BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 20 Nov 12 - 11:26 AM

Katy, I do hope you can have a very nice Thanksgiving on your own. I lived alone for many years, and spent a lot of Christmasses on my own. I managed to get along by treating 'it' as just another day. The sun comes up, the sun goes down, and it's no different. Actually, I suspect that for quite a few families, it isn't as warm and cosy as singletons may think. There are tensions and problems, people get bored stuck on a sofa being polite to eachother. I'm sure you'll get in some nice food (not necess. trad stuff) that you enjoy, some books or DVDs, have a walk outside and tick off the TV progs you may want to watch. (I used to hate being condemned to watch ghastly rubbish with other people!) I often turned down kindly meant invitations, as I truly preferred to treat it as a quiet day. Hope you 'find yourself' as I did, and end up quite happy. Alone is not necess. lonely.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Nov 12 - 05:18 PM

Thanksgiving away from home can be a mixed experience. My first one was in the Peace Corps while I was teaching in Ethiopia and turned out quite good. There were several Peace Corps Volunteers in the village of Emdeber. So we banded together for the holiday, invited some of the other teachers at school to join us. So the feast included a canned ham, spicy Ethiopian chicken stew (young chickens are never butchered in Ethiopia) with injera, and Indian curry. There was lots of beer and some honey wine. So we had a very good time and were quite wasted the day afterwards.

This year Judy and I are joining my mother down at the farm on Georgetown Island, along with Judy's brother and his wife. We'll be roasting up two ducks for dinner, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a salad. Mother will be baking a sour cream raisin pie and my sister-in-law is baking an apple pie. We're probably bringing some sparkling cider since my sister-in-law doesn't drink alcoholic beverages. We may have a round of bourbon and cider before they arrive!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Nov 12 - 06:04 PM

I've spent Thanksgiving and other holidays away from home. The year I made the game hen Tandoori (Indiana, not DC as previously stated) I was alone, but I was determined to enjoy the day and not be sad. I succeeded. One time (I think it was Christmas, not Thanksgiving (but it would have worked), I went (pre-arranged) with some folks from work and served the meal at a homeless shelter (that WAS in DC). I had a good time making people happier and full, and I didn't have any time to think about being alone.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 20 Nov 12 - 08:32 PM

Katy, you might be able to get frozen turkey legs at your market. Here they are sold two to a package, so you could put one in your freezer for another day and start defrosting the other. Or you might be able to get a turkey breast or some turkey breast meat.

Right now I am listening to Alice's Restaurant on the Kingston Coffeehouse, WRIU, the University of Rhode Island's FM radio station. A friend of mine and Stone Soup Coffeehouse stalwart Jane Falvey hosts the show on Tuesday evenings, 6-9 PM.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 12:00 AM

To Guest Eliza

Thank you for your nice messasge. You are right, often there can be tensions between families. Wife wanting to spend it with her relatives and husband with his parents or other relatives. So usually spent with one family or the other and tensions do arise sometimes because of this.

I do remember several years ago during Christmas time, when I was renting a room in an elderly person's home. He had a son & daughter-in-law near by and he invited me to spend Christmas at his son's house. I did go but did not feel that comfortable around these people (I did not know very well) plus they had another couple over with their kids - so all were talking with each other - but not too much to me. I wound up playing with their little dogs and talking more to their kids - but I did sit on their sofa - most of the time by myself.

Then they went around in a circle each person opening all their gifts from each other - and I felt really uncomfortable - as I was not a part of that.

So...I will find something tomorrow at the supermarket that I can prepare and watch some videos - (I'm not a sports person - so don't get into watching sports) :-))

To Chantey Lass:

Also thank you for your message. Does that radio station from R.I have a web site to hear their music on Tuesday's? Is it all folk?

Kate

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: GUEST,Katy
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 12:02 AM

The last message was from me - I forgot to type my name in the box under subject.

Thanks,
Katy

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 04:34 PM

The Origin of Thanksmas

Holiday are stressful to us all, as well to the communal household and those of us sharing the comforts of Rivendell Co-op in Lansing, Michigan, were painfully aware that when a traditional holiday hit we split off in all different directions leaving one or two members rattling around in an almost empty house.

Then one year we got the brilliant idea that instead of trying to compete with the holidays, the major ones being Thanksgiving and Christmas, we would create our own alternative one. And so "Thanksmas" came to be and all was happy again in our communal nest, that is until we tried to implement the concept.

