We had a very successful Democratic event at my house this morning/afternoon

Three state candidates and one local commissioner's court incumbent joined us for our potluck brunch. The house was packed, and candidates were able to visit and tell our local voters, many of whom were precinct chairs, their priorities as elected officials. There was a great feeling of camaraderie and community, an important element of our culture that has been all but lost and I strongly believe we need to recapture for a functioning democracy.

Getting together for simple meals or ball games or toy drives, or other local events is a great way to rebuild our Democratic community. So many people who vote for Republicans have no idea what they're voting for. Half of them vote that way for no other reason than having a community they think they can identify with. When we get together with our neighbors it's an opportunity to show that we have many values in common and we can educate them on the what they stand to lose if they vote for Republicans.

If you receive an invitation to go to such an event, take advantage of the opportunity to connect with folks in your community. It's a great way to rebuild the relationships that healthy democracies thrive on.

We ordered Mediterranean food for Thanksgiving...

One of the items was lentils and rice, which I was excited to get because I wanted to know how to make it. Usually if I can taste something, I can figure out how to make it. I was pretty disappointed in the lentils and rice we got from our local Dimassi's though. The rice was not interesting at all. It tasted like plain old Uncle Ben's Converted rice from a box. The lentils were just brown lentils. (Which are always good, of course)

First of all, the dish would have been greatly improved just by using a better quality of rice. So I did that, using basmati rice. I also salted and sautéed a huge onion, finely chopped. When it was transparent, I added the washed basmati rice and let it brown a little. When the rice was about 3/4 of the way toasted, I added some cumin seed about 1-2 tsp, and let that cook a few minutes. Then I added a cup of washed brown lentils and about 5 cups of filtered water. I brought it to a boil, then reduced the heat, covered it and cooked it for 25 min. Then I gently stirred it--I may have added a bit more water here--put the lid back on and cooked it another 10-15 min for the water to absorb and the lentils to get tender. When it was done, I salted and peppered it. I served it with crispy fried onions (store bought) on top. It was fabulous. Next year we won't order this from Dimassi's.

Remember when we were all scandalized during TSF's first term, that Michael Wolfe had...

…such easy access to TSF? Didn’t we read that he had his desk set up in the hallway outside the Oval or something crazy like that? His friendship with Epstein might explain that access. He seems to be as sleazy as the group he’s been writing about for the last decade.

Our Thanksgiving will be lean compared to our usual tradition.

We don't want to leave our dogs this year or put them through the stress of travel, so we are staying home. The only daughter who lives in Texas is having a tonsillectomy just before the holiday and won't be traveling either. So we decided to keep it simple. I couldn't find turkey thighs this year and I refused to buy an entire bird just for myself--hubby is a vegan. So when I saw chicken leg quarters on sale, I bought a package, cooked them in the Instant Pot and shared the edible refuse with the dogs. I saved the fat to make gravy and used the broth for dressing (and gravy).

Though I didn't plan on the usual feast, I still ended up with 2 big pans of chicken and dressing. I put them in the freezer and I'll use one for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas, wherever that holiday finds us. I don't know why I didn't think of doing this ages ago. I like chicken better than turkey anyway and it's more readily available.

I have a vegan field roast for hubs that comes with its own dressing and gravy and I plan to roast a few sweet potatoes and serve them with butter and candied pecans. I have a pumpkin pie in the freezer. Along with a simple green salad, I thought that would be it for the dinner, but one of of my hubby's sisters took pity on us having to spend a quiet holiday at home alone ( ) and decided she and her husband would join us. So now we are adding a Mediterranean spread to the traditional foods. Ok. I was ok with what we had, but it was nice of her to take pity on us?

I am blessed with 3 precious, wonderful, intelligent dogs...

All of them are spaniel types, including, a 15 year old female cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a 5 year old femaleTibetan Spaniel, and 12 year old male Cavalier/Tibetan cross. Since the beginning of the year, the 15 year old has developed some neurological issues, including a bout of intervertebral disc disease, which has since abated with lot of rest; the 12-year old has developed CHF and each day feels touch and go with him; the 5 year old has merely developed a very round profile after being spayed this summer. So lots of vet bills this year and lots of worries about the health of these creatures we truly adore. (The only DOG I believe in are the ones with 4 legs--well sometimes fewer legs, but you get the idea)

Last night while I was deeply asleep, the two younger dogs leapt on the bed, almost on top of me and woke me. I heard something strange going on down on the floor and the mama in me knew the 15 year old was having difficulty. I got up and turned on the light to find the 15 year old having a seizure. The younger dogs knew she was in trouble and knew to wake me. The seizure was short-lived and she was ok after a brief time, though she seemed a bit stunned. I took her outside for some air and to potty and walked her back to her bed. She was fine this morning. I don't know if the vet has meds to prevent seizures or if it will soon be time to do that heartbreaking thing we have to do for our old or sick dogs sometimes. I know it is also coming up for my 12 year old, but I'm hanging onto him as long as I possibly can--God it breaks my heart even to think of it.

But I was so amazed at my younger 2 babies for realizing something was wrong and they needed to wake me to help. What a sweet team I am blessed to be a part of. I am so proud of my pups. In the misery TSF has visited this nation in the last 10 years, my dogs have given me so much comfort. I wouldn't want to live in a world without dogs.

Last night my former boss called me.

She told me she she had never paid much attention to politics but she was ready to get involved and I was the first one she thought of... I tried never to talk politics at work, but I guess I earned a reputation somehow. Anyway she told me the reason she finally woke up is that one of her friends had been kidnapped by ICE in a Houston suburb. She said they shut off the electricity to the house and when the family came out to investigate the cause, they wrestled the man to the ground and beat him up in front of his wife and kids and took him away. She said she couldn't sleep at all that night and that she realized it could have happened to anyone. She said she'd known this couple from church for more than 20 years and they were close friends and good people and didn't deserve to be treated that way.

It's a sad way for people to finally wake up like this, but it is happening. Will there be enough of us left when people wake up to realize things won't get better until we stand together and resist?

I would just love it if that storm Melissa...

...would level Mar-a-lardo the way Lardo has leveled the East Wing. I swear I'd have the biggest hurricane party ever!

Big turnout in Brazos County, TX today!

I was impressed--surely it was 1,000+. Sorry no photos, but I saw old folks, young folks, wee folks, folks of all shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities. Very proud of this VERY red county today! I'm sure there were Republicans in the mix.

New breakfast obsession

Toasted sourdough bread smeared with butter, then very gently laced with marmite and topped lightly with apricot fruit spread. SOOOOO GOOD!

Next favorite is butter mixed with white miso and spread on toasted sourdough bread and topped with apricot fruit spread. Really yummy, but not nearly as good as the one with marmite.

My daughter posted this in her classroom today: