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This is fun we’re having, right?

We most certainly do celebrate Thanksgiving in this household (a gluttony holiday wasn’t exactly a hard sell). Turkey Day is my favorite and, not entirely by chance, the anniversary of the day I arrived in England for good. Well, the date shifts a little, obviously, but I count it from Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving. Five years now, if you can believe it.

Our neighbors — among them the incorrigible old coots who got us drunk last night — have been good and welcoming. The problem is, they’re all ten or twenty years older than we are. We just have time to get attached, and they go falling off the branch already. One died suddenly last year, another has had a completely incapacitating stroke.

Here’s a nasty shock: the NHS doesn’t pay for nursing home care. When our friend with the stroke has a medical issue — breaks a bone or gets pneumonia — he goes in the hospital and socialized medicine pays for the lot. When he’s stable enough to go back to the care home, his wife pays, to the tune of about $1,200 a week. Until they’ve bled her savings white, and then the state picks up the tab.

Part of me thinks “fair enough” — round the clock care is terribly expensive and it has to paid for somehow. But geez, this guy worked all his life to build up his little stash, and there it goes — whoosh, down the crapper. He doesn’t even get anything nicer than the man who pissed it all away at the pub. Not that he’d know the difference now, poor bastiche.

Anyway, I promise to be cheerier tomorrow. Because — turkey!

Comments


Comment from SCOTTtheBADGER
Time: November 28, 2013, 12:42 am

Are those ladies spinning something?


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: November 28, 2013, 2:03 am

I’m allergic to turkey, chicken and eggs because of the anti-biotics they put in them.

Can I have some prime rib or a steak? 🙂


Comment from Deborah
Time: November 28, 2013, 2:40 am

I’m not cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year, QuasiModo, but I always include a small brisket and a pot of pinto beans along with the turkey and dressing. Husband and I are driving to the panhandle tomorrow—that’s the square part of the state 😉 We’ll be gone 500 miles when the day is done; hey—it’s Texas. Happy Thanksgiving Stoaty and Uncle Badger, and the rest of y’all, too.


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: November 28, 2013, 2:58 am

Have a nice Thanksgiving!


Comment from Paula Douglas
Time: November 28, 2013, 3:02 am

Mission accomplished for socialized medicine, then: everyone’s equally fucked.


Comment from Oceania
Time: November 28, 2013, 9:57 am

Wai Whakamukau?

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=u6VVwIlHLLw&feature=youtu.be


Comment from Oceania
Time: November 28, 2013, 10:23 am

Now Now Paula … socialised medicine can work – if you know someone in the inside or have a modicom of common sense to stay away from it.

Just look at the American companies trying to overturn Pharmacs low cost generic medicine programme in NZ?
Government central purchasing agency cuts the best deal, for the consumers – who expect health care in their taxes.

If you turn up sick – you will probably get treated at an NZ hospital … unless you are me and turn up at A&E 8 times with a flesh eating superbug before getting admitted.
I digress.

After all, people can’t actually afford to pay inflated US company rates for the ‘latest’ drug – because its Bullshit.


Comment from Argentium G. Tiger
Time: November 28, 2013, 1:42 pm

Happy Thanksgiving to you and Uncle Badger! Hope the hangovers aren’t too bad today… If so, drink!

Which reminds me of one of my favorites at this time of year:

HOW TO COOK A TURKEY

Step 1: Go buy a turkey
Step 2: Take a drink of whiskey
Step 3: Put turkey in the oven
Step 4: Take another 2 drinks of whiskey
Step 5: Set the degree at 375 ovens
Step 6: Take 3 more whiskeys of drink
Step 7: Turn oven the on
Step 8: Take 4 whisks of drinky
Step 9: Turk the bastey
Step 10: Whiskey another bottle of get
Step 11: Stick a turkey in the thermometer
Step 12: Glass yourself a pour of whiskey
Step 13: Bake the whiskey for 4 hours
Step 14: Take the oven out of the turkey
Step 15: Take the oven out of the turkey
Step 16: Floor the turkey up off of the pick
Step 17: Turk the carvey
Step 18: Get yourself another scottle of botch
Step 19: Tet the sable and pour yourself a glass of turkey
Step 20: Bless the saying, pass and eat out

Turk the bastey!


