Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day is a day that brings up all types of memories and I want to regale you with one more.

After we were married my wife and I decided to spend Thanksgiving at home, instead of trying to visit both families, which we did the first couple of years. Both of us have jobs that necessitate us working the day after Thanksgiving, as well as that weekend.

For our first Thanksgiving at home, we invited my Mom and Dad over for a breakfast of waffles, one of my Dad’s favorites. We’d hit my wife’s parents that afternoon for dessert. My folks made the drive of 35 miles (this will be important in a few minutes), to our place, announcing on arrival that my Dad had been sick to his stomach all the way over. I should have recognized this as an indication of the day. I didn’t.

As this was going on, my wife informed me that when the clothes washer was draining, the opposite was happening in the bathtubs, they were filling. No problem, I got out the plunger, obviously over optimistic and knowing nothing about plumbing, and tried to clear the drains. In a word, HAH! Things weren’t looking quite as bright at this point.

And, Mom and Dad decided they needed to go home, but, one of us would have to drive their car, which meant we needed a second car to get back home. On the 70 mile round trip I was glad we had decided on a quiet Thanksgiving, but it would still be a great day.

Arriving back home, to our standing water, I called a plumber to get the mess cleaned up, what the heck it was only Thanksgiving.  He worked diligently, eventually telling us there was no problem with the lines. Nope, it was our septic tank backing up into the house. That was a bit of news I hadn’t thought of at all, in my wildest thoughts.

A few phone calls and we had a septic cleaning truck lined up. I’m sure the neighbors had slight grins on their faces as they saw the pump truck pulling up that day. He assured us it would be quick, maybe 45 minutes to an hour. As he started working, we finished up in the kitchen, getting our turkey dinner ready.

I was in my office doing some work, and suddenly realized it was oddly quiet, no rumble from the pump truck. Walking out back I heard him on the phone. He smiled when I cam over and told me that the truck had broke down, it wasn’t pumping any more. But there was good news as well. They were sending out a tow truck to haul it back, and, they had another truck that he could then pick up, come back out, and finish pumping! A slight delay of maybe three or four hours.

What the heck, this day was taking it’s own course at this point. While we were waiting for the tow truck, (have you ever seen the size of a truck needed to tow a full sized truck), we sat out back with the driver, ate turkey sandwiches and had a pleasant visit. He had just moved here from Michigan and was a little homesick and lonely. It ended up being not only a memorable Thanksgiving, but an enjoyable one at that.

Eventually around 7:00 or so that night our septic tank was pumped out.  Dad called and was feeling better; my wife went to see her parents for dessert, and we wrapped up our first quiet Thanksgiving at home.

Happy Thanksgiving.

When A Pumpkin Pie Nearly Isn't

Turkey is on the way. It’s a little less than two weeks till Thanksgiving day. A couple radio stations have started playing Christmas songs, stores have been set up for Christmas for a couple of weeks now, they’ve had trees and decorations up since before Halloween.

Some people think it’s starting way too early while others revel in it, the discussions can get pretty heated about it. Me, I love the holidays. I love the fall and the lead in to Thanksgiving and Christmas, for a number of different reasons.

 As a chef (past career but still something I love), fall dishes are the most fun for me to cook. I’ve still got the Turducken on my bucket list, but I can knock a turkey dinner out of the park. I use my Grandmothers dressing recipe, which has literally been handed down and used for 60 plus years now, my guess is the true age is probably closer to 80 or 90.

Years ago I was the PM Sous Chef at the old Carefree Inn. We did holiday buffets and naturally had a big one lined up for Thanksgiving. We roasted cases of turkeys, broke them down, sliced them, used the bones and scraps to make fresh stock which was the base for giblet gravy.

We bought cases of fresh potatoes for mashed potatoes, fresh green beans and mushrooms for vegetables (mixed with walnuts and fines herbs). My friend and co- worker Mike was working on a couple of Ice Carvings, and kitchen was humming along.

Everything was finished up and I headed home for the night, feeling pretty comfortable and happy with everything. Cruising along I ran over everything in my mind, checking off the list, when I had one of those “OH MY GOD,” gut wrenching, adrenaline pumping, hot flash moments, generally reserved for life altering moments.  And my life unquestionably would have been altered, albeit temporarily.

Pumpkin Pies, PUMPKIN PIES! I completely spaced out baking 60 Pumpkin Pies, for a Thanksgiving Buffet. I fishtailed across a few lanes of traffic in a U-Turn and blasted back up to Carefree. Pumpkin Pies bake in about 45 minutes, but they need to sit for a few hours to firm up and cool. I was pretty sure I could pull it off…pretty sure, not positive, but I wasn’t going down in flames.

