Jusby and family went to Oma Barbara's in West Linn for Thanksgiving. Instead of Turkey they planned to have seafood. Then they changed the plan to soup and salad.

For Orion, they offered a day-old almond butter and jelly sandwich. [The little stinker needs to eat the lunch they pack for him the day before!]

By the time the family wanted to eat, Orion wanted a nap. He missed the fire Trish almost started. In addition to the salad (hydroponic lettuce, goat cheese, walnuts, Trish's special dressing) and soup (tubs of Safeway Signature Cafe Pumpkin and Cajun Jambalya!), Jusby prepared a Pumpkin Crisp using a recipe a colleague left in the staff room. Trish recognized it as a southern dish called "Dump Cake". In effect, the name tells the secret of the recipe: put the pumpkin and wet ingredients (condensed milk and eggs etc.) on the bottom and DUMP a CAKE MIX on the top! Then pour two sticks of melted butter over that. It surprised Jusby that Trish would consent to buying any sort of cake mix. It was no surprise that she advised against using the full cup of sugar, and Jusby shaved a quarter cup off the recipe. While most of the topping turned golden brown, the center section stayed creamy white, and Trish asked, "Would you be offended if I put this back in the oven for a minute?" Jusby said, "Yes, I would. I would hate you. How could you? Oh, whatever."

She cranked up the oven to broil and put the Pumpkin Crisp/ Dump Cake on the TOP RACK! Of course, the next thing the family noticed was smoke billowing from the now blackened Pumpkin Crisp/ Dump Cake.

She said, "At least we've all had some." "Um, not all of us," said Jusby, reminding her that Orion was still asleep, and the only way he'd eat his sandwich was with the promise of dessert afterwards. She did a quick surgery and removed the carbon layer dating this recipe as Thanksgiving 2007. ~~~ Orion woke up none the wiser. Oma had purchased Ratatouille the night before as well. Jusby got inspired and started cooking up another GUMBO-like soup. Well, here's the deal with coming to Oma's: Jusby spends about half an hour each time filling up about 3 garbage bags with the rotten tomatoes, moldy cheeses, putrid bacon, liquified onions, and solidified liquids. Then he finds edible things, or things that could pass for food with some assistance. Since the message of Ratatouille was, "Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great" it was up to Jusby to start combining things and putting them into Oma's crock pot. This current obsession with the crock pot was validated by several astrologers advising a Slow Down during Mars Retrograde (now until February!!).

"Mars will be SLOWING us DOWN for the winter, so it seems, November 15th – the end of JANUARY 2008! Mars is about ACTION and MOTION, Assertiveness, being DIRECT and CHARGED UP! So, when it turns retrograde, expect to SLOW down, Look more INWARDLY rather than OUTWARDLY with your Actions, you may even find yourselves STAYING PUT! Or dare I say it…… STOP!!! Put things on Slow Simmer rather than Rolling Boil. ~ Mooncat"

Jusby found shrimp, sausages, and turkey (from last X-mas) in the freezer. He sauteed them and added white onions, freezer burned green beans, canned garbanzos, canned diced tomatoes, wilted celery, wilted green onions, carrots and spices. Voilá! He didn't even need the recipe table.

He did need a T-shirt, however. In his hasty packing, he forgot to bring any, so he borrowed one of Oma's. It bore an advertisement for the software "Inspiration". By the time Orion noticed the character portrayed they were watching Hairspray. Orion asked, "Is he a robot?" Jusby replied, "He could be. He looks like that doesn't he? He has those funny glasses and his head is cut open. This says inspiration. That's like getting an idea. You can be inspired or get an idea. Watching movies like this is inspirational. It's from the words to breathe in. You inspire. When you breathe in, the oxygen gives your body ideas." Right at that moment, John Travolta's character, Edna Turnblad, comments about all the fresh air... since she hasn't been out of the house in years! Nice synchronicity!