INSULATING WITH FAT

       It's turned off COLD here—below freezing. Had to warm the car a good 10 minutes before heading out this morning. NOT complaining! The folks who came to lunch have no car to warm, no furnace issues (mine put a dent in my wallet this week), no wallet… and they have come in en masse, compared to our usual numbers. The shelter served 54 dinners last night!
       Joey gave me two #10 cans of corned beef hash. Researching the #10 can, I find that it contains 12 servings (we got 15+), and it weighs about 6-1/2 pounds. Try holding that with one hand while scooping it into a pan with the other! Even with Joey's help, by the time I browned four batches of hash in the super-large frying pan, my arms were exhausted. The rest of me was complaining too.
       The frying pan holds only half a can, and as each batch browned, Joey would scrape it into a large aluminum baking pan. We filled two baking pans, and I made 15 little nests in each one. I broke a raw egg into each nest and Joey put the pans in the ovens. Today's efforts demanded a lot more muscle than I have.
       Joey baked a big pan of sausages because he, personally, wanted a sausage biscuit. Then he baked the only 3 biscuits he had. He also put a huge pan of delicious ham in the oven—left over from Friday—and two #10 cans of spinach on to boil.
       As I watched our lunch menu develop, literally on the fly, I felt like we needed grits. No excuse for those, but when you're serving up that much fat and carbs, you might as well go big. So I cooked about a gallon of grits and added cheese and butter. People! That lunch was death on a plate!
       When I'd begun frying the hash, Joey had said despairingly that the pre-release wouldn't eat it. I told him they ate it before. He argued that this group wouldn't eat it. He was wrong.
       Imagine coming to lunch and finding your plate heaped with cheese grits, spinach, corned beef hash (with poached egg), two sausage patties, and baked ham. This was beyond a doubt the least healthy meal we've ever served and by far the most popular. One very young woman in the pre-release group was not shy about expressing her glee at the sight of those plates. We served about 8 folks in that group—4 had seconds.
       Our homeless numbered around 20-25. These "snow birds" are the saddest of the sad. They would not be at a shelter if the weather were such that they could sleep outdoors—or in whatever unheated place they generally abide. Bitty Baby and Brother are still at Grandmother's because it's too cold to take the children out to walk. Mom said the kids will remain there until she and Dad get out of the shelter. In fact, we had NO children today.
       ONE is still minding the door, no doubt waiting for a daytime replacement. He very much enjoyed partaking of the kitchen's offerings. I wish you could hear his PA-system announcements—such a funny man. He's working in a very serious place, but he never lets that kill his sense of humor. If ever such talents were needed, they are needed there!
       Mr. Huggy arrived after the church hour. I got a one-arm hug and gave him a plate to take home. He's exhausted from seasonal duties, and I reminded him to delegate, but he won't. You know how those people are—gotta be hands-on (no reference to his past endeavors).
       For dinner tonight, Joey has put two large pans of leftover turkey in the oven. A lot of turkey has been frozen, so for next Sunday, I offered to make Brunswick stew with it. Joey has a LIST of what to order, and really, I think the only thing he doesn't already have is lima beans... so we'll see.
       Many of our diners stopped to thank us before leaving. Fat IS festive!

COLD TURKEY

       I've been away—first to a business conference, and then to sit the grandkids while their parents traveled. Both events were a lot of fun, but on Sunday mornings, I missed the shelter and hoped they wouldn't forget me.
       ONE unlocked the door today! He was bundled up in hats and coats enough to give him a snowman appearance! I assumed the heat was off, but One was just cold. Bless his heart.
       Nothing has changed. The shelter is still sheltering, and Joey is still in the kitchen. Miss Lillian had instructed Joey to use up an oversupply of pancakes, so we had brunch for lunch. I scrambled 3 dozen eggs with two kinds of cheeses and some seasonings. Joey baked two large pans of sausage patties, and we served applesauce on the side. There were NO complaints.
       There were many new faces, and a few old ones. I was expecting to see mostly new faces, after a 3-week absence; and I was a bit lost in the kitchen—having to remind myself where things are. The same thing happened here at home. Is that "travel block" or "old age?"
       Joey had some news: One of my long-ago favorite pre-release fellows is back in the Big House. The last time he wrote to me, he had complained that living with his grandmother was hard because the "old crowd" was around. I never understand why people don't just LEAVE when things are that bad. Are there no services, no parole officer duties that can help such a person? The system just threw that boy right back in the briar patch.
       Joey's other news was about his school. He missed more than 5 days, so he lost this quarter. The next quarter starts in January, and he will go back. If he doesn't finish by December 2013, he will be required to begin the entire process from scratch, so he is motivated to finish. Let's all stand in Joey's corner.
       Our Bitty Baby and his Precious Brother were at Grandma's today, but I left some goodies with their mom and dad. We had two other little ones, brothers about 6 and 12. They were there before I traveled, and they seem no worse for the wear of living in a shelter. Joey says we also have sisters 16 and 20, but I didn't see them—or they looked older than that…
       We have a new vegan, but he eats eggs.
       The Thanksgiving turkeys are already coming out of the oven. I saw four hot ones on the counter this morning. There were a half dozen others in the raw-meat sink. They always make far too many turkeys, and serve it out for weeks. Ew. At least I don't volunteer for Turkey Day: the whole town is invited, and I think about 200 usually come! Of course, there are volunteers who specialize in Turkey Day. Big event. Newspaper article.
       A smoker called to me as I headed for my car, "Thanks for coming today!"
       "I enjoyed it!" I said.
       "Have a nice rest of your week," he continued.
       "Enjoy your Thanksgiving!" I replied.
       "You too!"