My parents are leaving early tomorrow to trek back to Ohio—if they figure out where the kids and I hid their car keys. Here are just a few highlights of the holiday week:
Sharper than a serpent’s tooth is a clueless child . . .
Mom and Dad arrived Tuesday night and it took a long time for the kids to settle down enough to sleep. Unfortunately, Janie and I both had to get up at our usual time on Wednesday to go to our respective half days of school or work. Janie griped and sniped through the morning until everyone lost patience and I finally got her loaded into the car with her Grandparent Day props, homework, and Angel Shoe Tree gift.
I belted myself in and calmly informed her that she was going to have to remember that other people didn’t know how sleepy she was and that she was going to have to be very careful not to lose her temper and try to be aware of what was going on today. Her grandparents had come a long way to see her in her skit and she needed to make it a good day for them. I extracted an agreement, opened the garage door, put the car in reverse and promptly backed into Mom’s car. Wham.
I drove into the garage, made sure Janie was okay, checked for car damage (there was none*) and went inside. “Could someone please move the car that I just backed into so Janie and I can leave?” Because, you know, it wasn’t my fault I hadn’t used the rearview mirror to see if Mom’s bright metallic orange Element was lurking out there.
Mom leapt for her keys, ran out in her slippers, without a coat, and backed her car into the street along the curb. I backed out, waved in thanks, and left . . . not realizing that I’d automatically closed the garage door as I pulled away. To get back inside, Mom had to walk all the way around the house to the front door and ring the bell.
Did I mention it was 28°F ?
Thanksgiving Dinner
Garlic turkey with roasted garlic cloves, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, scalloped pearl onions (thanks, Grace), homemade bread, salad, corn pudding, pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, cinnamon and pumpkin ice creams, and what I’m told was a very nice Zinfandel rose from a local winery (thanks again, Grace!).
And turkey soup tonight, which will kill all the leftovers. Boo-yah.
The Arts & Crafts Show
The day after Thanksgiving, my family heads over to the local Expo Center where we wander from vendor to vendor gazing at all the handmade gifts made by other people’s hands.
The kids were allowed to choose an outfit for one of their dolls and persuaded me to buy them each a scented candle for their rooms—Janie picked birthday cake and Sunny chose peppermint. I bought one that was labeled snickerdoodle, but smells more like pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting—though I might be projecting, there.
And in one booth, I found this little guy:
Yes, it’s a snowman made of Minnesota fieldstone and iron.** Just look at that little face!
I adopted him on the spot—and then left him on that spot to pick up later, since he weighs about 30 pounds. Dad ended up carrying him to the car, since I had Sunny, who was being knocked off her feet by the wind. I think Dad got the better deal—my armful sneezed in my ear. Twice.
My mother-in-law says he looks like a pile of ugly potatoes, but I love him and will never take him for granite . . .
The Virus Strikes Again, or a Tangled web
We were going to add to the family tradition by taking the kids to a movie after lunch the day after Thanksgiving. The kids have been begging at least twice a day each to see Tangled since the first preview hit Youtube and I said, “Oh, wow! You guys have to see this!” That was . . . five months and a lot of begging ago. Rookie mistake.
But I want to see it, too, and it’s the kind of movie we all love. And it sounded like a good alternative to our usual naps.
Except the virus we all had last week finally hit my mother-in-law Thanksgiving afternoon, so she decided to skip both the holiday dinner and the movie. And then my Dad started feeling icky the next morning . . and Janie started looking green at the restaurant.
I wasn’t sure if the green was caused by Dad trying to ease his queasy stomach by eating baby calamari,*** her overlarge serving of stir fried mushroom noodles, or the virus . . . until she refused dessert and asked me if we could go to the movie next week. My little instant gratification junkie doesn’t do next week, so we sped her home with a plastic carsick bag in her hand (I’m not an actual rookie) and put her to bed with the bucket.
And then we all took naps.
Guess you can’t beat tradition.
___
*Probably because we both have Hondas. Say what you want about Honda—they don’t screw around when it comes to bumpers. I was once rear-ended by a full-sized Buick. The impact threw my Honda Civic Wagon all the way across the intersection, which luckily had no cross traffic at the time. I drove away with a chip in my right tail light. The Buick had to be towed.
**Francis Metal Works usually makes remarkably graceful waterfowl in various sizes—two baby geese came home with us, too—but they make special holiday items as well.
*** . . . Yeah. I know.
Earful of Cider 