BF and I had our TG dinner the weekend before, so ate leftovers on the actual day. I sure LOVED that! We got a free turkey and it was just one of those injected ones and I just roasted it and it came out good. I rubbed it with Mrs. Dash garlic herb salt free seasoning and stuffed it with apples. The only thing that was a problem is neither my meat thermometer or the pop up one on the turkey seemed to work because it was overcooked but not registering the right temp., so I dunno. My thermometer never seems to be accurate so I really have to find a better one. The white meat on the breast was a tad dry, as per usual but frankly I think it was good enough, that is pretty much the nature of white meat anyway. We got a lot for sandwiches which I ate on my homeade ricotta caraway bread-yum. I made sweet potatoes with pineapple glaze, a dish I had forgotten about and I think I will make it again. Easy peasy, not too cloying sweet but not bland either. Just added a small can of pineapple tidbits to a dish of diced fresh sweet potatoes, a TBLSP or so of brown sugar, a bit of butter and some candied ginger, and then baked it with the turkey for about an hour. Delish. I finally found a stuffing I like. It was over the top rich and fattening but since I only make this type of thing once a year, worth the splurge. It was an Italian style dressing and I got the recipe from chef Fabio Viviani, which sounds like a made up name to me but I actually enjoy his show and some of the recipes. What I like about this dressing was it has almost no sage and I am not a sage fan! I used a mix of spicy fake sausage and some all natural pork and rice sausage that I get, instead of the italian sausage that the recipe calls for. Ingredients 8 cup(s) French baguette or Italian pane rustica, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter 1 cup(s) diced yellow onion 2 cup(s) chopped cremini mushrooms 1 teaspoon(s) dried basil, crushed 4 tablespoon(s) Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided 3 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed 1 cup(s) shredded provolone cheese (I used a mix of shredded Italian cheese and that was it, way less) 1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese - (See note above, I did not use all the cheese called for in the recipe, way over the top) 1 cup(s) sour cream (I only used about 1/3 cup) 1 cup(s) store-bought or homemade beef broth (I used vegetable broth) Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add bread to a large mixing bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, and dried basil. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 8-10 minutes until the moisture is evaporated and the onions and mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the mushroom and onion mixture to the bowl with the bread and allow to cool slightly. In the meantime, in the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. (I used already cooked sausage) Into the bowl with the bread, mushrooms and onions, add the provolone and Parmesan cheeses, sour cream, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and beef broth. Add the cooled sausage and stir to fully combine. Pour the stuffing into a 9- by 13-inch baking pan and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes until brown and crispy. To serve, spoon the stuffing into a serving bowl. Here is a link that might be useful: Chef Fabio Viviani's sausage mushroom stuffing

I drop my celery stalk into a bread bag - it seems to keep well for quite a while in the fridge. I use stainless steel scratch pads, which last a long time. Though I'm not heavy duty into cooking, I do tend to put porridge, stew or something else into a pot to cook, then go off to do something else and just wake up to the cooking when the burning smell permeates the area. So my scratch pads do tend to get a workout fairly frequently - but they deteriorate from wear, not rust. Good wishes for good health, friends and happiness - I rather think that happiness comes as a byproduct when one is busily doing things that one loves and spending time with friends. When one seeks it for its own sake, I think that it's rather elusive. joyful guy

