Thanksgiving 2013
28/11/13 08:39
It's Thanksgiving 2013 and just when we thought it would never get here...it gets here. In splendid fashion, I might add. We have all the fixin's and then some. Our turkey comes to us this year compliments of Philbricks. It's a 16 pound beauty without the usual additives, fillers, and saline solutions that usual accompany the more commercial birds. The damn thing is even fresh. We'll be celebrating the holiday with Nancy's mom, Evan, and Nancy's sister, Debbie. I'll be doing the carving. Nancy made her grandmother's pumpkin pie recipe last night and it is sitting pretty on the stovetop awaiting the short trip across town where we will be dining at Nancy's mom's house. That is nothing unusual. Absent this year is Nancy's father who passed away earlier this year. He will not be down for supper as Howie likes to say. We will have a moment of silence where everyone gets to say their peace and then we will proceed to do what people do when they sit down to a Thanksgiving meal. Pass the mashed potatoes please. Nancy, would it be too much trouble to pass me the cranberry sauce. Oh, Mrs G, the potatoes are just perfect. Where ever did you get the recipe? Evan, would you like some more turkey while I'm serving it to everyone? Debbie, you really must try the stuffing we made.
We have much to be thankful for this year. The lot of us have our health as tenuous as that seems to be sometimes. Aside from the occasional gnawing of the arthritic joints, MRI's that give rise to wild speculation, suspicious freckles, fading eyesight, and fitful and sometimes sleepless nights, we are good to go. That reminds me that there is still much to do before the first real snow falls. I saw my first squall of the season two days ago when we left to drive to New York to pick Evan up from school. It was an unexpected snow event and the minute Nancy spied the snow, as we were walking out the door I might add, she very nearly curled up into a fetal position and went back to sleep. Tears flowed nervously from her eyes and I grew visibly impatient and closed the door behind me as I went into the garage. I assured her that it was nothing more than a coastal flurry swirling back in off the ocean and we would be rid of it within the hour as we drove further and further from the coast. We had more to worry about than a smattering of snow so it was good to put that behind us. The real challenge came later in the day and into the early evening when we ran into traffic along route 495 leading up to New Hampshire. That aside, it was a good trip and we were happy to be bringing Evan home for the holiday. That said, I would have rather seen him catch a ride to NH than the two of us (Nancy and me) make the 10 hour round trip in one day. Who does that to one's parents? And then, we get to do it all over again in a few days.
I do wonder what all the brothers and sisters are doing for the holiday. I've chatted with a couple of them and they seem to be doing the same old thing they've been doing for years and years. It's all about family and giving thanks for what you have at this time of the year. It is not unlike our traditions when we were children growing up in update New York in the 60's and 70's. There was always a big Butterball turkey, mounds and mounds of mashed potatoes, squash, boiled onions, and stuffing and more than enough to go around. Even when times were tight we seemed to do the right thing on this particular day of the year. There were a couple of years when it was late coming or maybe not even thawed out by the time dinner was due on the table but we persevered. That is what children do. They don't know how to do anything else. Taking matters into our own hands was out of the question and we had little in the way of resources or powers of resurrection with which to restore the situation. And, there were many situations and maybe too many to recall with any real degree of accuracy. But, the memories linger and will no doubt be with us for a long time if not eternity assuming anything really lasts that long. We can only hope for one memorable occasion at a time so today it is. And, we pray for those less fortunate....Happy Thanksgiving all!
We have much to be thankful for this year. The lot of us have our health as tenuous as that seems to be sometimes. Aside from the occasional gnawing of the arthritic joints, MRI's that give rise to wild speculation, suspicious freckles, fading eyesight, and fitful and sometimes sleepless nights, we are good to go. That reminds me that there is still much to do before the first real snow falls. I saw my first squall of the season two days ago when we left to drive to New York to pick Evan up from school. It was an unexpected snow event and the minute Nancy spied the snow, as we were walking out the door I might add, she very nearly curled up into a fetal position and went back to sleep. Tears flowed nervously from her eyes and I grew visibly impatient and closed the door behind me as I went into the garage. I assured her that it was nothing more than a coastal flurry swirling back in off the ocean and we would be rid of it within the hour as we drove further and further from the coast. We had more to worry about than a smattering of snow so it was good to put that behind us. The real challenge came later in the day and into the early evening when we ran into traffic along route 495 leading up to New Hampshire. That aside, it was a good trip and we were happy to be bringing Evan home for the holiday. That said, I would have rather seen him catch a ride to NH than the two of us (Nancy and me) make the 10 hour round trip in one day. Who does that to one's parents? And then, we get to do it all over again in a few days.
I do wonder what all the brothers and sisters are doing for the holiday. I've chatted with a couple of them and they seem to be doing the same old thing they've been doing for years and years. It's all about family and giving thanks for what you have at this time of the year. It is not unlike our traditions when we were children growing up in update New York in the 60's and 70's. There was always a big Butterball turkey, mounds and mounds of mashed potatoes, squash, boiled onions, and stuffing and more than enough to go around. Even when times were tight we seemed to do the right thing on this particular day of the year. There were a couple of years when it was late coming or maybe not even thawed out by the time dinner was due on the table but we persevered. That is what children do. They don't know how to do anything else. Taking matters into our own hands was out of the question and we had little in the way of resources or powers of resurrection with which to restore the situation. And, there were many situations and maybe too many to recall with any real degree of accuracy. But, the memories linger and will no doubt be with us for a long time if not eternity assuming anything really lasts that long. We can only hope for one memorable occasion at a time so today it is. And, we pray for those less fortunate....Happy Thanksgiving all!