 |
| Turkey in Madison 9/29/2012 dwm photo |
The shortening days were becoming painfully obvious to Pete as his feet hit the floor. The cuckoo clock was silent, waiting for the small hand to hit 4.
There was much to do before 7 o'clock.
He grabbed the lantern from the peg by the back door, flicked it on, and walked to the barn.
It was 15 degrees warmer inside. The milking herd was down to 13 cows at the moment, which made this morning chore a lot faster.
Pete didn't mind the small herd because the milk was organic. He sold it through their "Rise & Shine" C.S.A. along with organic butter and eggs.
After milking, he picked up the basket from the shelf and crept into a quiet coop. It was quiet, but the moment the hinge creaked it was chaos.
He always said, it's a win if you got out with a dozen unbroken eggs and no chicken scratches.
Tom carried the eggs in the house He stoked the stove to warm the rest of the family before they started moving. He grabbed his thermos of coffee, his grandfather's rifle, and headed out again for an hour of quiet and maybe a buck before the holiday really begins.
-------------------------
 |
| Parke County, IN 10/29/2011 (dwm) |
After starting a second pot of coffee, she peeked in the Nesco, relieved the bird is right on schedule.
Most of the side dishes were ready or guests were bringing them to the dinner, the only thing left for the oven were her famous cinnamon rolls.
Just one more thing to do. She grabbed the colorful index cards to create corny and sweet turkey notes for everyone's place. It started as a joke, but her kids liked them. The quirky place cards became her personal Thanksgiving tradition. She had 15 to write and an hour before the rolls needed to go in the oven.
Turkeys are brown
Turkeys are red.
I'm glad you're here,
Don't let it go to your head.
----------------------
The sun set at 4:19 that afternoon. The second football game was well into the second quarter, but other than occasional glances, the noise in the room came from the table playing Sequence and the other table teaching three teenagers how to play Dominos.
Tom was dozing in his recliner. He denied sleeping every year. The kids swore they never once wrote on his hand with a Sharpie, which was true, Jean did.
The dishwasher took care of the plates and utensils. The pots and pans dried on the rack next to the sink.
Jean grabbed her last cup of coffee. Decaf. She set it down after a sip. She straightened the dish towel on the rack so it hung straight. Her grandmother made it decades ago after she and grandpa were married. It has dried lots of plates.
Now it only comes out on holidays. The embroidery was faded with years of use, but Jean knew every word.
For health
and food
for love
and friends
For everything
Thy goodness
sends.
-----------------
Thank you for reading my little ol' blog. I hope today finds you enjoying it with the people you love, thankful to God for abundant blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Comments
Post a Comment