Thanksgiving 2003�

2003-11-28

Thanksgiving is done. Even the clean-up is done, thanks mostly to the wonderful spouse, damn his hide! I really did want to veg today. But he guilted me into clean-up. And I just can�t let him clean up after a 12-person dinner when 11 of them consist of me and my family.

It was a minorly jinxed Thanksgiving. Between us we spilled coffee on a newly mopped floor, splashed dishwater on fresh clothes, the belt on the vacuum cleaner broke. It seemed like the moment we finished a project, some accident happened that spoiled it. Even the weather was contradictory. I spent several days of the last week sweeping. Moving pots, sweeping under and around and hosing down the patio.

I woke up on Thanksgiving morning and we were having Santa Ana winds. Brown snow was falling. There were already drifts of dead leaves everywhere. Could the winds not have held off for another five hours?

One of my sisters had asked to give the toast for Thanksgiving, and she is the sister that plays drama to the hilt. I know it was late notice, but I asked her to please, not make it a drama-fest. There have been enough tear-jerkers lately, and I just wasn�t sure how much more I would be able to stand.

But all-in-all, it was good. The toast was a bit emotional, but not bad. The turkey was good, but the stuffing was bad. The mashed potatoes weren�t all that great either. I�m hoping for better all around next year.

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