NJM23 - Entry #23 in These Foolish Things

Greetings from my brother’s bedroom (he’s not in here with me, he’s just letting me stay in this room for two nights over the Thanksgiving holiday). He normally doesn’t sleep in the same bedroom as his wife because they keep different hours and maybe other reasons - this room is also extremely cold, and I know my brother likes it like that. Brr!

Martini is in here with me. We have to keep her separated from Tom Cat (Mom and Dad’s stray cat that they’ve adopted). Martini goes berserk whenever she sees a cat, and even though Tom Cat is a mostly outdoor cat, I’m shocked they haven’t run into each other yet because it’s cold out and Tom “knocks” aggressively on the door when he gets too cold and wants to warm up and eat. Mom and Dad cater to his every whim, so Martini and I had to remove ourselves and come up to the bedroom so Tom could get his evening lovin’.

Thanksgiving has gone surprisingly well. I had several talks with myself before I started my drive out here this morning. I told myself to let things slide right off my back and not worry about the chaos. That’s just who these people are, and it’s their place now (my brother and SiL’s). It’s not my place to be bristly all up in their space. So I wasn’t.

And you know what else? They straightened the place just for me! So, so much of the clutter has been cleared away and it’s much more livable and less chaotic-feeling. I’m incredibly grateful for this.

And even my niece, who is incredibly spoiled and self-absorbed seemed a whole lot better - even though it was her birthday today (she turned 8 today)! I mean, she did get an iPad for her birthday so that took a lot of her attention, but she wasn’t as bratty, or at least my bubble suit kept me from being so annoyed.

I think it has been a decent combination of bubble suit and decluttering and everyone being somewhat cognizant of each others’ sensitivities.

Mom and Dad even seemed to cruise through today with as much ease as I could possibly have hoped for. No illnesses, no trouble moving around, not much cooking. My dad ordered a smoked turkey, made boxed stuffing, a packet of gravy, and had a pre-made bean salad to serve. My SiL made mashed potatoes and I think poured out some canned creamed corn into a bowl. And I brought pre-made pumpkin and apple pies, whipped cream and wiiiiiinnneee. Not even close to gourmet, but totally easy peasy.

Mom doesn’t do anything anymore. I’m not upset about it - that’s just the way it is. I used to be kinda mad thinking about how she’s pretty much given up, but then I finally realized that Dad is fine with this and loves being at her beck and call. Still, if something should ever happen to my dad, which it will, she’s going to be up a creek…

Anyway, tomorrow I have to get up at the usual time and get myself ready and work. I’m going to a coffee shop in this little town. That should be interesting. I’m bringing Martini with me. In fact, I’m bringing Martini everywhere with me on this trip. I was going to take her to her favorite daycare/boarding facility on Saturday, but then I heard about this doggy illness going around. Have you heard about this? They don’t know what it is so there’s no way to treat it and dogs are dying. I’ve decided not to board her and bring her with me to all of my brunches and such. She’s a service animal, after all. We’ll see how this goes.

Hope it’s been a lovely Thanksgiving for YOU if you celebrate!

Guess it’s bedtime now.
See you tomorrow!
GS