Leo and I completely rearranged our house. We spent all day yesterday moving furniture around. I spent almost a full five minutes being pinned under a king size mattress. We had a brilliant idea to turn a spare bedroom into an opium den like television viewing area. But the sofa didn't fit through the doorway. We still might put it together with a couple of twin sized beds used as loungey palette sorts of things. All of this moving made me realize that we really do have too much space. I never thought I'd run into that problem, but here I am.

The good news is that it is only a three day work week and I'm the only member of my department in the office.

I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving. I feel like I'm not as organized as usual (I still haven't done my minute-by-minute cooking plan) but I did make some things already. Like the vanilla bean cheesecake with cranberry "jewel" topping (which I froze) and the gremolata for the green beans and the cranberry-walnut-ginger chutney. I'm debating on whether or not to make a puff pastry cornucopia (although I'm leaning towards doing it, because when else could I make a puff pastry cornucopia?). I'm also debating doing a potatoes mousseline instead of mashed potatoes. What do you think, Schwest? I think it will be nice; something different yet like mashed potatoes.

I actually spoke to someone at church yesterday. I've been going to that church since June and I have yet to meet anyone. Anyway, there is a tree at church with the names of people in a local nursing home who would like presents. A woman about the same age as me was in line behind me. All of the present requests had things like "house coat", "house shoes", or "duster" on it. It was like they were in a different language. I chose one with house shoes on it as I'm fairly certain that it means slippers. I ask the woman behind me. She said that she thought so, but she had no idea what a house coat actually is. I don't either. The answer, according to the old lady working the sign up sheet, is duster. Whatever that is. I assume that it does not mean a long coat. Anyway, were does one purchase a house coat? Or a duster? It was like all the gift suggestions were written in undecipherable old lady code.