Bena Mae’s Kitchen: My dramatic, eventful Thanksgiving

The late W.C. Fields was famous for many witty quotes, one of the most famous being, “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”
I was thinking this very thing when my daughter-in-law and I pulled up to the medical building where I was scheduled for a colonoscopy/endoscopy test. The day before had been a grueling one, no solid food, chicken soup, Jell-O and drinking horrible fluids all day long. My gag reflexes were working overtime and it was a test of endurance I had never experienced in my entire life.
I had opted to stay by myself that day, preferring to suffer in silence, playing the martyr, doing my Joan of Arc bit. No point in letting the dramatic moment pass without notice.
The next day, as we got to the door of the large medical building, hordes of people were rushing out, two fire trucks were parked at the entrance and sirens were blowing without letup. The elevators were shut down and the lobby was as dark as pitch.
I looked at my daughter-in-law and said, “Is all this for ME?” Over in a corner, a little boy who appeared to be about six-years old was blubbering to the top of his lungs, his mother and others trying their best to calm him down. I assumed he was scared of all the noise. When I found out why he was crying, I realized he was scared of what was to come when he got home.
Turned out he had playfully pulled the fire alarm button, evacuating the whole building. White-coated doctors, and nurses along with patients still wearing examining robes were scattered among the crowd. If I had been 15 minutes earlier, I would have been similarly dressed.
After about 15 more minutes when it was decided that it was a false alarm, we were allowed back into the building and business resumed as usual. The test itself was painless–I don’t remember anything about it. A few days later, I got a call from the doctor’s office saying there was no malignancy.  
The upshot is, they found out what was not my problem. Now we have to move on to the next level and find out what it is.  I am feeling much better and was able to enjoy a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with my family.
During the dinner, my son announced that he was buying a 1976 vintage BMW.  I told him he was going through a mid-life crisis. Life goes on.

It’s time to start saving recipes for Christmas goodies now that Thanksgiving is over. This one is simple in that it calls for common ingredients you may have on hand.

Chewy Cereal Bars

1/2 cup honey or corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, if desired
5 cups Country® Corn Flakes cereal
1/2 cups nuts or raisins

Grease 8-inch square pan.
In 3-quart saucepan, heat honey, sugar, and cinnamon to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips until smooth. Stir in cereal and nuts until coated.
Spread in pan.
Cool about 1 hour or until firm.
Top with additional peanut butter or melted chocolate chips if desired.
Cut into 9 squares; cut each square diagonally to make 18 bars.
Store tightly covered.