Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Thanksgiving Eve


When I got up this morning it felt extremely cold outside and I noticed that the leaves were dripping and I knew we'd gotten into the freezing range last night because that dripping is the sound of the frost thawing. Jeez. I hadn't done a thing to protect my plants. Not one darn thing. And it's supposed to get down to 30 degrees F. tonight so here we go again. I can tell that the bananas got bit and got bit good. Their leaves are turning the same shade and consistency of lettuce in the refrigerator when it gets too cold in there. Dark green and sort of translucent. 
Winter done crept up on me! 

So I went and got my ham and turkey out of the garage refrigerator and low and behold! The turkey had thawed! It was supposed to be a "fresh" turkey but it had felt frozen to me when I put it in the refrigerator. The ham was mostly thawed and I rewrapped it and put it in the kitchen refrigerator in my largest bowl to completely thaw and I unwrapped the turkey and removed the giblets and wrapped it back up too. So this year is a first for me- turkey thawed before Thanksgiving morning! Also...hold your horses...stuffing also made before Thanksgiving morning. 
I know. Call Ripley's. 
(Does anyone still get that reference?)
So I just sort of wandered about today doing a little laundry, a little chopping, a little simmering of giblet broth with celery and onions and celery seed and sage and a bay leaf. I also swept some rooms and cleaned toilets and then Jessie and the boys came out. She brought her vacuum cleaner which August immediately rushed to use on the rug in the Glen Den which sheds like a mangy dog. Jessie took over from him and when she'd finished, she announced that never before had she filled the canister! 
Yay me! I win! 
I read the boys a Babar book and while I was reading, August reached around and put his arm on my back and oh! how I loved that. He is not a physically demonstrative child (neither is Levon) so when they do initiate touch, I just feel so lucky. Then Jessie played some of their favorite songs on her phone and they did a dance routine and sang for me. 


Sorry for the blurriness of the photos. There was a lot of movement going on. We went outside for a little while and then Boppy got back from an errand he was running which means show over for Mer. TV was watched, popcorn was eaten. Jessie helped me move plants to the back of the porch and cover them. We brought a few in to the house. None of the giant ones. I'm over that. As much as I love my plants and as old and cherished as some of them are, I'm not risking sudden death by trying to move a hundred pounds of dirt and bird's nest fern around. Nor do I want my husband to do that sort of thing. He can do it on his own time with his own projects but I'm not going to be responsible for the possible mortal injuries. 

And then the Weatherfords had to go home and I finished cleaning up my kitchen mess. I had celery and onions and broth and cornbread scattered everywhere. I swear I'm not going to know what to do with myself tomorrow morning without having to make the stuffing. 
But no matter how much I think I have pre-prepared, I know that by the time everyone is here tomorrow and the dining hour is upon us, there will be complete chaos in the kitchen. This, as much as the way I make my cornbread dressing, is tradition. And this year I'm throwing that giant ham into the mix. The recipe I'm planning on using calls for a 10-12 pound piece of pork and I weighed the one I've got on my granddaddy's old kitchen scale and was a bit horrified to see that minus the probable bowl weight, the thing weighs probably fourteen pounds. Jessie took one look at it and said, "How are you going to cook that AND the turkey at the same time?" 
"It'll fit!" I said with great confidence. 
She laughed. I am famous for not being able to judge space and volume, whether in parking a car or picking out a container for leftover soup. 
And now that I think about it, it's not the size of the hunks o' meat themselves, it's the pans I have to use to roast them in. 
Ooh boy. 
I've just shot off a text to my neighbor who is out of town asking if I can use their oven if I need it. 
Hell, I could probably cook that pork over a fire if it comes to that. 
I hope it doesn't come to that. 

Anyway, I'm still feeling quite happy about it all. No matter what, everything will get cooked and there will be a place for everyone to sit and plenty for all to eat. There always is. 
I discovered that I do have rum so that's good. It's a bottle that I brought back from Cuba and so it is well-aged. I will be able to drink my shot of it and say, "Whoopeye Aye!" and then, smacking my lips, "Yum Rum!" in memory and tribute to my darling Lynn who always used to come and join me in that ritual Thanksgiving morning as I cooked, no matter where she was eating her own Thanksgiving dinner. Hopefully, I will not be hiding somewhere, drinking the stuff straight from the bottle and softly weeping after dinner is served, as I will admit has happened before, back when I used to make Thanksgiving for the masses. 

Good times. 

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

14 comments:

  1. Happy Thanksgiving Ms. Moon. Enjoy!

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  2. there will be chaos, that is a given.....but the outcome will be spectacular! Enjoy! Love to the whole Moon family!
    Susan M

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  3. I have done the big thing to cook followed by the big thing to serve followed by the big thing to fit in the fridge/freezer. I also have trouble with guessing volume - usually too big a container for a small amount to put in it! I remember someone saying she always cooked her turkey chopped in half just like her mother did. Turns out that was the only way her mother could fit it in a pan and into the oven!

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  4. I hate cooking the day of because it makes such a mess and I get too tired to enjoy so now I cook the turkey the day before, dismantle it and then reheat it the day of. Works well. I saw it on The Barefoot Contessa one day. I also make the gravy ahead of time and the potatoes. Hope everything goes well, I'm sure it will.

    I saw that mending video and thought of you. I'm going to try it too.

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  5. Let the chaos commence in an orderly manner tomorrow!
    The day will be filled with fun and laughter ... fabulous food and tons of love 💕🦃! No crying, Mary unless it is out of sheer happiness!

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  6. Way to get it together! one day you will foist the job on the next inline- would that be Hank? Then you can sit on the side line and help yourself to YUM RUM. I am soaking sultanas in gin- I was going to use rum but decided on gin because I have so much of it. Medicinal...Have a fab meat day!

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    1. Not me! I'm the oldest but this family is a matriarchy. Lily is in line to take over, I believe, or Jess. Anyway, one of the moms.

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  7. A very Happy Thanksgiving to you and your lovely family!

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  8. Happy Thanksgiving, Mary and the rest of the Moons! May the chaos be delightful.

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  9. My American friend invited a whole bunch of people over for Thanksgiving here in France once year. Trouble is, it was only on Thanksgiving morning that she realized her huge turkey wouldn't fit in the oven! I'm not sure what she did but it may well have been pizza for all that Thanksgiving! It's Thursday evening here in France now so I hope you are having/have had a wonderful time with your lovely family!

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  10. Happy Thanksgiving to the entire Moon family! Thanksgiving chaos all around!

    We once ended up with the smallest turkey from a farmer friend - a mere 35 lbs (OMG!). It fit in the oven with 1/8" to spare all the way around. Can't remember what we used for a pan. Good thing we had a big crowd that year. :-)

    Chris from Boise

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  11. Happy Thanksgiving to your family. I love the chaos. Many hands make light work. My contribution to the holiday was one 22 pound turkey with stuffing, the relish tray with dip, cranberry sauce, and two loaves of bread. My sister makes a ham, a mountain of mashed potatoes to go with the ham and turkey gravy, and pies. Everyone brings a dish or two to pass. My great nephew said, "If anyone leaves this house hungry, it's their own fault."

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  12. Love the dancing kids! So fun! I'm glad all your preparations worked out. :)

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