Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Monday, November 16. 2020

Thanksgiving plans?

None of my 5 sibs want to travel this year, and none of my kids either for complicated reasons (well, dau in law has a kid due around TG). So instead of our usual 30 people (including the jolly nieces and nephews), we are down to three - Mrs BD and me, and father-in-law. 


So last night out at a nice French dinner with father in law and one of his pals from the old folk's home, I suggested we do our local diner which is advertising their TG dinner.


Who would bother with all of the chores and cooking for three or four people? That is too sad. Eat the food, then what? That is not fun. No welcome speeches? No lengthy prayers? No brats causing chaos? No fires blazing in our fireplaces? Nobody hacking on the piano? No silly indoor and outdoor games? And no classic family 1-hr after-dinner walk at dusk and in the rainy dark?


The old guy thought the diner idea was a great idea. I said I'd sneak in some excellent Scotch, and I'm sure it would be a festive if well-separated crowd there.


In fact, it might be memorable. Next year, God willing, back to normal. I have not seen my sisters or brother since Christmas. 





Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 14:08 | Comments (28) | Trackbacks (0)

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My wife and I would bother with the chores and cooking, for just TWO people. Start with a nice aperitif once the turkey goes into the smoker, get the cranberry-pineapple-sweet potato casserole a cookin', set up the steamed spud alternative, toss a nice salad, all while enjoying each other's witty repartee.

The big excitement comes with the simultaneous carving of the turkey (NOT on the dining room table) and the preparation of the giblet gravy. More witticisms as I treat the Mrs to some tasty turkey morsels while carving the ENTIRE TURKEY.

After a sumptuous dinner, I turn over the kitchen to the Mrs, who is the Consummate Leftover Manager. She turns chaos into a Black Friday menu plus freezer packs of ingredients for future culinary expeditions, in some ridiculously short time. (This year I will assist, since that boned-out turkey carcass needs to be slow-cooked into a gallon or so of turkey stock.)

Then it's coffee, dessert, and perhaps a shot of single malt as we pointedly ignore football. We retire fat and fortified, ready for the annual Xmas decorating next day.
#1 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2020-11-16 14:40 (Reply)
You GO Mike! I'm doing the same for my wife. She can't cook any more so I'll be doing all the work for just the two of us. Gonna' bake an apple pie with apples from my orchard, too.
#1.1 snopercod on 2020-11-16 16:55 (Reply)
Hey, it's the season when turkeys are on sale (the Mrs has 3 in the freezer), and it's the first long weekend when I can fritter the day away on the patio* with calming beverages and tending the Pit Barrel smoker (which cooks a mean turkey),

Love the apple pie suggestion; I might make a couple of those babies ahead of time. If only to honor my family's holiday tradition of Pie for Breakfast.

*I'm in South Texas, so I may have to bundle up in a long-sleeved shirt.
#1.1.1 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2020-11-17 10:11 (Reply)
So last night out at a nice French dinner with father in law and one of his pals from the old folk's home, I suggested we do our local diner which is advertising their TG dinner.

Eating at a diner reminds of Duke Ellington - At a Dixie Roadside Diner. From a different century, about a different part of the US, and about a different time of year.
QUOTE:
And then with a slot machine playing
We were rumblin' to some pretty tune
Like a couple of kids we were saying
Hurray for June!
But still about a diner.

As turkeys can usually be purchased very cheaply this time of year- I usually purchase 3 or so- and I have no problem with leftover turkey, I'd vote for a turkey dinner at home. But to each his -or her- own,
#2 Gringo on 2020-11-16 14:47 (Reply)
I'm with you, Thanksgiving is all about big family crowds. But one year, with only 2 kids to join us, my husband talked me into doing dinner at a buffet near Zion National Park. We hiked and enjoyed that most beautiful of places, then met at the restaurant, had delicious and plentiful choices from the menu, with spectacular views, then paid the bill and went home. No clean-up, great conversation, really fun and relaxing. I still lean toward a big, at-home crowd, which we will do this year (yay!)but will always be open to a no-stress alternative when no one's coming. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day and dinner.
#3 Annie on 2020-11-16 15:00 (Reply)
We have hosted a big family get together on Thanksgiving for the past 29 years. For a variety of reasons, not all Covid related, we will not do so this year. My wife heads to FL to be with her mother this year. I will spend the day and overnight with my son and his family (two granddaughters). On Friday I will head down to visit with my daughter and her family (a granddaughter and grandson). It will be great to be with them but I expect to feel some disappointment that we aren't doing our traditional celebration. I haven't seen my sibs (four of them and their partners) since last year at this time. Two are in CA, not sure when or if they will ever be allowed back out.

