Trucks, Mice and Other Misadventures

 

I suppose the Thanksgiving season started with my truck.  At least it was the harbinger of what November was going to be like.  First were the headlights.  I was reading in my chair by the window when, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but headlights.  “Who on earth is coming to my house at this time of night?” I asked the dogs, who were sprawled on the living room rug and offered no answer.  The lights went off, came back on, and after further inspection, I realized it was my truck.  My first thought was that someone was out there.  Surely not.  If they were trying to steal it, they would not want to advertise their presence.  After a few minutes of on again, off again, I summoned my courage and the four dogs and went out to investigate.  The dogs were only too happy for a nighttime adventure, even though they had no idea what it was all about.  No one was there. 

I asked around about what might be causing it and got a few suggestions and a lot of strange looks.  The electrical system was the consensus, varying from a short to a more serious and therefore, more expensive, malfunction.  Then, on Halloween night, of all times, the truck added a new trick.  I was in town for Halloween night and as I returned to my truck, the lights came on.  Okay, I was sort of getting used to that.  I unlocked the door, opened it, and the windows rolled down.  I wasn’t used to that.  The next week, the doors started locking at random, usually in tandem with the windows rolling down.  I promise, I don't make these things up. When the turn signal started coming on by itself, I decided enough was enough.  I made an appointment at the Dodge dealership for an assessment.  My friend Bill, upon hearing the story, asked if they had an exorcist on staff.  His sister was excited.  “I hope they don’t find anything wrong,” she said, with her eyes sparkling.  “Have you read Christine?”  I had read it, as a matter of fact, and I did not share her enthusiasm.  The week before Thanksgiving, I dropped the truck off and they discovered that the problem was in the key fob, not the truck itself.  Several hundred dollars later, my problem was solved.

In the meantime, Stuart Little and all his relatives had moved into my house.  Apparently they got word that there would be a big Thanksgiving dinner and that my dogs spent most of their indoor time asleep in the living room, leaving them free reign in the kitchen, laundry room and back hall. 

In his former life, Bear was a mighty mouse hunter.  He once tore the handle off the desk drawer trying to get to a mouse he suspected was holed up in the drawer.  On that same night, he completely emptied out the bottom section of a bookcase and almost succeeded in upending the couch.  These days, he heads directly for my bed when he comes inside – making sure the other dogs don’t get his spot when it’s time to turn in.

I sent Clay to the hardware store for ten mousetraps.  I already had cheese.  He baited the traps, scattered them around the likely mouse routes and left.  Before he got out of sight, I heard the snap of the first trap.  Moments later, the puppy trotted into the living room carrying a dead mouse still attached to the trap.  She was as proud as if she set the trap herself.  Other than that, the dogs’ main response to the mouse hunt was to raise their heads when they heard a trap snap shut.

The traps were effective, and I started to relax.  We would not have to share the kitchen and dining room with mice for Thanksgiving dinner.  Did I mention that I volunteered again to have Thanksgiving for my family?

I had practiced making Mama’s rolls enough that I was confident that they would be edible and since I had cooked my first turkey last Thanksgiving, I considered myself an old hand at that.  The only nagging worry was the size of the turkey.  I had bought a nine-pound breast and then was alarmed when Google informed me that I needed a pound and a half of turkey for every person at the meal.  Surely that was not correct – I can’t imagine one person eating a pound of turkey in one sitting!  I was expecting about 20 folks.  That would be 30 pounds of turkey!  I toyed with the idea of buying a second bird but decided against it.  A good decision, as it turned out.

I didn’t worry much about the partial deer carcass that the dogs brought to the house the day before Thanksgiving, because I had another emergency.  I woke up that morning with no heat.  I called the repairman and started praying for a quick cure.  My aunt called mid-morning.  “Is there anything else you need me to bring?” she asked.  “You might need to bring a heater,” I replied.  But my wonderful repair guy came through and I thought surely nothing else could go wrong.  I hoped not, because the truck repair and the furnace repair had just about wiped out my bank account. 

While waiting for furnace repairs, I mixed up the rolls, made the cornbread and chopped onion and celery for the dressing and got the turkey ready for the oven.  By my calculation, it needed to go in the oven about four thirty in the morning.  I set my alarm, went to bed and congratulated myself on how organized I was this year.

I woke up before the alarm went off and I stumbled into the kitchen to put the turkey in.  I was so proud that I had it already prepared and that I could go back to bed for a couple more hours.  The dogs didn’t even stir – it was too early even for them.  When I wakened again and looked at the clock, it showed 6:00.  I could smell the turkey already.  I reached for my tablet, thinking I would check the weather, and to my surprise, the clock on it said 5:00.  I looked again at my clock, which still said 6:00.   What time was it?  And what time did I really put the turkey in the oven?  I jumped up and hurried to the kitchen, where that clock also said 5:00.  The turkey was fine – browning nicely and smelling good.  I waited another hour and checked it with the meat thermometer.  It was at that point that I realized I had placed the bird in the pan upside down.  I still don’t know how long it cooked, but it was done. 

I learned a few things this Thanksgiving.  I learned that a nine-pound turkey breast is plenty for 20 people, especially if you have a lot of other food to go with it.  I learned to double check the correct time when putting the turkey in the oven.  I also learned that it doesn’t seem to matter too much if you put the turkey in the pan upside down.  I learned that I need a few more chairs.  I never learned how my clock got an hour ahead or why furnaces always break down at the worst possible times.  But I did learn again that even crises and near catastrophes don’t matter much as long as family is together for the day.