Happy Thanksgiving

We're all here and reasonably healthy. K's tummy spots are getting better. Here is a picture from yesterday. The rash hasn't gone completely away yet. I still think it's nothing--just connected to the fever.

J got me up twice in the night because her tummy hurt. Mine hurt, too, so I had gone to bed with the hot water bottle. I had to give it to her. Then after trying to sleep without one, I got up and scrounged through the closet for the other one so I could get my stomach pain to abate.

I'm not sure if we've just got one little bug or several running through our house, but I imagine it is all viral an will go away.

J has been sent to her room for a long time. Mr. K had been out with the archery stuff and the kids. Yesterday he drew them a picture of a turkey on a piece of corrugated plastic to shoot at. I had him come in because I was having trouble with the venison. He brought in K but let J and N outside. N came in and told us J had pointed the bow and arrow at him.

J refused to come in when N told her to and when I went out and told her to. I had to haul her in (good thing I go to the gym) to speak to her father. She's in a lot of trouble for her safety violation (absolutely cannot point the bow at people) and for not coming in when told to.

I needed Mr. K because the meat stumped me. I was trying to make a pot roast recipe, but I couldn't brown the roast as the recipe said because the chunk was way to big to fit in the pan. I had wanted Mr. K to run to the store and get me a huge oven bag. Finally I decided to just try to make it in my large skillet. At that point Mr. K came in and said he would cut it into steaks. He did. There was plenty left over so he cut it into stew meat, which I bagged and froze. It should be enough for stew twice. Mr. K went to our neighbor's house (the guy with the beer in one hand and the cigarette in the other--I should just call him Scott) to get some Allegro marinade for the steaks. Scott showed it to us yesterday. His sister got it for him from Food Lion. Scott is the person who gave us the venison. He got it from his brother-in-law, who hunts.

Anyway, the steaks are sitting in this nasty smoke-scented marinade. I haven't told Mr. K how much I hate smoke flavoring. My stomach isn't up to eating venison anyway so it really doesn't matter. The steaks certainly needed a tenderizing marinade. They are shoulder blade steaks, and will be very tough. Also, they have to be cooked quite hot--probably around 170 °F or 180 °F since they are venison and could have parasites. I'm afraid they'll be dried out like shoe leather. I'm planning to survive on the pumpkin pie.