Happy Thanksgiving

What a fun day. If any of us think back over our lives I would say next to Christmas, Thanksgiving memories stand out the most. I remember them well as when I was young we’d make the annual trip to Grandma’s. It was like a Norman Rockwell painting. There was a table so long you couldn’t count the chairs, so many side dishes from oyster stuffing to regular stuffing (Grandma always made dad oyster stuffing), all kinds of salads, potato’s, gallons of homemade gravy, lots of vegetables, sweet potato’s covered with a glaze of golden brown marshmallows, 3 bean salad which was a staple, hot steaming freshly made rolls with real butter (no margarine in those days) 4 or more homemade pies, pecan and pumpkin and sometimes mincemeat or berry, baked cinnamon apples in a red glaze or sauce that was to die for and of course the biggest turkey you’d ever seen. It was always around 30 pounds and seemed to get larger every year. You’d eat and eat even though you were full as it was so good. Coffee and pie always followed the meal with homemade whipped cream. Grandma also always used her finest silver and she had the best and a lot of it. Every place setting was the finest china from some far away place that all matched and was set perfectly as Grandma and Grandpa traveled the World. As a kid you didn’t appreciate all the work that went into the meal but as I grew older I learned from dad how she’d cook the day before and get up at 4am to make the pies as she wanted them fresh. It also took hours and hours to cook that giant bird. I don’t know how Grandma did it but the turkey was always perfect!

There were always the six of us, the Millers which were 6 and then Grandma and Grandpa Miller. From time to time other relatives were there too. In the early years Great Grandma Fugate as well. In the later years she was in a home and we’d take her food on the way home to Denver. So always we had at least 14 but Grandma often had a friend or two as well.

Football was always on. Us kids would play outside and always go to the tiny grocery store right next door with our pennies and maybe a nickel or dime from Grandma or Grandpa to get some candy which mom always said would spoil our dinner. It never did as were experts at eating candy in those days. As we grew older we’d take two cars from Denver to Colorado Springs. An annual fight ensued about what clothes we’d wear. Shelly went through her no bra phase which drove dad up a wall. I’d want to wear jeans which was also a no go. No matter what arguments or trouble we had getting it together to get to Grandma’s, once we were all around the table with that giant turkey, prayers and thanks were said and then we’d have a once a year meal with the entire family that just doesn’t seem to happen these days.

I don’t know that even if you could recreate the same setting, make all those same homemade dishes (boy could Grandma cook, I still don’t know how she did it all), and get everyone together, that it would be the same. In fact, it just wouldn’t. Times were different then. There was no talking of politics, football and life reigned supreme. Everyone dressed up and it seemed the older you were, the fancier you dressed. In life as you get older, memories are your most precious possession. Nothing else really seems to matter. Those things you had to have a few years ago are long forgotten or lost and really didn’t change or influence your life. Think about it, friends, family and memories are what’s most important. So, enjoy the day!

Today Lori is going to a Thanksgiving workout class at the gym while I run over to Whole Foods to get our Thanksgiving meal. It’s all cooked (Grandma would be shocked that you could even buy a whole meal to go) and I’ll warm it up later mostly for turkey sandwiches which is the best part of the meal, leftovers. At 1 pm we’re all going to La Tour, a great French restaurant for our dinner. They’ll have turkey but also will serve their regular menu as Lori doesn’t really like turkey, thank God Grandma doesn’t know!

Yesterday Sonny and Ty slid into a tree at about 2 miles and hour! The roads are still snow covered and icy. Sonny’s car is messed up though and when a friend tried to pull them out of the ditch he put the tow strap around the axel which of course broke the axel! No one was hurt and when I asked Sonny if anyone had hit their head, he said “no but you’d better check Ty’s neck right here” as he pointed to the right side of his neck. I looked over at Ty to find a hickey the size of a silver dollar! It seems Zoe, his girlfriend decided to mark her territory with a big ol hickey on her birthday the night before. She must have liked her presents and this was her thank you! I don’t know what’s with all the girls and hickey’s these days. Jag has had a bunch too, too funny.

Jag went to the doctor around noon as he wasn’t feeling well. The doctor said antibiotics won’t help and sent him home with nothing. He had a rough night and around 8pm spilled a milkshake Lori had made him all over his bed. I stripped the bed and started the wash and sent him up upstairs until I could make his bed. Hope he’s well enough to go to lunch.

That’s about it, here’s an exert from the Pilgrims in 1620 when they were leaving for America. A friend of mine from Scottsdale (Glen) sent me this. Take note of how important religion was to them in those days. That’s it, wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and may God Bless you and your loved ones. Now go make a memory!

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