Thanksgivings I Have Known

Thanksgivings I have known

My Reputation. Thanksgiving Day, 1980 was my first time with my new family. One of the things that makes me tick is that I am, and always have been, super prompt. Some consider this a fault, but I consider those people misguided. The extended family, even those from Oregon and Michigan, had arrived on time for the 2 o’clock dinner, which was ready and on the table. Only daughter Vicky and her one-year-old son, Jeffrey, had not arrived. She was bringing candied sweet potatoes. At 2:30 (Pat would say 2:15) she still had not arrived. There was no way to reach her since this was before cell phones. rather let the meal get even colder, we, or was it I, decided to eat, without the sweet potatoes. We were about fifteen minutes into the meal when she arrived. My reputation soared – in the wrong direction. Since then, Pat has tried to resurrect my reputation. She now announces that hors d’oeuvres will be served at one and bottoms are to be on chairs for dinner at two. Vicky still makes the best sweet potatoes with apples in the world and has been doing so for 30 years – and arriving promptly.

Turkey vs. Ham. Early in our marriage, a suggestion to Pat’s daughters Vicky, Tammy and Betsy that we serve ham instead of turkey for our next Thanksgiving, brought a loud and unanimous response “no.” They were shocked that I would consider messing with tradition. This came as an eye opener to me – from daughters that I thought the word “tradition” would never have entered their vocabulary. After further discussion, I found that it would be OK to mess around with the Christmas menu, but never with Thanksgiving.

Kerry & Kathleen. One Saturday after Thanksgiving, I don’t remember which year, Vicky Manning was here with her three children – Kerry, Sean Peter and Kathleen. This was a special night because, as I remember it, the Manning siblings cooked spaghetti and meatballs. It was special because it was the best I had ever had. I recently asked Sean Peter if he had helped. His reply was, “I doubt it.” Peter, I am sorry I asked for I was willing to give you credit.

Turkey to the Dump? Pat’s mother and father, Lois and Dick Shaughnessy, came to Washington DC for many years from Lake Oswego, Oregon for Thanksgiving until Lois’ death in 1984. After that, Dick made several trips until about 1991, when he moved permanently to Vantage House in Columbia, Maryland. It may have been the year that the three Shaughnessy were doing the can-can. I believe it was Thanksgiving of 1982 that Dick, a wonderful but notorious skinflint, asked if he could pay for the turkey. We were surprised but readily acquiesced. On the day before Thanksgiving, he went with us to the Eastern Market where we bought a large turkey at Inman’s Poultry. Dick was very pleased with the outing. Buying a freshly killed turkey was quite an experience in this old and interesting historic building. Lines were long. Customers, mostly polite but sometimes restless, were anxious to spend their money and take their turkey home. In our small condominium at 336 M Street SW, we had a regular-sized refrigerator, but it had no room for the turkey. We solved the space problem by putting the dead bird, well wrapped, in the empty garbage can outside the back door. There the turkey could be kept cold. The garbage had been picked up the day before. About mid-afternoon on Wednesday, I happened to look out the door and saw that the garbage can lid was sitting askew. Upon investigation, to my utter horror, the turkey was gone. After a brief consultation with Pat, we agreed that we should not tell Dick; however, I left immediately to buy another turkey. Dick never knew. Did the turkey go to the dump or did it appear on some other table?

Thanksgiving 1985. In 1985, Thanksgiving came on November 28. It was the only Thanksgiving that daughter Betsy ever missed. She had better things to do – like giving birth to her first born, Ricky. We made sure that we had turkey dinner leftovers which we took to her in her hospital room that evening. While there, Pat got to check to make sure that Ricky had all the proper parts. She was able to “ooh and ah” over her 4th grandchild. As Browning said, “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world.” At the family gathering the following Saturday, Betsy was able to attend and show the rest of the family her “new production.” A wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 1991. We had moved from Washington, DC in March of 1989 to 1113 Mainsail Drive, Annapolis, Maryland. Early Thanksgiving morning, I left Annapolis for San Angelo, Texas where my brother, Dick, was to be buried the next day. I therefore, missed the cooking of the turkey which Pat had put in the oven early that morning. When someone remarked “I don’t smell the turkey,” Pat went to the kitchen and, lo and behold, she had turned on the wrong oven. No one complained of dinner being two hours late. Remarkable. I believe, but Pat disagrees, that this was also the year that Merry and Jack came – from either Illinois or California. I remember being so grateful to Jack for raking and bagging the leaves, which I did not have the time to do.

