Past Thanksgivings

It is hard to remember past Thanksgivings now. I have just completed my 64th. I have general impressions of family members being present, of the smell of the turkey roasting and the chatter of conversation that surrounds such events. I recall going to Midland, MI one year to spend the holiday with my brother Dean and his family. I recall several trips to Boulder Hill, IL to spend the day with my sister, her husband and wonderful family. I think through our adult years we, meaning wife and children went to some other relatives home for Thanksgiving.

For a number of years Thanksgiving morning meant a pheasant hunt in SE Wisconsin. The hunt ended with the dogs lying wearily in the grass by the side of the road. The hunters enjoying a glass of port, a beer and some sausage, cheese and crackers. It made for some memorable moments.

Thanksgiving in Munising when I was a kid were great. Sometimes we had snow and it seemed to lend a magical feeling to the time. Before I was 16 Toot, my grandmother Floria, would come for Thanksgiving. I can recall Toot working in the kitchen with my mother and Dad and I in the living room watching the Packers and the Lions play. Football, turkey, dressing and gravy all made for those moments we wish we could recreate but never seem to be quite the same.

Still I've had many memories and hope to generate many more. It is fun to take the day and cook some new foods and try something new yet tradition pretty much dictates that turkey be the mainstay. I do love the period. It doesn't seem as intense as Christmas, and a more relaxed time. I do love Thanksgiving.