Wishing for you a great experience at the diner!
#4 steve walsh on 2020-11-16 15:15 (Reply)
How Would You Spend Your Last Thanksgiving?
If safety requires us to indefinitely forfeit the most valuable parts of our lives, what exactly are we trying to save?



https://ajkay.medium.com/how-would-you-spend-your-last-thanksgiving-4dd55b12dc3b
#5 jake on 2020-11-16 15:27 (Reply)
Maybe saving family members? It's a thought.
#5.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2020-11-16 20:16 (Reply)
COVID doesn't care if you're attending your family's Thanksgiving or the dinner for new incoming Representatives

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/11/13/congress-holding-large-lavish-dinners-for-new-members-even-as-pelosi-says-covid-pandemic-is-at-red-alert/?sh=5b5992d3763f

I'll start believing all these restrictions are really in place because COVID is uniquely deadly when the people who should have the best information start acting like COVID is uniquely deadly.
#5.1.1 Christopher B on 2020-11-17 06:37 (Reply)
My household is only 2. We used to have big to-dos at Thanksgiving, but the family my sis and I were close to have died off, and now it's just us. We will be watching the annual Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Turkey Day Marathon, and enjoying something tasty and laughing our kiesters off. Times are troubled, the world is a dark place, but with all that, there are many blessings to be grateful for.
#6 Laurie K on 2020-11-16 15:41 (Reply)
Great info! Shouting at the television is a great stress reliever, and MST3k makes it fun.
#6.1 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2020-11-16 16:53 (Reply)
Well, I think the big gathering is on with my wife's family. But, of course, a woke nephew has asked that we all get COVID tested before we cruise in for the turkey meet. Not sure how I think about that. Since he's not mine it would be impolitic to tell him to stand down.
#7 Nat Brooks on 2020-11-16 15:51 (Reply)
Seems to me it's up to him whether to show up, depending on whether he got confirmations from 100% of attendees that they complied with his request.
#7.1 Texan99 on 2020-11-16 15:59 (Reply)
What a golden opportunity to have a little evil fun at the expense of an annoying relative.
#7.2 Aggie on 2020-11-16 19:56 (Reply)
I'll be travelling from the jersey shore to Burlington MA for big family dinner, and then driving grandkids to Plymouth on Friday to see the Mayflower...of course, listening to Bob Dylan's 115th dream and admiring the incredibly brave pilgrims.

Stay positive, test negative, have a great Thanksgiving everybody...tough times don't last, but tough people do...looking forward to NYC hike in 2021.
#8 maddog (Link) on 2020-11-16 16:48 (Reply)
Thanksgiving was always a small affair growing up - just my parents, me and my sister. Occasionally we would have company come for the dinner but that was rare. The idea of an insane asylum-like holiday seems foreign to me.

Despite it just being my husband and myself, I cook a full dinner with all the trimmings. I love the smell of the turkey cooking while I listen absently to the running commentary of the day's football telecasts. (not this year - boycotting all pro sports) Hubby always makes a huge pan of enchiladas with the leftover turkey over the weekend.

One year my MIL took us to the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA for Thanksgiving dinner. The old rooms of the Inn are lovely but we sat in the annex dining room. It reminded me of being in a college cafeteria. It was really rather sad, honestly. Families with lots of kids seemed distracted and not enjoying the meal, trying to keep said kids under control. How is that better than being at home where you can toss the kids out into the yard to burn off their energy while the oldsters hang out and visit?
#9 KellyM on 2020-11-16 16:58 (Reply)
I will miss a lot this Holiday Season. I can't get enough of them. Decades ago we were on our Thanksgiving Vacation in San Diego. We always had a grand feast with the family at the Marriot Hotel. It was always very memorable. Then one year my wife and I decided that we needed to help out some others on that day. So she asked the Concierge when we arrived on Wednesday where they needed volunteers in the city to help with dinners for the less fortunate. She made some calls and my wife came upstairs with an address. "Children," she said, "Tomorrow we are going to help the Ncpp serve Thanksgiving Dinner!" I replied, "I think the acronym was written incorrectly." I was right, and the 7 of us spent 7 hours preparing and serving free meals with the NAACP. It was one of our best Thanksgivings together.
This years gathering will be smaller, but I will still enjoy every minute.
#10 Harmon Ward on 2020-11-16 17:00 (Reply)
Every year we go to my brother-in-law's house. All the in-laws arrive. Usually about 15 people, with 2 groups of friends who join as well.

