Part 170 Giving thanks


The following day is Thanksgiving, bright and very cool. I drive to get kolaches for all. Later in the morning we are visited by Becah’s cousin and her husband and their little twins. Becah and I head back to Houston shortly after, leaving Bree, Brooke, and Brett to ride back later with CC and GG. We arrive at my mom’s house, and there is a big family turnout. My brothers and most of their children are there, and the back yard is the temporary home to their dogs that they have brought along (keeping my mom’s adopted cat Clancy roaming the front yard all afternoon). The TV is of course set on the annual Dallas football game, this time against Miami (Green Bay has beaten Detroit already, maintaining their undefeated season).

Despite my mom’s health problems of late, she still manages to crank out a menu worthy of a five-star restaurant, including wine, oysters Rockefeller, crab-stuffed mushrooms, shrimp, turkey, oyster dressing, peas, rice, cauliflower in sauce, corn, cranberry sauce, olives, roasted pecans, and rolls. Only the desserts were assigned out – my niece Laura brought the chocolate pie, key lime pie, and bread pudding in whiskey sauce. We toss the football around as usual, commenting about how big the trees in the yard have grown and how they are now obstructing our football field (years ago we just threw passes over them, they were so small). In the process of passing and catching a football, my left index finger is jammed – instant sprain (the nerve damage in that hand has prevented me from bending my fingers quickly enough to avoid this). We laugh about bizarre rough events from our childhood, such as a boy who tied a string around a bee and “attacked” people and the kids on our childhood street who threw cherry bombs at each other playing war games.

It is our first Thanksgiving without dad. It was his favorite holiday.