Fact: As surprising as it may sound, there is no historical event of turkey being served in the three-day feast. The Thanksgiving menu of the modern world is entirely different from the first Thanksgiving. It is believed that the Pilgrims and Native Americans enjoyed other food items like lobster, seal, and swan.
Mary proclaimed “Decorations Done”
Mary was still out cold when I arose and faced the day. Scout, The Wonder Dog, and I braved the morning chill and went forward to water the lawn. We inspected the new garden, and then I saw Scout in his “pointing pose.” He was as rigid as steel, with his nose pointing at a strawberry plant and the tail at 90 degrees, slowly waving in the breeze. The first fruit had been spotted.
Mary did not see this little jewel this morning!
Mary came to life at about 7:30 AM, and we had our morning coffee. The coffee was terrific, but I sent Mary back to bed; another day of recovery was needed. I told her of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving menu. I should NOT have done that!
Swan? Seal? Lobster? Wow, we need to try that!
Later that morning, as we were preparing our action plan for Thanksgiving, Mary sent me to the store to get two pounds of Swan and four pounds of Seal. Needless to say, the butcher looked bewildered at my request. He sent me to the OC Zoo and yelled, “Good Luck!” as I exited the store.
Sorry, Mr. Swan!
At the Zoo, the Swan had a different idea about Thanksgiving. I quickly exited the Zoo leaving a trail of feathers and pieces of my jeans behind me; they are mean little buggers! Now they tell me: While geese are noisier aggressors, swans intimidate with their sheer size, and have a fearsome reputation for inflicting damage on anything they consider a threat to their mate or young.
When I returned home, I went inside and changed from my embarrassing visit to the Zoo. I then went to the computer and somehow ended up on this image I remember from my childhood; we are talking 65+ years ago. Below is a picture of the original sheet music to Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, and I remember the picture like it was yesterday. I played the piano and accordion, and this was a Christmastime favorite.
I just threw it away when I went through the piano bench about three years ago!
I loved this picture of Mary taken when we were out to dinner a while back; she always has an infectious smile!
My Little Mary!
At 11:00 AM, Irene popped by and picked me up. She brought the Silver Streak back that she had been driving since her car was in the shop. We turned around, and I went back to Long Beach to get her car back. Then I drove back home; all the vehicles were in their proper location. I was the freeway flier!
On the way home, I stopped in Downtown Orange at Renata’s Italian Restaurant and picked up veal piccata for Mary, and I got the angel-hair seafood plate. I could NOT pass up the bruschetta! The chef was on duty and offered me a glass of wine while I waited; it’s nice to be known! I only drink wine on days that end with a “y.”
The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later, you’re hungry again.
I like to chat with others while waiting for my Italian food-to-go order, but I was the only one there! It helps to pasta time.
Mary got up, had her lunch, and returned to being horizontal. She wants this gone by Thursday! I worked in the He-Shed and went to Home Depot to get the hardware I needed for the gazebo lighting. When I returned, Mary was sitting up, folding the laundry. You can’t keep a tough person down!
The sunset was looking good when I returned from Home Depot.
It was dark at 5:30 PM.
We had some news! Vicky and Jim are joining us for Thanksgiving; it will be an excellent addition to the soiree! Now we will have pierogis for Bob, enchiladas for Vicky, and I will get ham for myself! Tomorrow, I will go shopping as soon as I wake up!