I am not so sure she is truly depressed...she has gone a week or more before she told her dad she needed her pills renewed. She is capable of dropping a prescription off and picking it up...i.e. she already had the prescription! ANd if she needed them that bad, she would have been on top of it. Se is almost 20 years old. Yes, she shows a lot of signs of depression, but I think mentally ill in other ways, is a possibility, or pathological liar...liar by omission? I agree with all that has been said above. A bit more background...she told my daughter that she flunked out her 1st year at school(away) because she was busy partying too much. As far as sticking he head in a hole, she is on the PC most of the time I presume and emerges for food from time to time. She turns her nights into days and days into nights. She has one good friend that I know of (her friend stayed her for about 3 weeks) and the others that she has brought around or we know of have different backgrounds. Let's just say they might be termed 'on the fringe' of society. She 'dated' some guy when she was 16 and still is friends with him...my SO calls him the jailbird...yes he was in jail for some juvenile stuff...not once but twice! I don't want to sound rude about some kid making mistakes (the jail guy) but she seems to surround herself with others that are off the beaten track. Her friend that stayed here was pleasant and has had a tough background. She is also grossly overweight, but has really had some tough things happen in her life...she's only 21. I like this girl and found myself putting my arms around her with tears in my eyes when I heard her story one evening. I am not a total meanie! I just guess I am at the end of my rope...I feel sorry for my SO. Regarding a plan and timeframe to move out....SO claims he gave her a time frame and that would have been in the past week. He even typed up a contract for her to sign. We never got to the signing part the evening that we talked to her as the conversation started to deteriorate. And, it was never picked up again, as far as I know. So we/he has had conversations with her. It's strange he cannot seem to raise his voice to her. Not that I think that is the solution, but I think she needs to know he means business...he is a very calm guy. It's great, but when you have to take a stand you have to at least sound firm and follow up all the time. He has asked me for my opinion many times, I have given him ideas and he has agreed with everything! But it seems so difficult for him to get tough with her...i.e. call her bluff. The last straw came when the junior college sent something home last Friday...another Withddrawn...this time it was by the school, reason...'stopped attending' class. So, if she really wanted to get that education and was struggling, there are so many avenues to turn to. Last semester she told us she dropped one of her courses because she didn't like the teacher and that the school encourages them to drop a class if the student doesn't like the teacher. Well, that was a new one. My 17 senior in HS laughed pretty hard at that one. It just seems that the lies keep coming. BTW, the house was purchased before her fall from grace the 1st year in college, so that is kind of a mute point. As far as depression and the divorce of her parents...she has suppported her dad in the divorce situation, at least outwardly...I don't think she got along too well with mom and prefers dad...now I know why...he is easy going and has probably not questioned her much up to this point. The high school question...she barely made it out of high school her senior year due to attendance. I remember ther mom calling dad pleading with him to come to the family home and make her go to school. I could hear all the drama going on over the phone. The daughter was sobbing about something and refused to go. Personally I would never have allowed my kid to go away to school and co-sign a student loan with that being her history. Dad has agreed no more school on his dime...she has already blown close to $1500 on courses that were paid and she will get no credit for...that just this year. Who knows about last year...dad doesn't either. That is what bothers me more than anything, that he thinks because she is 19 almost 20 she doesn't need to be monitored closely. She acts like a 10 year old with her lack of responsibility. A note on comparing her to my children, etc. It is the irony of life. Yesterday would have been my 21st wedding anniversay. The marriage was never an extremely happy one to begin with...he told my mom to shut up on our wedding night! Anyway, water under the bridge. He worked, made a good living and I was lucky enough to stay at home and raise the kids, while he pursued his career. As my daughter reached the teen years, she got extremely difficult to deal with.She's always had a sharp tongue for as long as I can remember. But once puberty hit, wow, it really got tough. Ex Husband would come home from work and he would side with the daughter. Right or wrong, I believe parents have to work together for the benefit of the child. You don't put down the parent in front of the child. You pull the parent aside and talk about what you don't agree with how they handled the situation. Again, ironically, this was the frosting on the cake and I couldn't take the marriage anymore. I was not a parent, but looked upon as some worker who lived in the house, or that's the way I felt. We nevwer seemed to be able to be partners and work together. I would never blame my daughter for the divorce, I blame the former spouse and myself for not dealing with issues reagarding her behavior, in the proper manner. Now, it is a differnt story. He calls me almost everyday and complains or vents about things that are bothering him about our daughter. I have nicely said, I wish you hsd seen these things before. Again, water under the bridge. Interestingly enough I have become a lot closer to my daughter since the divorce. Getting away from the husband has allowed me to deal with her more calmly and (most times) her with me! So, it is a great thing! She also had some extreme emotional issues about a year ago and is also on anti-deppresants, so I am not a stranger to mental illness. I also see how (at times) she uses that as a crutch and also see how she sometimes pits myself against her dad. I guess what I mean, when dad says no she comes to me and visa versa. Finally the ex and I are working together and agree on many issues with her and are working together to have a united stand. She is about to go off to school this fall and I am confidnet that she will do ok, but everytime something doesn't go her way she can't cave. Otherwise she will be home going to JC. Learning to become an adult is a process and you have to take the lumps with the joys of youth. Anyway, I see my daughter morphing into an adult...most days! Just dont see that with SO's daughter. Anyway, wanted all of you to know I have dealt with some of these issues with my own daughter. Back to the irony...I feel I am in the same boat now, someone's elses daughter, different issues, and seemingly no solutions with the father. Although my SO is totally respectful of me and my opinion. I also feel bad for him having to deal with this crap and cancer as well. I didn't mean to go on and on, but it feels good to get this off my chest. I sincerely appreciate all of your suggestions and agree with everyone...just have to figure out a way to get the ball rolling. Another aside, she is an animal lover and seems to have a bit of knowledge about the habits of animals, both domestic and wild. I have on more than one occasion mentioned that she should consider going into that field...vet's aid? But, she considers herself a singer, writer and artist. So, you can see her interests run into the arts but you have to learn the basic stuff also! Thanks to all who have read this far! I really appreciate the forum to just vent! Thanks again!

I have been a metalsmith since 1988. It's not a "job", I don't work for someone else. I have an MFA in Jewelry and Metals, earned in 2006. As part of my training we studied forging, welding, casting and fabrication from sheet metal: in copper, brass, bronze, nickel, and silver. Including blacksmithing in iron. NO PIECE was considered complete until a proper PATINA was created. It is an important part of the finishing process, whether through application of chemicals from a bottle, liver of sulphur, fuming with ammonia, etc. Though it it IS an important part of the work, it is still an APPLIED patina. Here is the definitive book on the subject, which I and every other metals student studied : https://www.amazon.com/Colouring-Bronzing-Patination-Metals/dp/0823007626 Oxidation is nothing more than a chemical reaction between the molecules in the metal and compounds in the air (as in your outdoor bronze example) or compounds applied, such as the sulphur released by a liver of sulphur solution. A microscopic layer forms which is technically an alloy of the metal and the chemical, such as silver sulphide. You APPLY a patina chemical. OXIDATION is the result. Calling it "artificial" ...well: it's ALL artificial. I don't know of a single sculptor or jeweler today who lets their pieces color naturally in the air. It is because you cannot control the result that way. Go to an art fair like the Des Moines Art Festival (not a craft fair with "yard art") and talk to some modern day bronze sculptors. Ask them if they let their pieces color naturally. From ancient times through the Renaissance to the present day: sculptors have colored their metals. I have seen old recipes calling for burying the piece in sawdust with urine added; akin to the ammonia fuming of today. A raw bronze is not a pretty thing. There is no contrast, no richness of the surface. No Renaissance sculptor would have thought of exhibiting one. Unless coated with lacquer, all patinas are "living" surfaces. They will continue to react and the color change with time: sometimes looking better with age, sometimes not; with the original metal gradually being eroded/penetrated by the alloy. Hence many outdoor bronzes in Italy (where acid rain and air pollition in general is a problem), have been removed indoors to controlled conditions, and copies placed outdoors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_of_Saint_Mark