Mom On the Alert

Bounty

OK. It is a new day.
Thanksgiving Day, 2003 is now over.
The turkey and pies have been put away.
The dishes have been washed
Counters and tables have been wiped.
We have searched out and disposed of every crumb.

After dinner, we took a few moments to just sit down to talk with the dear ones who joined us. An old friend and her son stopped by. After saying goodbye to the family, we decided to put off the rest of the cleanup to visit for a while.

My friend, like many in our family who joined us tonight, does not live close.
We don't see each other very often theses days.
So we were delighted to see her and her son, who will be off to college in June.

This year we couldn't leave one dirty dish till the morning as we both longed to do.
By the time Pete and I got back to the kitchen,
a small troop of ants had realized there were good eats here.
Upon discovering them, we knew we daren't leave anything out that might bring more.
We know that if we didn't do a good job, the small troop would turn into a massive army that would take over the house.

Pete washed. I wiped and put things away.
It's not that no one had helped with the dishes.
There were those who stood at the sink, washing away for quite a while, when I finally had to sit down.
But still, there was lots to do
.
Thanksgiving is the last holiday I still want the old fashion way.
You know, fancy table, china and crystal and silver.
...All sitting down together.
Giving thanks and taking our time.

With a fairly large group of people,
Two turkeys, one roasted and stuffed,
The other, seasoned and slowly smoked overnight by Michael
Smoked brisket to die for. (Also, courtesy of Mike).
And, every kind of side.

Stuffing,
Mashed potatoes,
Elsie�s sweet potatoes,
Mary�s special beans,
Rolls and butter.

Two Salads,
Green beans,
Olives, pickles,
The traditional orange Jell-O, stuffed with celery, carrots and almonds which I concocted when the kids were little to get them to eat at least some vegetables

Three kinds of cranberries,
Whole Cranberry sauce,
Jellied Cranberry sauce
Cranberry and Orange relish.

Then, there is desert�.
Elsie's wonderful pumpkin pie, which I begged her to make,
Michele's famous apple pie, which would have taken a prize this year.
Sweet potato pie, also lovingly baked by my daughter in law.
And, Sue's yummy fudge.

Ah, the bounty we have!
May we always be grateful.
May each of us do what we can to see that everyone around the world shares in our wealth.

Posted by Judi at November 28, 2003 2:41 AM | TrackBack