Who would attend was no problem except there was a long list of prospects from relatives, friends, and ex-members. Our living room space was L-shaped and rather narrow in each dimension - no round table would fit, nor our octagon kitchen table which was needed out in the kitchen anyway for a staging area. What were we to do for tables? Well, looking around at the blank faces, and then the walls didn't help much, until we came to the doors. DOORS! Doors could be taken down and with the assistance of milk crates would make excellent modular tables. Off we flew for tools and in 15 minutes we were lumping in doors from various parts of the house and laying them out in the configuration of a skewed cross. Not bad, we thought, except for the door knobs that might get confused with salt and pepper shakers. But we had a plan and it seemed to work. We giggled over how years later new members of Rivendell would be terrorized by the annual call of "Thanksmas, Assemble!"

That's all there really is to this story. Things worked out as planned, usually about 30 people showed up with huge amounts of food, and left with huge cramps in their legs necessitated by having to sit on the carpet with their legs folded somewhere to gain access to the table.

The resident Rivendwellers are still celebrating their annual Thanksmas. Just received their annual card yesterday!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 06:27 PM

Charlie, I'm calling it Christthanksweenie. Of course, that doesn't include the whole Christmahanakwanza experience. "Christmahanakwanzathankenweenie" maybe?

Guy at the store in the frozen meal section realized they were playing "Do you see what I..." and exclaimed "CHRISTMAS music!?" I'd been humming along in happy ignorance until he let me know I'd been sucked into the capitalistic subliminalization.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 09:15 PM

GUEST Kate, WRIU's website is http://www.wriu.org/ , and you can listen online. The folk programs follow the schedule below unless the regular host can't be there and they can't find a folk host to substitute, or when the college basketball team plays a home game.
As you can see each night features a different type of folk music.

Folk & Roots music from the past, present & future.

Weekdays 6:00-9:00pm, Sundays 11:00am-2:00pm
Format Director: Chuck Wentworth (folk @ wriu.org)

Lineup:
Monday: : Traditions with Chuck Wentworth
Tuesday: Kingston Coffeehouse with Jane Falvey
Wednesday: The Celtic Realm with Laura Travis
Thursday: The Boudin Barndance with Dan Ferguson
Friday: The Bluegrass Breakdown with Mike Fischman
Sunday: Shades Of Blue with Paul Mania, Mark Crook & Larry Phillips
Recurring fill-ins include Tom Duksta, Bruce Decker & John Stey

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 09:25 PM

Jeri-

The last time I checked in with the Rivendell gang, some 4 years ago, they were actually raising children. They had remodeled the kitchen and were quite proud of the new countertops. Since then they've purchased some land in the country to build a second housing co-op. Lord knows where it will all end if it ever does. I wish them well.

One year someone made a bowl of "special turkey dressing" and it was safely placed on a surface where children could not get into it. We forgot about the adult guests. Someone's mother got into it and was merrily flying around for the rest of the afternoon...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: frogprince
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 11:22 PM

Our only relative within 400 miles is my wife's father. For several years now we have been at one or the other family homes of his long-time girlfriend's family for Thanksgiving. Last year we were at my wife's father's girlfriend's granddaughter's husband's parent's home.
This year the gathering will be at said girlfriend's daughter's home, so I won't have to think as long before getting it straight if someone asks.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 10:25 AM

Eat the bird!
Eat the bird!!

Actually we're planning our feed on Sunday when it's more convenient for the most people. Today we'll dine on turnips and cabbage.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Janie
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 11:58 AM

Well, I should call home more often. I thought we were going out to a nice restaurant Friday or Saturday in lieu of cooking. Nephews, who my Mom raised from latency age, were counting on being at Mom's for Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, when we normally celebrate it. I thought my married nephew with the very young kids was going to be in Parkersburg at his wife's family. Sis decided she would prepare the meal to save Mom the cooking, since I won't be there until tomorrow afternoon, bring everything she needs with her, and has the menu all planned - Salmon instead of Turkey since one nephew and his family are primarily vegetarian, but will eat fish or seafood occasionally.

Mom couldn't help herself. She is fixing a turkey breast today, has a spiral cut ham she is also going to fix, and is making oyster dressing and deviled eggs for tomorrow to add to Sis's menu at the request of the nephews. Says the Turkey and ham are for us to eat on over the weekend. (How much turkey and ham can three women and one 35 year old nephew eat in 2 days?) Main thing is, she says, she can't break with tradition for the nephews. Means too much to them.

Love.

Having lived away for most of my nephews' lives I tend to mindlessly forget that my Mom is as much Mom to them as she is to me. Realizing it was hard on them last Christmas when Sis and I whisked Mom away for a Christmas in Charleston, SC. The three of us needed a break from tradition to deal with our first Christmas without Dad, but they probably could have used the continuity to help them with their own grief.



Me? I'm just gonna work on gaining back a few of the 60 lbs I've lost over the past 18 months, play with my grandnieces and do the dishes afterward.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: bobad
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 02:57 PM

Thanks Jesus for this food

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 03:22 PM

Ahhhh - For some off reason I thought it was last Thursday and apologized for being late!