Ricky’s Thanksgiving Prayer, about 1994. The usual grace for family Thanksgiving was the German grace that had been taught Pat’s children by their German father. This year Pat thought she would like grandson, Ricky, who was about 9 (born in 1985), to give the grace. He and his brother Michael (about 7) were both attending Holy Trinity Catholic School, where for several years Betsy, their mother, was the school secretary. Ricky had spent a great deal of effort in writing the prayer. It is too bad that we don’t have a copy of that prayer for it was a reasonably short composition, quite wonderful in its import, especially when it ended with a statement that all remember – “and bless this turkey who gave his life for us.” His Great Auntie Vicky was heard to say, “that may put me off my food.” It should be reported that Vicky did not go hungry.

Paige becomes a veterinarian/vegetarian, about 1998. When granddaughter Paige was about eight, Pat had set the Thanksgiving tables with her best china, silver, linen napkins and with a salt cellar for  every two people. Paige was fascinated by the little cellars with their little spoons and kept salting her serving of turkey until it was inedible. After tasting it, with a terrible look on her face, she announced loudly that she was going to be a veterinarian! Her mother, Tammy, quick as a wink, responded “Do you mean a vegetarian?” “Yes, yes” Paige responded. Not letting Paige get by with anything, she said “Paige, are you giving up eating bacon?” When Paige responded in the negative, Tammy, said, “Paige, bacon is meat!” Paige’s career as a vegetarian was short lived.

Our Thanksgiving celebrations cover three days. We tried to get the most out of the visits of family from out of town – mostly from Oregon and Michigan. Sometimes Merry and some of her family came from Illinois or California. This meant having meals also on Fridays and Saturdays as well. The numbers in earlier years were around twenty but as the families grew and in-laws appeared the numbers grew from about twenty to around thirty. I remember that we often had a big pot of chili con carne and cornbread with various accompaniments. Kerry and Jim recently reminded me of a particularly wonderful dish that Pat and I often cooked:

Thanksgiving, 2010. On Wednesday I was yanked into the holiday season when, picking up the turkey in the Amish Market, the young clerk exclaimed that the scale wouldn’t weigh our turkey because it weighed more than 30 pounds. When she said, “Never mind, I will only charge you for 30 pounds, her supervisor corrected her “In cases like this we always charge for 31 pounds.” In addition to the turkey, we also bought a 6 ½ pound turkey breast. We had been getting complaints that we didn’t have enough turkey for leftovers. In all, we paid $109. Gone are the good ole days when turkeys were cheap.

On Thursday, company (28 in all) started arriving a little before 1 PM, each family bringing their traditional goodies: Daughter Vicky bringing two kinds of sweet potatoes, daughter Tammy with her blaukraut and carrot soufflé (usually made by Debbie Rickman who was in SC), and daughter Betsy with both apple and pumpkin pies. Pat had made the pecan pies. Pat and I also provided the dressing, 2 gallons of gravy, 15 pounds of mashed potatoes and 4 dozen rolls, a salad and green bean casserole.

It was a delicious meal with plenty of leftovers, I believe. The turkey was gorgeous and, following tradition, son-in-law Peter Rickman carved, and granddaughter Paige decorated the platters. It was a special day, for great-grand daughter Zoey and her mother Lorena were here for the first time. The only ones missing were Zoey’s father, Matt Alther, who had to work and his brother Jeff, who spent the holiday with his father. While everyone looked their best, Vicky Trumbower looked especially beautiful with her new tuck-tucks. And such high heeled boots with thin metal shafts.

A new vegetable dish this year was by Abby Mandel, which seemed to be a hit, at least to the vegetable lovers.