A warm Thanksgiving

My family will never be known for punctuality. Dinner has been moved back an hour so I took the opportunity to take a nice walk. It's a gorgeous afternoon here, really windy but warm. It's not supposed to last long, they say a cold front is moving in for a couple of days but then they're predicting 70s for the beginning of the week. A bit disorienting for this New England girl but welcome news for the end of November.

The pace of the neighborhood is different today. The young people who race up and down the road in their hot cars must have all gone to grandma's house and only the elderly couples who live here have cars in the driveway - lots of cars. And lots of tiny kids running around in the yards with their slightly older cousins.

My next door neighbor is the grandma so her yard is full but it appears the menfolk are deep frying the turkey this year. There's been about five of them out by the carport, gravely peering into this tall steel contraption and after much consultation, a cardboard barrier has been erected around the periphery. One would guess the stiff wind has been affecting the oil temperature. It's good they're cooking outside though. I'm told that several people every year burn down their house by deep frying the thing inside.

I'm told we're to have a traditional dinner ourselves. Fresh turkey from the local farm of course, and all organic mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, stuffing (but not cornbread, we're not that southern yet) and one would hope gravy although it wasn't mentioned. And a pumpkin pie with whole wheat crust. I was sorry rutabagas and brussels sprouts weren't on the list but I'm the only one that likes those and who am I to dictate a free meal?