I did pull it off after a long lonely night in the kitchen. Walking out around 4:30 am Thanksgiving morning I ran into Jerry, the AM Sous Chef, on his way in to fire everything up for the day. He never did ask me why I was just leaving work at that time, and if he reads this, now he knows. We had Pumpkin Pies for the hungry hoardes.

Check that list, and have a blast getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Autumn

We sat out back the other night and had our first fire of the season.  Autumn is here, it arrives differently in the desert than most other places. We’re not dealing with the cold, or snow and, unfortunately leaves changing colors isn’t one of the changes we get to see.

Our change of season is more subtle. A temperature drop from the highs of 115 to 85 may not seem like much of a change to some, but it is a 30 degree difference, that isn’t really subtle, it’s noticeable. Our lows are dipping into the 40’s as well, not quite time to turn on the heat, but an extra blanket on the bed feels good, as does the dog.

 One of the more noticeable changes is the play of light all day. With the sun moving south the light is gentler and more diffused. In the morning and evening there is a definite golden hue to the light that is lacking the rest of the year. Finally the harsh brilliance is gone.

Mostly it’s a feeling though, and that seems to be the same no matter what part of the country we are in. Even here we are breaking out the warmer clothes, making dinners that are a little heartier, loving and bemoaning the shortness of day and length of night at the same time.

Now if you put on Nat King Cole, or Yves Montand in the background performing “Autumn Leaves,” light a fire, pour a glass of cider, it won’t matter where you are. Autumn is here full force.

The Dining Room Table

A Gift

My parents have both been gone for nearly 3 years now, Dad died in October of 2011, just 10 days short of his 90^th birthday. Mom died in December 2012, she was two months past her 90^th.  Mom and Dad passed gifts on to me, my love of and for animals and reading is definitely from Mom.  My work ethic and love of camping and the outdoors is from Dad.

            The dining room set, table with leaves, chairs and china cabinet, now that was a gift from both of them. It was one of the items at their house that surprisingly, my wife and I were the only ones interested in. This dining room set has been around as long as I can remember which is pushing 57 years and I’m pretty sure it’s been around longer than that.

            This set of furniture traveled from the south side of Chicago, to the suburbs, to Scottsdale Az., Woodbury Mn., Huron S.D., Sun City Az., and now it sits back in Scottsdale.  It’s made quite a journey.

           

            Like the song says, if this table could talk what a tale it’d tell. It’s been through Thanksgiving dinners with guests from Ireland, (the “old country” as my grandparents called it), Christmas dinners, New Years Eve parties, birthdays, anniversary celebrations, Easter dinners, slightly formal to very informal meals and buffets.

            Friends and relatives have gathered around it to celebrate life and to mourn losses, good news and not so good news have been announced at it. We’ve wrapped presents, played games, built  pinewood derby cars, model planes and boats, school projects and reports have all been done on it.

            There is also a China Cabinet with the set, old dark, smooth wood. Fortunately we obtained some of the pieces in it. There is some beautiful Cut Glass Crystal, from the “Old Country,” and their formal dining settings. We’ve added our pieces to it, our Champagne Glasses that we toasted each other with on our Wedding Day, our Wedding cake topper, and a few of our new, formal pieces.

            It’s our turn to host dinners, games, projects and friends. Continuity is a comfort, and it’s a pleasure as we head into this years holidays.

It Was 40 years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the Band to Play...

 Not quite 40 years to the day, but 40 years back to the summer of '74. Just out of high school, landscaping the summer away (a short lived career) My best friend Bob Davis, from Chicago made his first trip out to visit. There was a lot of life waiting to happen for both of us.

We met each other the first day of Jr. High 1969, and our friendship has spanned the last 45 years. I've known Bob longer than I've known anyone in the world (other than family, no choice there). We've been through a lot together, oddly much of it shared across the miles most of the time. But it's worked, it's worked damn well as a matter of fact.

Bob drove out from St. Paul last week and we were able to spend 5 great days together again. Now of course we've seen each other, talked, texted and stayed in touch over the years, but it doesn't hold a candle to spending real time with a great friend.

Life has happened to both of us over those years, but as you can see not only are we both still standing, we are both still smiling. A great friend can do that not only with you, but for you as well. Bob headed back up to the great cold north today and it was hard to say good bye again and see him go, but that's how life works.

We've both got a lot of life left to happen to us, Thank God for Friends.