The Way It Was

I miss the way is was.  We always dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma's, and it was dinner, 1:00 pm precisely.  None of this eating at four in the afternoon nonsense!

After my Grandma died, we were always up to Mother and Daddy's.  After Mother died, I had Thanksgiving dinner for everyone.  I cooked all day Wednesday--two or three recipes that my Grandma and Mother always had.  I made 4 or 5 different pies.  Pumpkin, Mince, Apple, Cherry and usually Banana Cream.  My Dad and step-mother came and my hubs family.  The women all worked so I had them bring nothing.

I used my Grandma's best long linen damask table cloth, her china dishes and crystal water goblets and my Mother's pure sterling silver-ware.  The kids loved it!!  They were on their best table manners that day.

When I lived in Saginaw, I always fixed Thanksgiving dinner for my house mate Ernie and his mother.  Just the three of us, but I made all the trimmings.  It was their custom to have peel and eat shrimp as an appetizer.

Then, when I moved down here, the whole family was still going up to The Farm, with Daddy and Step-mother.  After Daddy died, step-mother always went to her daughters and Fred and I always went to Jennifer's.  Her mother- in-law would come in from New Jersey and we'd  have a big meal and then while the men watched football, we women played Canasta.

Then Fred died and everyone felt sorry for me and I had invites to everyone's place!!  Then Jen got mad at me and the next year I went to Karen's, with all her in-laws.  When Susan and Chuck moved to The Farm in 2012, I had Thanksgiving with them.  We'd usually get Pammie to drive on up for dinner with us.

My son and Cindy always go to her Mother's for Thanksgiving.
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So this year, when I hadn't heard anything by yesterday, I realized that NO ONE was going to extend an invitation.  That pretty much hurt!    So--when I got up this morning, I decided to treat it like any other Thursday.

I did not watch the parade.  I stayed in this computer room and worked on getting my last genealogy book printed out.  Then, at noon, I went out into the living room, had a bowl of Cheerios and watched a bit of the Lion's football game. I got my last batch of spaghetti sauce going and then I watched a really good movie with Ryan O'Neil, Shelly Somebody and Drew Barrymore called "Irreconcilable Differences."

I was working on a new knit project for Chris, while I enjoyed the movie.

Then, between 1:00 and 3:00, Karen called and invited me down.  They were eating at 4:00.  I can't drive after dark, so the minute I got to her house, I would have had to start back.  Then my sister called, she is coming this way tomorrow.  Then Pearl called and was so angry at my family, she invited me to go with them to her grand daughter's.  Then John stopped by with two pieces of the Pineapple Cakes he had made from the recipe I gave him.

Then, it was 6:30 and the MSU Spartans were playing basketball and now--just look--it's after nine and I will be going to bed soon!

It was a pretty good day--62 degrees and sunny. 

I still miss the way it was, however.  Now, I am waiting to see how they can all screw up the (once a year) four whole hours I get to be with family on Christmas Eve!  I can't wait for it all to be over!!!