Desperation Downy

This is a total desperation blip.  Sun was slipping away and I hadn't taken a single photo.  Didn't feel up to faffing around with something creative, so ramped up the ISO and went out on the deck.  As always, there were downy woodpeckers and tufted titmice, eager to please.  This image didn't need any cropping, although I did have to lighten it more than I'd have wished.  Resolution suffers, but it's the best I've got for today.  

Hubs and I headed out mid-morning to a National Wildlife Refuge that is about an hour from here - we walked a couple of nice trails and enjoyed some time outside under sunny skies.  Didn't see much wildlife, but it was nice just to stretch the legs.  We found a great little Italian deli afterwards and had sandwiches followed by a very yummy cannoli - which probably effectively offset any benefit we gained from the walk.  

So, a report on last night's Thanksgiving dinner...thanks to a malfunctioning burner on our grill, the turkey was raw in spots.  Turns out that stuffing/dressing isn't meant to be fat free - it tasted like cardboard.  The gravy was lumpy and also fairly tasteless.  On the flip side, the cooked parts of the turkey were very good, the mashed fat-free sweet potatoes were delish, the cranberry relish was yummy and the low-cal, low-fat crustless pumpkin pie was a big success.  Maybe it was a mistake to go six years without cooking a Thanksgiving dinner...clearly, I'm rusty.

Happy to report that I've successfully avoided Black Friday.  I positively refuse to get caught up in the retail madness that happens this time of year.  Imagine lining up for hours to buy a bunch of crap stuff that we don't even need?  

If the weatehr cooperates, I hope to get out and do some hiking tomorrow.  Hubs and his racing partners are going to be getting together  to tell tall tales discuss next year's race season so I expect he'll be tied up much of the day.  

Thanks for stopping by!

xo
Debbi