Comment from Armybrat
Time: November 28, 2013, 2:59 pm

Turk the bastey! We’re deep flying the bird again. We’ve done it for years and finally did it for our yankee friends here in Beantown last year. Now we’re back at it by popular demand. Happy Thanksgiving all!


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: November 28, 2013, 4:20 pm

Happy Thanksgiving!
For some reason known only to me, we’re doing a seafood Thanksgiving feast this year:
Clam chowder
Shrimp
Scallops
Oysters
Seafood risotto
Grilled salmon
Various and assorted vegetables and potato dishes including baked acorn squash and parsnips
A ridiculous number of desserts
Booooooooooooooze in Weasealian quantities!!!!!!

Hope you all enjoy your Turkey!


Comment from dissent555
Time: November 28, 2013, 4:41 pm

Some Veg – Hey, that sounds pretty good! Enjoy!

Argentium – No turkey cooking and driving now, ya hear?

Well, I’m off to cookin’ and travelin’.
Happy Thanksgiving All!


Comment from Nina
Time: November 28, 2013, 5:11 pm

I have no idea what we are having for dinner later today, because we are going to a friend’s parents’ house…don’t know them, never met ’em. Older daughter has, which is why we’re going, but I don’t know what’s fer dinner.

That’s okay, I’m sure it’ll be good. Happy day everyone!


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: November 28, 2013, 6:05 pm

Happy Thanksgiving, fellow minions! 🙂


Comment from David Gillies
Time: November 29, 2013, 2:43 am

I didn’t make it back in time from a road trip to Nicaragua to get to anyone’s Turkey Day. I had to make do with home-made pressure cooker Cream of Chicken Soup, which is pretty damn good, actually.

Here’s stupid: Thanksgiving is of course not a Costa Rican holiday except among US expats and their invitees, but Black Friday most decidedly is a thing. There was an article on the news about gadget-mad Ticos camping out for the latest doodad from Sony or whathaveyou. It’s rather pathetic.


Comment from BJM
Time: November 29, 2013, 6:25 am

The photo reminds me of a box of photos Mom inherited from Gran. One Thanksgiving after Gran passed we spread them out and realized none of us had any clue who any of the people were/are.

Hundreds of events; graduations, confirmations, weddings, christenings, birthdays, vacations, men proudly posing with a new cars…mothers cradling newborns, etc. All carefully annotated on the reverse side in Grans hand “Tot & Jewel at Niagara Falls 1932” is obviously a honeymoon pix..but who the heck were Tot & Jewel?

After Thanksgiving dinner… before the killer card game breaks out…each of us chooses a photo, the first person to draw makes up a story that the person on their left must incorporate into their photo story and so on around the table. Now we know them.

A good time was had by all today. Every one has left and the box is back in it’s place until next time…yes, now I’m the keeper.


Comment from Frit
Time: November 29, 2013, 6:59 am

A recipe my Dad gave me for Thanksgiving:

Turkey Dressing:

4 Cups Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup Onions, chopped.
1 Tsp. Sage
1/4 Cup Celery, chopped
1 Cup Turkey Broth
2 TBS butter
1/4 Cup Unpopped Popcorn

Mix well and place in turkey.
Bake 1.5 hours per pound at 375° F

…. or until the popcorn blows the ass of the turkey! 😉


Comment from beasn
Time: December 10, 2013, 3:35 am

Oh hey, been preoccupied with ebay drama, so I’m playing catch-up — *waves to Badger House*

It’s the same here. Medicare pays for medical expenses but does not cover nursing homes. Life savings must go poof before state steps in. And I believe, if the savings go poof within a few years, the state will go after anyone the elderly person gave money as far back as 5 years. Husband isn’t 100% sure, but the state may even put a lien on the house/estate.

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