HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
We started celebrating by sleeping in till 8:15 this morning. I don’t know what happened, but the click of the doorknob and the pitter-patter of little feet coming to wake us happened much later than usual this morning. And for this, we give our deep-felt thanks.
It seems that we have spent the last two weeks eating and celebrating a lot. First, there was Fake Thanksgiving. We did the whole turkey thing and ate a lot a lot a lot.
I think Dad is still working through the leftovers. We even followed up the big meal with a game of football at the park.
I suspect this might be the last time in his life that Kato will be able to keep the ball from his cousin Raiden, who is one year his junior but nearly his equal in weight and height.
Following Fake Thanksgiving was my birthday feast. Matthew put together a fabulous grillfest. Thanks to our utility light and extension cord, he didn’t have to work entirely in the dark.
The grilling took place in the parking lot behind the barn, which belongs to the insurance agency around the corner. Though I know this information will totally ruin the Barn Mystique, we actually don’t live in the middle of a field, like most of you imagine. Our barn occupies a piece of land which is exactly the size of its footprint in the middle of Chestertown, and is surrounded on two sides by driveways, one side by a parking lot, and one side by the sidewalk and Queen Street. Our “garden” is actually on the strip of public land between the sidewalk and the street. So, grilling in the back parking lot is where it’s at.
Matthew did magnificently (though he will insist I tell you that he accidentally overcooked the salmon).
He did an A-Number-One job on my Jell-o Cake, in spite of the initial disaster. Though we do have to thank Ann for providing him with a working oven to actually bake it. Even Alden and Bob approved (they’re both kind of hard to please).
The ensuing profusion of leftovers from feast upon feast led to a Tupperware appraisal and overhaul. It turns out we have way more Tupperware than we could ever possibly use. And having it heaped in piles of miscellany in a corner cabinet was not putting it to good use.
And those are just the ones we found matching lids for. Of course, the Tupperware clean-up then prompted a fridge clean-up. Unfortunately, we have no photos. Matthew did it in a frenzy while I was out of the room, but suffice it to say, the fridge now seems a totally manageable and peaceful haven. We hope to make it last. It was discovered (in that moment when I was out of the room) that one of the prime offenders for fridge clutter is the number of open jam jars I have in the fridge.
Count ’em. Eight. EIGHT! That’s ridiculous. It’s mostly ridiculous because I hardly ever eat jam. And Matthew only eats Smucker’s Strawberry. I have no idea why I have them all open. So I have been charged with the serious task of finishing the open jam.
So this Thanksgiving, instead of spending all day cooking the turkey, making the stuffing, whipping the mashed potatoes, stirring the gravy, baking the biscuits, slicing the ham and rolling out the pie crust, I will be eating jam.
And Matthew is celebrating the holiday on the couch, playing the Nintendo.
And for this, we are both quite thankful. We hope you’re enjoying your day in similar low-stress fashion. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
