Thanksgiving

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Wow.

It seems like it's been a long time since I've updated my blog. Here's why. It has been.

And I'm writing today about Thanksgiving in retrospect.

The day before Thanksgiving, Char's (Char is my dad's wonderful wife, in case you've lost track along the way here) sister, Nancy, and her cousin, Karen came down for the Holiday.

Nancy is known in the familiy as "the one who cooks." I now know why.

Thanksgiving Eve

Just as a warm up, on Thanksgiving Eve, we had, pounds of fresh shrimp, bread and and array of yummy cheeses, a vegetable variety tray, and oyster soup. Wonderful! Topped off with pumpkin cheesecake.

That seemed like plenty to me leading up to the Thanksgiving Feast....but oh, boy, was I wrong. These midwesterners can eat.

Thanksgiving Breakfast

First thing next morning, it was stacks and stacks of bacon and french toast.

And no sooner was that done and they started in on the Real Meal.

Thanksgiving Dinner

I can't even describe how great the Thanksgiving meal was. All the traditional stuff. And mounds of it. Excellent.

And, of course, the real joy in it all was being able to share it with Dad & Char, Nancy, & Karen.

The Kitchen Crew

Char, Karen, Nancy

The Rest Of The Family

Stormy (Dad & Char's Cat)

Dad & Char actually have another cat, Rainy, but she is hard to spot and impossible to photograph. I don't know where she hangs out, but I only saw her maybe twice the whole time I was there. Stormy won't sit on your lap, but she's always around and will come over for a pat or scratch now and agian.

Nancy's Dog, B.B.

Dad & Char's Dog, Toby

Toby is never far from my Dad's side. Since Dad's stroke, Toby became even closer. He follows Dad into the bathroom, obviously sensing something is wrong.

The next day, Friday, the girls were doing some yard maintenance, blowing and then buring piles of leaves, when one of the piles got out of control and we had a potential disaster on our hands. The wind came up unexpectedly and a big portion of the side of the hill behind the house was in flames.

Luckily, we managed to get it under control without having to call the fire department. A few more minutes and this could have run away in a flash. I'm very grateful that we were able to manage it quickly and efficiently or it could have been a huge disaster.

But, I will say it was exciting.

The Fire

I was a little too busy when the flames were soaring and the fire was raging to get any pictures at the height of the drama, so this is after most of the flames had been put down, but it gives you a little bit of an idea.

Farewell, Dad

Dad has always said his favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. The others are too commercial - too much hype. But Thanksgiving, he says, isn't about presents and pretense. It's just about family and taking a little time to count your blessings.

I believe I'm going to take his advice on this and declare Thanksgiving my favorite holiday, too.

I have so much to be thankful for. I won't bore you with my list.

But this year, for sure, I am thankful to have been able to spend time with my Dad.

I probably learned more about him and his life in this visit than I have in the 60+ preceeding years. For that I am grateful. And hopeful, too, for many more Thanksgivings to come.