the garden apartment fridge for the next two days doing The Osmosis. And I'm now roasting veg and turkey bits in preparation to make some stock.

Heat!

My sister is hosting her husband's family on Thursday, so I will provide: cranberry sauce, bread for stuffing, and a pumpkin pie (possibly a pecan-pumpkin pie). On Saturday it will be Thanksgiving with my nieces and their families, so we will do prime rib and a pesto lasagna. I will make the lasagna and a Basque cheesecake.

Lots of cooking ahead. I should probably go start the cranberries, and take the butter out of the freezer so I can make pie tomorrow.

I decided I needed more turkey bits for my stock so I trotted over to Whole Foods and came back with a turkey back, neck, thigh and drumstick.

So that's currently broiling while the previous veg and neck are in the convection oven.

I think in half an hour I can combine them all into a holy PRE-stock pot. Very different in feel from the POST stockpot with the turkey carcass.

But i need stock before hand to do the gravy and the stuffing.

Anyway, the house smells great (lots of sage, lots of thyme, roasty turkey) AND it's warm and cozy.

I'm in full Bob Belcher mode now obsessing about every detail.