Yesterday, I spent two hours looking for the right seafood for Thanksgiving Dinner, which I’m preparing. Earth and See, the seafood distributor in Manchester, Vt., was closed. I knew Wednesday would be a nightmare there, so I went first thing in the morning and was there when they opened.

I get stubborn when I am thwarted like this. I was determined to be the first person in the store, and I was. I take my meal planning role seriously, and I do not care for failure no as an answer.

(Above. Zip came to visit me; he was very interested in the fish)

We have a great Thanksgiving Dinner planned and food for other meals. I got a bag of crab claws, which I will have for dinner tonight, and fresh salmon for Maria. I got two pounds of lobster tails pre-cooked for Thanksgiving and ready to steam on Thursday. I also got salmon fish cakes for Maria and crabcakes for me.

In addition, I got a jar of seafood salad. Unlike the supermarkets, this seafood salad is all seafood and delicious.

I also bought a can of jumbo crabmeat, perhaps my favorite food worldwide.

Maria was shocked and happy; we will eat well throughout the holiday. Maria works very hard on the farm but is not into shopping or elaborate meals. I love shopping for good and the idea I am nourishing my family. I’ve always done the shopping, in my first marriage and this one.

We’ll cook and prepare this one together, but I felt strongly we should have some special meal. Seafood, like everything else, is getting expensive. It’s worth it.

When I got home, Zip came to check on me and was very interested in the seafood I put out on the porch table to photograph. He is not good at minding his own business. I chased him off the table, but he just stuck his head up and sniffed, which I permitted. We had our belated morning time together.

(Earth And Sea, Manchester, Vermont,  fish fresh from Boston Harbor.)

One reader scolded me for buying salmon a day or two before eating it. She doesn’t live in the country. I must drive many miles to find salmon that comes straight off the boot. People here don’t pay much money for fresh fish and noplace, but Earth and Sea get their seafood from the ocean.

We have a great meal planned and some great lunches and dinners. Thanksgiving will be a quiet and hopefully peaceful day for us; I’m very much looking forward to it. I hope it is peaceful and affirming for all of you.