Day of stuff

1. Took one of our cats (Thor) to the vet today because of a throat obstruction that's been causing swallowing problems for him the last week or so. The doctor thinks he may have a very serious underlying condition, which is something I actually expected to hear - after having dealt with as many cats as I have, you get a sense of these things. But on the plus side, the throat obstruction seems to have gone away. The bill, however, set me back by what would have been a full week's pay (before taxes) from back when I was working. (New job starts November 26, at a similar pay rate.)

2. Stopped at the pierogi shop where we normally get our pierogi for Christmas Eve. The sign on the door said "SOLD OUT - ORDER PICK UPS ONLY," but I decided to give it a shot. (We had tried calling on Tuesday, but had no luck.) I was able to place an order for two dozen cheese, two dozen potato, and two dozen cabbage, for pickup tomorrow. (My mom later called and upped the order to three dozen.)

3. My mom wanted chicken soup today. Unfortunately, we were out of carrots. Still, I thawed four chicken thighs, removed the skin, and boiled them in salted water until the foamy, fatty scum my mother and grandmother call shummy stopped forming. Then I added peppercorns, allspice, and parsley, turned down the heat, and ran out to buy carrots, and a ton of other stuff. I came home, added the carrots to the soup, and continued to simmer it for another half-hour or so. (Thor, it turns out, loves boiled chicken.)

4. Garbage night.

A lot of other things happened, but these were the physically, emotionally, and financially draining bits,