To my American cousins and all my friends over there - Happy Thanksgiving.

I celebrated with Fish Cake and Chips for lunch - a rare treat for me - and I may well have a glass of rum later. Oh, and just to make you feel at home, I included an American spelling above :-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 03:29 PM

We are having a lovely quiet dinner at home with just the two of us.
In lieu of turkey and all that stuffing, we are having home made delicious soup and
artichokes, with celebratory fizz water cranberry and apple ala Martinellis.

Our neighborhood is nice and quiet and great for a 60 degree long walk.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: gnu
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 05:59 PM

Screaming at the coach of the Detroit Lions. Who runs up the middle on 2nd and 3rd down in barely field goal range in overtime?

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Jeri
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 08:11 PM

Pleasantly full after a great dinner with great friends.

No feetsball!

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 08:20 PM

Gnu, they never had to develop a passing game.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 23 Nov 12 - 03:44 PM

I guess it means something Gnu and 999 but it's beyond me. Give me a googly or a silly mid-on anytime. Or let is know that the batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willie...

:D (tG)

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: gnu
Date: 23 Nov 12 - 04:14 PM

9... no, they didn't. It was doing fine (actually, VERY well) until they started running the damn ball up the middle simply to keep the fieldgoal attempt square and protect the ball. Those few lost yards cost them the game. Coaching mistake by them and MAYbe a coaching coup by the Texan's defensive coordinator.

On a brighter note, I spent the very last of TG watching the Pats teach the Jets how football is played. >;-D

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: GUEST,jaze
Date: 24 Nov 12 - 11:16 AM

JJ's right- that's not Joni Mitchell in the cemetery scene. The producers wanted Joni to give up the rights to her song to be in the movie. Joni refused and they got a look a like to sing it. Smart Joni.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 24 Nov 12 - 11:47 AM

So, Katy, how did you spend the day?

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: CupOfTea
Date: 26 Nov 12 - 05:22 PM

Why are Thanksgiving weekends such an adventure? I've NEVER had a dull&predictable Thanksgiving, ever. I've spent it in some far flung places with some peculiar people, but this year may take the prize for the edgiest adventure.

Thanksgiving day was the 14th wedding anniversary of some friends, so I gifted them with some of their favorite rumballs when I went there for dinner. We didn't QUITE break the temperature record, but came durn close to, with 60 degrees and sunny, so I spent most of the day doing yard work between cookie & rumball making. Meal conversation was more interestingly specific due to a French astrophysicist room-mate of the 20something daughter where we amused each other by trying to explain the American &/or Cleveland versions of things were were talking about. I'm not sure our footnoted conversation was entirely illuminating.

Black Friday - The temperature took a huge nosedive and the wind kicked up. I gathered my warm clothes and packed up the instruments, cookies and self to catch the last ferry to South Bass, with friends coming from southern Ohio. Get to Sandusky area, and the water level at the western end of the lake is the lowest I've ever seen it in over 55 years of lake gawking. The Huron river was mudflats - where I'm used to seeing herons around the edges, there was muck, muck and more muck. At the dock, the ferry is not there, the gates are closed -not running anymore. Too windy, too wild water, and fear of how shallow it is to begin with.

We caravan to the airport where we're told yes, they're able to fly us over, we just have to wait for a couple other flights. It's only 6 min or so of a flight from Port Clinton to South Bass/Put in Bay. In the waiting room, I get introduced to the Episcopal pastor "Mother Mary." I asked if she wanted something for an offertory song from a visiting musician. "Actually, we need a musician for the whole service" was her response. This did indeed happen, after a Saturday morning consultation on what hymns/songs were appropriate, that we both knew. The alternative, when they don't have a musician (a veryyyy small congregation) was to rely on "Justin" - it took a couple rounds of who-does-what conversation before I grokked that "Justin Case" is their tape recording of service music and hymns that they use when musician-less! Justin got the day off.

At the airport in Port Clinton, I was so caught up in talking to Mother Mary, that when the time came for us to board the wee 6 seater plane, I left my purse in the waiting room. Tucking all the suitcases, instrument cases, boxes of cookies and bags of booze and us into that wee plane was downright exciting as the wind cranked up & the pilot looked young enough to get carded at the bar. It was going dusk and we were going to be the last flight of the day. "Hold on it's going to be a bumpy ride" goes down in my catalog of VAST UNDERSTATEMENTS. I've never been so rattled about in a plane! I didn't have enough time to get actually scared, because a couple minutes into the flight I realized I didn't have my purse on me and started fuming at my own carelessness - the precious purse with phone, wallet, all ID, insurance cards, DEBIT CARD (eeek!) my rescue inhaler... all in the waiting room until who-knew-when.

