It's been a nice quiet Thanksgiving.. The DH was again the founder (and chef) of the feast! We started the day with the Macy's Parade (which I couldn't make it through and managed to find "Sweeney Todd" just as it was starting! This seemed like the perfect thing.. a musical that included songs about making meat pies stuffed with people, whereas we were working on stuffing ourselves.
Sweeney Todd (w/ Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin)
We also managed to take the time to clear off an episode of "Survivor" and "Star Wars Rebels." Some football was viewed but I managed to not pay attention to it.. I was busy eating pie.
SeanYoda ended up purchasing more than we actually ended up eating: crackers, cranberry goat cheese, pickle salad, potatoes (for mashing), onions, cornbread stuffing mix, gravy, fresh cranberry sauce, a whole smoked turkey, and pumpkin pie.
The pie went into the oven first:
The smoked turkey ($30 from Berkeley Bowl) needed to stay in the oven about two hours to reheat:
the meat was very tender..
We have lots of meat leftover for sandwiches, soup, and omelets (he picked up eggs too) and the bones will go to make a soup stock.
Dinner all put together! Smoked Turkey, Stuffing (w/gravy) and cranberry sauce.
and dessert of course!(a couple hours later)
NOTE:
Thanksgiving is an American (and Canadian!) holiday.. The American day of giving thanks was officially made a nataional holiday by President Lincoln in 1863, but was celebrated in various states throughout history.. It often harkens back to Protestantism and giving spiritual thanks for the harvest. So many times the Pilgrims are dragged up as inspiration for Thanksgiving,(and they had plenty to be thankful for what with the local Native Americans saving them from going the way of early Jamestown.)
My experience of Thanksgiving as a child has always been a family holiday infused with religious doctrine (my dad's side of the family was/is Dutch Reformed or Protestant) As I've gotten older I've been able to experience the holiday as the secular day of family, friends, food, and fall festivities.
Today it seems most American Thanksgiving focuses on the food.. I can well imagine a world today that sees America as voracious in all things. In its most ideal, Americans come together as family and friends to share food and company, not unlike the winter holidays. Taking time to slow down and enjoy the time together. There's no wrong way to celebrate.. or not. Many of our family & friends live far off, so phone calls,"face time," emails or texts (or tweets!) are in order.
Yes there is the binge eating, and the 'turkey coma'..but we joke about it and move on, (and not everyone does turkey.. some do tofu, others tamales, others lamb, or duck, or chicken..It's not about what you eat, it's more that you're not eating alone if you can help it. And you take the time to think about the people and things that give your life meaning,(or at least you are thankful for), and the people who probably who aren't as fortunate as yourself.. gratitude, grace, and thankfulness.
Thanksgiving 2015 flickr set
It's our first Thanksgiving owning our own place, and it's Throw-back Thursday! Not so much a Berkeley post.. Then again I doubt the 2 or 3 people that show up reading this really care, and hey! It's been a month since my last post! (that's another post tho..)
I give you my first Thanksgiving:
(photo credit J. Hesselink)
Here we are in our Norman Rockwell 1973 splendor.. My brother Bob is wearing his headgear at the table.. I'm sitting next to him, then my mom.. Despite it being our original home in Indiana, it's Gramma at the head of the table taking charge of "Grace" and my dad carving the turkey from the opoosite end.. My Aunt Violet sits to her left of Gramma and there's my brother Craig.. I'm pretty sure my Uncle Earl was there (Violet's husband) but not in the shot. My dad took this with one of those neat Poloroids where you had a time dial and then could peel the photo off it's chemical backing when the buzzer went off..
Happy Thanksgiving Downtown! =)
I haven't posted much as I haven't spent a lot of time out & about this month. Instead I spent a couple days in Florida to celebrate my mom's birthday at our DVC home resort, Kidani Village..
The rest of this month I've been attempting NaNoWriMo; 50,000 words in 30 days.. or in my case 25 days.. I'm several thousand words behind at this point.. but I have a few more days. =)
I'm very out of practice for writing fiction. I was thinking contributing to a news blog would give me practice, but it's a different sort of writing altogether. It makes me wonder how Carl Hiassen does it.. (as I guess he still writes for the Miami Herald).
I'm definitely considering taking a writing or extension course early next year. My writing needs help!
Last weekend, the 20th I took another day off from writing to attempt the 2010 "Great Los Angeles Walk" This year they were back to Wilshire Blvd. and since we were unable to really attend it (for long) the first time around 4 years ago, I made sure to make it rain or shine..
Meeting up at Pershing Square (Sean tells me it's 7/10 mi from 4th & Main to One Wilshire) about 100 of us set out from One Wilshire and walked to the Ocean.. Well, I made it to 20th & Wilshire in Santa Monica.. that's when a kind-hearted soul named Michael offered me a lift to Border Grill =)
So Sean tells me that's 14.35 miles of the 16 miles to the beach (or 15mi total from our building.. LOL!). I guess that's not bad for not walking near at all this last year. I am a bit disappointed in myself but I knew if I let the big group get ahead of me by much near the end I would just keep getting behind..
one of my group shots..
my Great LA Walk 2010 flickr set
Today we're taking it easy, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, calling family and later we'll head to Pete's Cafe for T-day dinner and I've got what's left of our Cajun Kringle to eat for dessert later.. Ordered from New Orleans it's really yummy!
Eventually we'll be braving those "so early it's late" Black Friday specials.. but for now, wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.. however you spend it.
