Stepping Cautiously to The Fringe of Hope

I do so hope you all had a wonderful Turkey day!  Ah yes, the "Anglo Saxon Commandeered from Pagan ceremony despite the treatment of the Native American" Holiday!
Opps!  Too negative?
Well, with all due respect to my Blackfoot (and wife's Cherokee) Heritage, we do the whole "Feast 'till you hyper extend" thing like everyone else...thing.  And, man  I'll tell ya, Having an actual working kitchen is SO the bomb!  Last year, living at the old ramshackle homestead cooking such a large meal with a partially functioning stove and no counter space (I don't mean little, I mean NO counter space...at all) was a challenge!  This year?  BOOYA!  Four burners and two ovens!  NO WAITING!  Angi cooked up a 20 pounder, with all the trimmings...and I HELPED! 
 My job?
PREP! 
Yes, it will be a while before we have real mashed potatoes again.  but at least this year I was able to find the peeler AND the masher!  Usually to find utensils we have to check the bathroom or the backyard.  No I understand the masher makes a good garden trowel...But I have NO idea what they do with the peeler in the bathroom!
I don't think I want to.
After the feast of course, comes the sampling of the Holiday pies.
5 different kinds.
*woof*
I stick with apple, and Logan sticks with pumpkin, but everyone else had a little (in the case of Elijah and Kaleb A LOT) of each, complete with a BIG dollop of whip cream, so needless to say there was a TAD bit of hyper energy to burn of.
It's surprising how much damage and physical injury can be caused by a plastic whiffle bat.
Well, the good news is that the front room furniture was not permanently damaged in the ensuing melee.  Elijah, feeling rather pumped up on sugar once again choose to challenge for the position of Alpha Male.  Such a challenge can not go unanswered.  And yes, wet Willy's and a couple of well place boogers (sorry if you're eating) were the catalyst.  Granted the boy is solid, but easily thrown off balance, and pinned, although he did get in a real good whack with the whiffle bat.
'sucker stings!
Well needless to say the little guys got involved and burned some calories at dad's expense, as mom stood on the periphery keeping Izzy at bay.
Ahhh, good times.  Good times.
Once the Hullabaloo ended we sat down to perform a new tradition, the making out a letter to Santa.  As they are getting older Mom and Dad really didn't want to guess.  We gave them each three choices as this year we are keeping it low key.  Most years we go overboard at the last minute, but not anymore.  They surprisingly took it very well, and weren't greedy (although Elijah's request for a computer may be a stretch).  Also, as is the custom, got calls from the family (and an E-mail from mom).  The reaction to the resent press release regarding Angela's "condition" has gone rather well.  By "Well" I mean, my sister politely extended her love and hopes that Angie remains well, My father and Stepmother merely glazed over and abruptly changed the subject, and my Mom's e-mail made no mention whatsoever.  Oh, but don't think badly of them, trust me!  I prefer these reaction to the ones we got with the announcement of the birth of Rozlynd!  Trust me!  THAT was mistake that NONE of our family would choose to make again.  But my best to my sister, who is now happily living on her own in what sounds like an ultra cool pad in Dover, NH, as my mother prepares to move on to her new life with her recently discovered soul mate, proving that love is ageless and good things do come to the faithful.
And speaking of faith!  I had some of mine restored!  As some may recall, recently we had a reunion, of source with our estranged elder daughter.  To recap, she had a falling out with us after she turned 18 (well, truth be told she never responded well to living with rules since she was 12) and moved to Missouri and promptly dropped off the radar.  We tried in vain to locate her, until she was discovered by her Granddad, quite by accident.  Unfortunately, she was not in a good way.  Angi and I put her and her "fiance" up in a hotel down there for a couple of weeks under the proviso that she get back on her Epilepsy medicine, get a job and get housing for herself.  There was a deadline.  For all appearances when the deadline came to pass (which I tenuously extend for another weekend) she had not full filled her end of the bargain.  With no other recourse I had to stop footing the bill and wished her the best.  Thinking she and her beau had just hit the streets again, I was pleasantly surprised that we got a call from her last night, from the self same hotel.  Apparently she and her man found jobs, and were taking care of business on their own!  They have joined a local church, and are involved in a drug rehabilitation program.  On top of all that, she is in the process of mending fences with Angela's folks (she stayed with them for two months to disastrous results) She sounds good, healthy and I think the old adage "you have to hit rock bottom" applies.  It's good to know that our efforts didn't go unrewarded and she has (tentatively) seen the light.
OK, sorry....getting a little misty eyed.
For me, i look forward to the day when Momma can welcome her back to the fold. LOTS of damage there that will take time to heal.  But it's a start.
OK
On to business (my moment of weepy eyed sentimentality over) I have LOADS of bikes to put out as I have done an inordinate amount of buying over the last three days!  And just in time as today has already seen Julio buying up the GORGEOUS Trek 330, and a nice couple from Minnesota snatched up the men's GT, AND sweet Schwinn Aluminum Comp! 
So we hope in your "Black Friday" travels you pop on in and say "hey"!
Later!