Did you have a happy Thanksgiving? Personally, I had a selfish one and enjoyed every minute of it. Yes, I opted to spend Thanksgiving alone, if you don’t count my 10 pets. Now don’t get me wrong; I realize I sound uncaring saying that about a day when we gather to celebrate who and what we are most thankful for. And I passed. Shame on me, right?

I’m busy. You’re busy. Everyone’s busy. And for me to get a day where I don’t have to leave the house is essentially nonexistent. Pretty much daily I either trap feral cats, visit properties to re-home them, receive calls, texts and emails about them, or take them to and from the vet. Ferals, ferals, ferals…

But since my brother is in New York with my nephew and his family, and my sister wasn’t feeling well, I decided to stay home and have a much-needed day of doing whatever I felt like, as long as it didn’t include cats other than my own.

But then Sue asked me to join her family (my extended family) for Thanksgiving at Lake Tahoe. How sweet, huh? She even threw in the temptation of snowshoeing. I admit I wavered for a moment from my plan to be a self-imposed hermit, but I regrouped and politely declined.

Sharon and her family (also mine in all ways that count) asked me to join them for dinner. When I explained my plan for the day, she suggested I instead stop by for noon appetizers at her brother’s house with them. Very thoughtful of her. After thanking her, I again passed.

Other friends extended invitations to their Thanksgiving gatherings as well, which I appreciated. Thankfully, they all understood my need to decompress, which helped ease any guilt I felt over being selfish on Thanksgiving. So what did I do that day? You will likely find it exceedingly uneventful, which is just how I wanted it.

I slept until 9 a.m. so I got a full 6 hours. If my dogs had larger bladders I’d have gotten more shut-eye, but that’s a pipe dream. After showering, feeding everyone, then making a double latte, I vacuumed. Yes, that’s right. I sort of enjoy that mindless task. Besides, I could no longer ignore the accumulation of fur in every nook and cranny.

Then I did laundry. Not too exciting, but a necessary evil. I considered cleaning out my shoe closet and the garage, but talked myself out of it. Who does that on Thanksgiving? So instead, I picked some persimmons in my backyard and then played with my foster kitten, O’Ryan while listening to Amazon music. He seemed to enjoy ’70s Light Pop the best. Or maybe that was just me.

Lunch was homemade minestrone soup. Then I watched a program on Netflix, a limited series called, ‘What If‘ with Renee Zellweger. I’ve never seen anyone stand as erect as that woman. I’m practically a hunchback compared to her. Then I took the dogs for a walk only because I promised them and they have excellent memories. It was my only venture outside that day.

Anyway, from there I made a fire, then roasted my Tofurky and kabocha squash, cooked green beans and cauliflower rice, and topped it all with the best mushroom gravy I’ve ever made. I then sat in front of the fire enjoying dinner. A late night talk on the phone with my friend Loretta topped off the evening and I called it a day around midnight.

So for me, this Thanksgiving was a wonderfully selfish day. Luckily, those I love understood. And for all of them, my awesome family, I am most thankful. I’d say Reba McEntire and I think alike…

I hope you are as well.