Thanksgiving memories from Nov. 22-23, 2012

 Thanksgiving and what it means to me.  When you think about Thanksgiving what do you think about?  The Mayflower?  The Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock?  Squanto? The big feast and celebration? Football?  Games?

There are many opinions, some supported by historical facts, about the first Thanksgiving and some are not very pretty.  One important thing though is that we realize it is a day of thanksgiving, a day we are given an opportunity to think about and express our gratitude.  Some words associated with Thanksgiving as we know it are Greatful, bountiful, pumpkin, friends, family, autumn leaves, cinnamon and football.

If I were to ask you what you were thankful for what would it be?  To Brent he may be thankful that he gets a day or two off to be with his family;  To Richelle she would say that she is thankful for her three boys and Larry and probably for  getting a day off from work; to Micah he may say that he is thankful for the few days off from school and that he gets to play football with his cousins; to Lanny he may be thankful that family will be visiting and for a dinner with lots of good food.  For me it means getting the house cleaned and food prepared for those coming. It means spending time with the family. 

This year Lanny and I shared Thanksgiving with Larry and Richelle and Angie. The others were unable to be here with us but are celebrating with family elsewhere.  We missed them but understand.  Larry smoked the turkey, and Richelle whipped up a harvest of Thanksgiving foods, like mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing,  green bean casserole, yams topped with coconut covered marshmellows which were broiled in the oven before serving, and I sauteed julienne carrots in jalapeno peppers and olive oil and sliced onions and provided the must-have shrimp and cocktail dip.

Dinner was served on Richelle's rose patterned china which made an attractive table fit for a "king" and we had two of them sitting at the table, the other two were elsewhere. Tell me Who's Who?

Dishes were fewer this year and clean-up was easier especially since Richelle did the most challenging clean-up job and that is pulling the meat off the turkey bones and cleaning the pan.

Did Lanny come through with his pies?  Of course.  He always does.  He provided sour cream pie for Richelle, Chocolate cream pie for the kids, peanut butter pie for Stefanie, pumpkin pie for Brent and Philip, Alex likes pumpkin too, Marionberry for himself and Coconut cream pie for Larry.  The banana cream and cherry weren't bought this year because Gary and Hiromi weren't here.

During dinner Larry brought up a situation he had witnessed in Spokane.  Just after exiting the main highway into Spokane and under the bridges which pass over Division  he saw many homeless people taking refuse from the weather.

There were make-shift tents set up, fires burning within containers and basically survival going on.  Larry commented he had just recently been asked, how he was doing and his reply was, "We"re getting by."   After seeing the homeless and how they were coping, he decided that his reply wasn't quite true, the homeless people are just getting by, but he expressed that he was more than just getting by.  He had a nice home and a good job, food to eat. etc.  He expressed his gratitude for these blessings.  

What am I thankful for?  I'm thankful for many things, countless things, and one of them is Lanny who is a good husband, companion, father and grandfather.  I'm thankful to have a home with a roof over my head and a comfortable bed to lie in especially when it is so cold, and food to eat.  I'm thankful that I can read a book, paint a picture and for the changing weather.  I'm thankful for our country and the freedoms we still enjoy.

In the evening we played a game of rummy with Angie who won and your's truly lost.  Lanny looked for the movie Scrooge on Netflicks for Richelle, but couldn't find it, but found instead one that he especially liked, "Treasure Island."

We watched that and it was good.

After the movie Richelle and Larry left to go to "Black Friday" at Walmart, which began at 8:30 PM Thursday, and again at 10:00 PM and then at 5:00 AM Friday.   They got there between the busiest times so didn't have to fight the craziness that
goes with a mob of determined people seeking bargains.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Friday, November 23, 2012, the day after Thanksgiving

We received a visit from Brent, Stefanie and their kids.  They arrived just after noon and we all sat down to a left-over Thanksgiving dinner, but with freshly made mashed potatoes and gravy, saute kale with cubes of ham and hot pepper, and buffalo wings and legs along with the smoked turkey and ham, carrot sticks and chocolate milk to drink.  Two tables were set up, one for the four girls, Olivia, Liz, Lucy and Cumorah, and the boys (to their surprise) sat with us.  Their mother pulled a sneaky on them because they  always sit in the back room to their pleasure.  Well they survived us just fine.  

After helping with the dishes the kids went their separate ways, the boys to play Nintendo and the girls to play outside on the trampoline and swings.
The boys did take a break now and then and went out and played football.

Eventually the girls came in and played house, dolls, and watched a little television in Angie's room. Olivia read her book.

In the evening the adults played Rummy and Cumorah and I watched three episodes of Strawberry Shortcake.  

They spend the night with us, Brent and Stefanie and the three youngest sleeping in Angie's bedroom, and the two older girls in the living room, and the boys in the back room.  

When I arose the next morning and walked out into the living room it was a pleasant sight to see the bed folded up and put aside and the blankets folded and in a pile.  Stefanie and her kids were already up and had eaten breakfast and she and Liz were exercising with an instructor on television.  Even Caleb did a reach and stretch here and there.  I said good morning and then attended to the dog.

Around noon the Giles family departed for home.  We said our goodbyes, until next time, and hoped that they enjoyed their stay with us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TO ALL THE FAMILY, HERE, THERE

AND EVERYWHERE.  WE NOW HAVE

A FAMILY IN GUAM, ANGELA AND TYSON AND THEIR KIDS.  THEY HAVE A BEACH-SIDE HOME ACCORDING TO GRANDPA, AND HERE WE ARE, STUCK WITH THE COLD AND FREEZING TEMPERATURES.  

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!