Growing more synapses in the hive mind

Thanksgiving Day was exhausting but grrrrrrreat!

I got up early to prep for the Pumcake Party, but it turned out we didn't have any doorbusters and the action didn't kick in until nearly ten. Then it all seemed to explode doubleplus quick, and the house was full of revelers and carousers and and eaters and drinkers and talkers and laughers - just the way I like it. Volleyball players met volleyball players, cooks met cooks, travelers met tourists, and Connections were Made. We even tried to have Wheylona as a virtual guest, but neither Skype nor iChat were working properly. All the while, the flapjacks and soysages were flying fast and furious, with pumpkin and coconut tied in popularity this year. Coffee ran in rivers, while the champagne stood neglected for a long time - go figure!

Notable stats:

One toddler.
Two verified hangovers.
Three members of Sweatpants Nation.
Four English teachers (but never all at once).

Total body count: a score and a quarter:

Phyl
Dingo
Eryk
Sylvio
Ms. Matcha
Surfer-T
BabyKoa
NatDog
Tom-Tom
Trots
Yojimbo
Lon
Jules
Johnbai
O
Cal
Merry
JagGirl
Jimmy the K
A and C, The K-men
Stella
Yito

Gallery:


Only first-comer Phyl got to see it looking this neat...


Taking a few practice swings before the game - batter up! (Get it?)


The Full Belly Project got some press, and Johnbai finally got some confirmation from the blogosphere to bolster his foundering self-esteem.


Surfer-T had his hand full with BabyKoa.


O stitched a bit but never bitched.


Cute couple, part one: Tom-Tom and NatDog


Cute couple, part two: Eryk and Sylvio


They arrived late, but I saved Stella and Yito soysages, just as I had promised.


Shock and awe - something was troubling Yito and Otis during the event!

And the day wasn't over!

When the crowd was finally dissipated at about2:00 pm, Otis and I geared up to be guests, not hosts, up at the traditional Putnam Thanksgiving up in LFP. We packed Otis's double-yummy vegetarian gravy and dressing, some peach lambic, and assorted doo-dads, and got up there at about 3:30, after a nice empty-streets holiday drive. What followed was the Arrival of Kith and Kin (including BabyNick); the totally sweet Presentation of Thanks, from Otis, to and for everyone present; the Groaning Board, with all sorts of goodies in the Custom; the Plethora of Dessert, featuring the famous Tevanberry Pie; and, of course, the Drinking of Coffee.

It was a great gathering and great meal, and at the end of it, we packed all sorts of tupperware-like containers (the afore-mentioned doo-dadia) and trundled ourselves home for some black and white television and sleep, which knits the raveled care of woe.

I got up early this morning to re-assemble the house; our dishwasher picked a fine time to konk out (the service person is coming Monday), so I had a wonderful, old-fashioned, sudsy time of it. Unfortunately, Otis's cold/sore throat/whatever seems to have gotten a bit worse, or it's just revealing itself after she tanked up on drugs yesterday, but whatever the case, she was exempted from clean-up duty (yay!) but will prolly spend the day in bed (boo!). Me, I'm going out, even though it looks like I'll need my longies.