Thanksgiving Traditions

There are things I really like about Thanksgiving and probably an equal amount of things I don't like. It really depends on the year.

Take the meal for instance. Some years I can't wait to have the traditional turkey dinner, turkey, potatoes, cranberries, and stuffing.. And then some years, I think about turkey, and think, turkey, AGAIN? This was an anti-turkey year.

I knew at least a month ago this was an anti-turkey year. One day when we had both batches of our kids at our house, I decided to bring up Thanksgiving dinner..

Me: What do we want to do for Thanksgiving?

1st Batch: We could do it at my apartment

Me: Well, that's not going to happen.

1st Batch: Why not?

Me; I am not sitting all day with all of you in that tiny apartment.

1st Batch: Well, I made a suggestion, what do you want to do?

Me: I'm thinking of shaking up the menu

Girl Twin: (2nd Batch): Oh God, if we are not having sweet potatoes, I'm not coming.

1st Batch: What are you thinking?

Me: I'm actually thinking of clam chowder.

Girl Twin: OH MY GOD, you are always trying to ruin MY Thanksgiving! I'm not having clam chowder.

1st Batch; I'm with her.

Me: Ok, if is not clam chowder, let's come up with a change.

Girl Twin: I'm having the same sweet potatoes we always have.

Boy Twin (2nd Batch): I think we should let Monner and Grandma decide because they raised us. (Love him)

1st Batch: I can make mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes at the apartment and bring them to dinner.

Boy Twin: I would be OK with ham, crab, or turkey.

I, being the king of this castle, had a "nice" turkey dinner with my kids.

1st Batch, Boy Twin: Girl Twin always gets what she wants

Girl Twin: I know, I'm their favorite.

Me: Yeah......right.

The best thing about our Thanksgiving family tradition is we always get our Christmas tree at some point during the weekend. Weather permitting we have always gone into the mountains to cut our trees. You might ask why we don't cut down a tree from our property. Well, the truth is we don't have evergreen trees on our mountainous property. We have aspen and cottonwood. None of these make very good Christmas trees. We do have an abundance of prairie grasses, including cheatgrass (an invasive species brought to the area "accidentally" in the 1880's.

A family that cannot agree on a Thanksgiving menu, will have trouble deciding on a Christmas tree. Grandma likes long needle trees, and the kids like short needle trees. Me? I like to pick out the tree cut it down and get to the restaurant in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Now that's a tradition I don't get sick of.

This past Thanksgiving night it snowed depending on the area six to nineteen inches of some pretty good powder. The temperature hovered in the single digits. The weather told us it would not be a good time to cut a tree. However, the forecast for today is a high of thirty degrees. I have insulated coveralls. So does Elaine. We're going for it. I will be at the restaurant sometime this afternoon.

I hope your traditions were achieved without turmoil. Love you. God Bless. Buy yarn!

Our crazy lives!

Monner