This year my in-law will not come up from FL, 3 trips up during the summer months determined to be "pushing the envelope" and our niece's family from AZ will not be arriving, either. Friends have chosen to remain isolated.

Despite this, we were at my brother-in-laws 2 weeks ago for a wine tasting with another set of cousins and friends. No issues, nobody is sick. Had a great weekend.

But Tgiving was down to my family (4) and BiL (2) and we decided it's not worth the travel time and effort.

Personally I have no issues. 2 in my family, including me, have antibodies (still) and I'm not worried about it anyway. Frankly nobody else really is, either...but the damper that all the 'stories' have put on the holiday are difficult. We know nobody who is sick. But we all know a friend with a friend who is. So why risk it, is basically the end of the discussion.

Frankly this isn't going to stop anything, in my estimation. The one friend I know who knows someone is an ICU nurse on Covid. She is very busy right now, but as she said "we follow all the protocols and people still get sick. We're just not sure what can be done to stop it short of a vaccine."

Sure, that's not justification to run out and meet with all our wider families, but reality is...you gotta live your life, too.
My father, who happens to love isolation, has reached points of depression about it all. He needs to see people...but can't. As a doctor he's torn between being 85, wanting to enjoy life or following recommended protocol for someone his age.
To paraphrase him - I know what to do, and I know what they're telling me to do. I think we should learn there's something in between that makes some kind of sense, but this political BS is driving me nuts.
#11 Bulldog on 2020-11-16 17:13 (Reply)
My dad was in the Navy and socially distanced from mom on Thanksgiving and all the other holidays between 1942 and 1945. Some kind of minor sacrifice they had to make. Probably something most here don't recall the need for and nothing nearly as grave as missing cranberry sauce.

I missed a lot of holidays in the mid-80s and 90s, but that's life -- for adults.
#12 Henry Jackson on 2020-11-16 18:06 (Reply)
I am reminded of the many thanksgivings I enjoyed while in the military. Especially overseas, because comradery is always stronger when we were in a foreign country. Before I was married the chow hall would be the thanksgiving dinner and it was good (contrary to what you might expect) and there were hundreds of close friends, not so close friends, people we kind of knew and others we were yet to meet. It was actually very "homey". After I was married the families would host potluck thanksgivings. I still send Christmas cards to a dozen or so people that I had thanksgiving with some 50 years ago. Sadly it seems every year now one more name is removed from my list as these old friends pass away. I can remember many Thanksgiving and Christmas potlucks in Germany for example with 4-9 families there and all their children. I miss all that...
#13 OneGuy on 2020-11-16 18:22 (Reply)
I'm in Oregon. Governor declared no more than 6 at Thanksgiving at the threat of fine & a month in jail.
I sent her a message that I'm having all the people I want at Thanksgiving. I double dog dared her to send the Oregon State Police to my house. And said see you in court.
#14 rick9911 on 2020-11-16 19:50 (Reply)
"double dog dared'

Are you an adult?
#14.1 Henry Jackson on 2020-11-16 20:33 (Reply)
This is how to end the tyranny. Best of luck to you.
#14.2 steve walsh on 2020-11-16 21:12 (Reply)
I don't think you know what the word "tyranny" means.

"Double dog daring" is something kids do when they're 8 years old.

Daring the national guard to arrest thanksgiving diners is not the same as, say, firing on the redcoats at Concord or shooting at Ft. Sumter.
#14.2.1 Henry Jackson on 2020-11-16 23:24 (Reply)
Great meme going around ... tell the Gov it's a funeral!

"We've been told that only 6 people can gather for Thanksgiving but 30 can attend a funeral. With this I'm announcing that we're holding a funeral for our pet turkey that will pass away on November 26th. Refreshments will be provided. In lieu of flowers, please bring a side or a dessert."
#14.3 Nat Brooks on 2020-11-16 22:03 (Reply)
Looks like it will be just the wife and I for Thanksgiving. My 92 year old dad and 88 year old mom would love to come, but my wife is terrified of the Covid and is afraid she might give it to them after traveling by air from FL, and getting her hair and nails done, so she doesn't want them here.

My mom knows the score but would still like to do Thanksgiving with her kids. After all, who is to say she will be around next year? At their age you never know.
#15 feeblemind on 2020-11-16 22:36 (Reply)
Our local school district conducted a survey of whether families would be traveling for the Holidays. The response was such that they decided to go to remote learning for the period of Nov 19th to Jan 21st. I take it that many people are defying the authorities and planning their holidays as per usual.
#16 Exasperated on 2020-11-17 08:37 (Reply)
Yeah, like teenagers.
#16.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2020-11-17 19:47 (Reply)

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