On the Hot Seat

"Over the river and thru the wood,
To have a first-rate play;
Oh, hear the bell ring,"Ting-a-ling-ling!"
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day-ay!
Over the river and thru the wood,
Trot fast my dapple gray!Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day."

Lydia Marie Child, 1844

Today marks the real beginning of the Thanksgiving Dinner countdown. The work-back schedule says that I will cut, chop, measure, package, pack and drive today. Pretty much in that order. It's sort of like being a caterer, except that all of the combining and finishing will occur in a different kitchen.

In between, I'll do that last load of laundry and close my black Big XII Conference travel bag, a gift from the overly-swagged soccer daughter.

After Meredith finishes her shift at Chick-fil-A and checks on her one petcare job in the neighborhood this week, we'll hop into the Wittle Wed Wabbit and go over the river (sort of) and through the woods (sort of) to Nana and Da's.

Tomorrow, Meredith and I will make four desserts. If everyone liked pumpkin pie, we would just make one. But, that's not how it works in this family. We'll have the NY cheesecake with macerated strawberries, the red velvet cupcakes, and the double chocolate brownies. That's just how we roll.

I didn't write "Blog" on tomorrow's schedule. It isn't on the paper for Thursday either.

So, I'll be back on Friday. That's the day before one of the twelve biggest games on USC's schedule this season: Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Chicago Sun-Times threw Coach Charlie Weis under the bus today. I knew this day would come, and I enjoyed every word of it:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/couch/1297502,CST-SPT-greg25.article

Fight ON! I'd be more than thankful to win by four touchdowns.

And, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, even if you're not a bloody American. You already know that you don't need a national holiday to celebrate the blessings in your life.