At the very last moment I find myself scurrying about from store to store in my neighborhood, getting all the fixin's together to make a small Thanksgiving dinner for a good friend and myself.

When I say "very last moment," I mean I agreed to do this yesterday (Tuesday) evening! Yes, I know, I'm definitely losing it...

My friend had nothing to do for the holiday (except he had to work) - he and his wife have no marriage left after thirty years except in name only and pretty much go their separate ways except they still live under the same roof. Quite sad, because he is really a very nice person. I have nothing to do on the holiday either. So, when he proposed getting together and chowing down on Thursday, I said yeah, why the hell not. Haven't cooked a holiday meal in years.

So, the menu will consist of a small (9½ lb.) turkey, mashed potatoes, fresh string beans, the most incredible stuffing on earth, a turkey gravy and a special caper sauce that was always a crowd pleaser. We both dislike cranberry sauce in any form, so we'll skip that. Haven't really thought of a dessert, because I have a feeling there won't be much room for it. In the bygone days, out motto for the holidays was, "Feed 'em 'til they burst." (Yeah, I know - gross, right?)

So, it looks like this year I'm dusting off the welcome mat and the Diner is open for business.

Signor V.

"For me, there's only my wife..."

"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"

"It was a grass harp... And we listened."

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"

"No. Saints and poets, maybe... they do some."