Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
We always have the traditional turkey with dressing and gravy made using my great grandmother's recipe. I usually bring something healthy-ish. This year, I made roasted root vegetables. No one was excited about this dish at first, but I did end up with the award for "best vegetable dish". We always have "pink stuff". It's a sort of cool whip/cherries jubilee thing that started years ago and we've made every year since because my brother loves it. His daughter loves it now, too, so I'm sure this tradition will continue. My aunt Casey brought spinach salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts. My brother always brings cranberry relish which he's perfected through the years and this year my niece, Skyler, brought some tasty sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans. We always have the broccoli casserole, and everyone just skips over the fact that it's made with Cheese Whiz. My Dad likes to mix things up a bit, last year he made up some venison sausage, this year be gave us his famous barbecued ribs. There were pies, too, pecan, chocolate,and Annalise's organic pumpkin pie with wheat crust.
We're a family of odd traditions, we do our best.
This year we were missing some folks. My Grandmother Dovie, and Kayse, my cousin Clay's wife. They died within a week of each other. We said a prayer of thanks that we knew them as long as we did.
My highlights:
Sam is in Afghanistan this year flying his jet, and his family is in NC. Clay and his kids spent the holiday day with his wife's family, a difficult holiday for all of them. We gather together who we have and bring our best to the table and say grace. Even with our losses this year, we have so very much to be thankful for.
We always have the traditional turkey with dressing and gravy made using my great grandmother's recipe. I usually bring something healthy-ish. This year, I made roasted root vegetables. No one was excited about this dish at first, but I did end up with the award for "best vegetable dish". We always have "pink stuff". It's a sort of cool whip/cherries jubilee thing that started years ago and we've made every year since because my brother loves it. His daughter loves it now, too, so I'm sure this tradition will continue. My aunt Casey brought spinach salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts. My brother always brings cranberry relish which he's perfected through the years and this year my niece, Skyler, brought some tasty sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans. We always have the broccoli casserole, and everyone just skips over the fact that it's made with Cheese Whiz. My Dad likes to mix things up a bit, last year he made up some venison sausage, this year be gave us his famous barbecued ribs. There were pies, too, pecan, chocolate,and Annalise's organic pumpkin pie with wheat crust.
We're a family of odd traditions, we do our best.
This year we were missing some folks. My Grandmother Dovie, and Kayse, my cousin Clay's wife. They died within a week of each other. We said a prayer of thanks that we knew them as long as we did.
My highlights:
- When the calves born last June jump over the pasture fence to come and hang out with whoever's in the yard. For some reason, Inky and Brittney are especially tame. They will enjoy a long, happy, grazing life.
- Riding Dakota around the back pasture. I do this every holiday and Dakota, while spirited and a bit headstrong, was calmer this time. He even stood completely still so I could get up easily. He's a little out of shape, so I kept him at a lope, which is fun as hell and easier on him. We got in a little trouble when Breezy, the beautiful, bossy mare, who thinks she runs the pasture, spotted us and tried to join us. Dad caught her with a carrot and put her in the stall and we trotted on.
- Feeding carrots to our cranky donkey, Bubba. Maybe some day he will be tame enough to let me scratch his nose. It's a slow process, he's a shy one.
- Hanging out with the family.
- Running around the north pasture with Annalise and Skyler. This totally confuses the cows and horses and Bubba and they neigh and moo a bit, try to follow us, but mostly just toss their heads when we run by.
- When my daughter asked my Mom for the broccoli casserole recipe: frozen broccoli, minute rice, cheese whiz, cream of mushroom soup. That's tradition.
- Getting time to visit with my Uncle Bob who is full of good advice and jokes after he eats a lot of turkey.
- Hanging out with my best buddy Maggie.
Sam is in Afghanistan this year flying his jet, and his family is in NC. Clay and his kids spent the holiday day with his wife's family, a difficult holiday for all of them. We gather together who we have and bring our best to the table and say grace. Even with our losses this year, we have so very much to be thankful for.
Labels: family
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home