Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all from my house to yours.

Thanksgiving in our family always involved the re-telling of the famous story of my parents' first date on Thanksgiving in 1937, my mother's freshman year in college. Mom was in a sorority and was required to do numerous extra-curricular activities outside her given specialty (drama). She thought the editor of the school paper was cute so she opted for journalism. Well, it didn't take long for frosh journalism to turn into first date--like what, two months??

Dad came by the house on B Street in Sparks, Nevada to pick Mom up and was met by the family elders who had just finished their turkey repast. My grandparents Emma and Everett Jones and Emma's older sister and her husband, Etta and Fred Lippman--I can just picture them lined up on the sofa and armchairs. The stern faced Samuel sisters gave Dad the "fish-eye" as he later told the story, and though he was 23 at the time, he was pretty nervous. Of course, she was only 17, so her parents were probably a bit justified. According to Mom, her mother took her aside and hissed "He has a mouth just like Tom Fuller." (Tom Fuller being a short, ill-fated first marriage of my grandmothers.) It didn't help, though. My parents were pretty much "an item" after that day. =)

Here are a few of us at Thanksgiving 1971. Back row is Dad, my sister Jo and me. Front row is my cousin Ellen, cousin Barry, Mom and aunt Madaline.

Our turkey dinners were always the same and we liked it that way. I gained a reputation for "helping" with the turkey, which in my early years translated to patting the bird while Mom stuffed her (always a hen). As I got older, I got the "help" with the stuffing which translated into stirring it during the saute of the veggies and then actually stuffing the bird. And eating the leftover stuffing. (Or did I reverse the order of those?)

To the right, me working the bird in 1972 with Dad pretending to supervise.











And finally, Mom is watching me pat the bird in 1975. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of the blue granite roasting pan that belonged to my grandmother. Mom brought it to me the first year I did a turkey at my house. It is still being used to stuffing preparation whenever I do a bird.

This year, we are starting an new tradition. We are going to one of the kid's homes for the holiday instead of playing host. Sarah and her girlfriend Kristin are hosting at Kristin's house and we are bringing potato rolls, pine nut and asiago cheese rolls, green beans with bacon (not that gawd-awful casserole) and hubby's famous cheesecake.

On Friday, the girls are coming back with us and we are going to Lambert Bridge Winery to hear the Russian Orthodox Choir sing in the barrell/tasting room. This should be awesome, as the room is very large with a huge fireplace.

Finally, I can't even express how lucky I feel in this life and how much I have to be thankful for. Our kids are grown and doing well, we have our health and each other and we live in the most beautiful place in the world. Who could ask for more?

I could. World peace. An end to poverty and illness in this country and all over the world.