We got extra encouragement to hang on as he banked into the crosswind for the landing and I suspect we did over 220 degrees of tilting till we got down below the tree line and - the landing runway was the smoothest part of the whole trip!

I enjoyed Chuck's whole extended family we caroused with through the weekend. I played and sang in the kitchen during food prep and clean up, with some sing alongs, which was a big surprise to Chuck ("I never knew my nephew had such a good voice!") and my playing at church caused a couple of "don't usually go" folks to be part of the congregation which was amusing. A family member brought my purse over on the Saturday morning ferry. Hung out in the ONE open island bar where the other end had the red & grey saturation of folks watching the INTENSE rivalry of an Ohio State-Michigan game.

By Sunday, the wind had settled down enough to take the ferry back and stand on the car deck watching an extraordinarily large flock of seagulls form above the ferry wake. Didn't cook, didn't buy a thing but some food & drink, didn't actually watch the football - a genuinely nice Thanksgiving weekend, with two different families & didn't feel like I was playing hooky from my usual Sunday music ministry duties. Grand, just grand.


Joanne, Back in Cleveland and not feeding the fishes in Lake Erie.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: gnu
Date: 26 Nov 12 - 09:09 PM

Thank goodness!

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 27 Nov 12 - 03:50 PM

I posted (or thought I did) on Thanksgiving day, but it doesn't seem to have shown up, so...

This Thanksgiving was very special for me, as it is/was the second TG I have spent with my family in 15 years (we usually cross the pond to visit during the summer, or during the winter holidays; November doesn't offer as much time when the kids are not in school - a major consideration).

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and to be able to enjoy TG dinner with my family (3 generations; 14 people including my parents, sibs, and nieces & nephews - everyone except my husband) meant SO much to me, I confess I still get choked up thinking about it.

I was also aware that (due to my parents' increasing age and frailties), it might be the last TG I manage to get to which both parents are able to attend, as well.

A sobering thought, but one that made me all the more thankful for the sweetness of that time together. It is a memory I will treasure.

Subject: BS: Thanksgiving do's and don'ts
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Nov 21 - 10:30 AM

Its been awhile since a family gathering for a holiday so I've forgotten most of the procedure, process, cooking temperatures, methodology, modus operandi, behavior and conduct.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Nov 21 - 10:49 AM

Don, here's a Thanksgiving thread that brings up a lot of those topics and includes one of our unmissed old party poopers. There's also a recipe thread here.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Nov 21 - 05:34 PM

Its coming back to me now, even the carved Pineapple turkey.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Nov 23 - 09:15 AM

It's the season to re-refresh a previously refreshed thread,
just in time for the holiday.

Dinner is provided where I am staying, so
I'm staying in and staying off of the roads,
especially on Black Friday.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Nov 23 - 08:21 AM

Hoping to avoid holiday traffic

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 23 - 11:07 AM

I seem to have launched a major cleaning and rearranging furniture session at my house; we won't cook our meal until Saturday and when friends and family walk in I hope they're pleasantly surprised at the change in appearance.

It's a small group, five or six only, two of them vegetarian, so we go big on the sides and the turkey is a 13-pound bird.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Nov 23 - 11:51 AM

I am convinced that the energy level and workout by SRS are equal to or greater than Dwayne Johnson's.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 23 - 12:02 PM

The endorphins generated when you start moving furniture are a great boost to getting the job done. There is actually science behind this, though none of the articles (here's one) I saw just now specifically suggested moving heavy furniture. It's a combination of exercise and creative endeavors that work in the favor of furniture movers. :)

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Nov 23 - 12:18 PM

More power to those with large endorphin factories in their brain.
https://sunflowershospitals.com/how-do-you-release-endorphinssunflower-hospital-nagpur/

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Joe_F
Date: 22 Nov 23 - 09:44 PM

I'll have chicken wings, a sweetpotato, broccoli, wine, and an eclair, by myself.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Nov 23 - 10:01 AM

That sounds lonely but even a crowded TG can be lonely. It is no secret that everyone is, but the state of mind makes events fun and intriguing with simple pleasures.
I will be lucky to make coffee since I am chased out of the kitchen today despite being willing to help. Or maybe because I am willing to help. I don't know.

Subject: RE: BS:What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 23 - 03:56 PM

Today is still a holiday even if we're not doing the major cooking until Saturday, so I had a friend over for brunch. I don't make homemade buttermilk pancakes very often any more, so it was nice. A bit of sausage on the side with a cup of tea. Nothing particularly balanced about the meal, carbs, fat, and protein, but it hit the spot!