F5: Thanksgiving Thoughts

This one's from Jan, at the RevGals:

The Cure

Lying around all day
with some strange new deep blue
weekend funk, I'm not really asleep
when my sister calls
to say she's just hung up
from talking with Aunt Bertha
who is 89 and ill but managing
to take care of Uncle Frank
who is completely bed ridden.
Aunt Bert says
it's snowing there in Arkansas,
on Catfish Lane, and she hasn't been
able to walk out to their mailbox.
She's been suffering
from a bad case of the mulleygrubs.
The cure for the mulleygrubs,
she tells my sister,
is to get up and bake a cake.
If that doesn't do it, put on a red dress.

--Ginger Andrews (from Hurricane Sisters)

So this Friday before Thanksgiving, think about Aunt Bert and how she'll celebrate Thanksgiving! And how about YOU?

1. What is your cure for the "mulleygrubs"?

Retail therapy works, sometimes, although there's always a price limit...we're one hospital bill from being debt-free, with the exception of our student loans. Woot! I also bake or make something new or try to do something constructive. That said, this summer's unbloggableness left me unable to do any of those things. When mulleygrubs go on too long, I recommend meds. Seriously.

2. Where will you be for Thanksgiving?

I will go from the church's community meal (covered dish for those of us who are members and open to the whole community) where I will graze to a friend's home for the meal, football, and general relaxing. We're staying home this year, which is not the norm, but we're kind of looking forward to resting a bit.

3. What foods will be served? Which are traditional for your family?

Turkey and dressing, of course! My family traditionally also has tofurkey (yep, tofu turkey) and really good mac & cheese for my brother-in-law, who is vegetarian. Mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese on top, green bean casserole, corn, butter beans (when I can get them), fresh rolls, pumpkin pie and a chocolate pecan pie pretty much round it out. This year, I'm bringing mac & cheese and the evil-goodness crustless fudge pie to our friends, and a sugar-free low carb pumpkin cheesecake to the church meal for our diabetic friends.

4. How do you feel about Thanksgiving as a holiday?

I love it. Love family, love the sense of impending Christmas--in a church the size of Ann Street, we basically go from Christmas party to Christmas party from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. I love that most people seem to be extra kind and charitable this time of year.

5. In this season of Thanksgiving, what are you grateful for?

My health, my family, my friends, my work...pretty much everything!

BONUS: Describe Aunt Bert's Thanksgiving.

You know, Aunt Bert's a character!
Her Thanksgiving always features a HUGE turkey, which sometimes has to be finished in the microwave. Don't tell her I said so, but it's almost always dry...but we love her, so we eat it anyway. And then there's the year she forgot to remove the little bag of giblets (innards, she calls them) and cooked them inside the turkey. That canned gravy's not so bad...
Dinner is scheduled for two pm but often we don't eat until closer to three. There's always some last-minute something to take care of. The dishes almost all match; the "children's table" is populated by the oldest and youngest family members, with all the rest sitting at the "grownups' table. We usually don't get up from the table until well past four and sometimes as late as five, because we're all talking and laughing and no one wants to be reminded that there are all those dishes to be done. Everyone always finally pitches in, and then there's football to watch and snacks to graze on and naps to take. There are more than enough leftovers to go around, and everyone eats well for the rest of the week. And a good time is had by all, most of all Aunt Bert, who loves entertaining, and always is.