Back in the late '50s my grandfather, shown above, was stationed here in San Diego for his last tour of duty. He moved here from Cherry Point with his wife and four of his seven kids, one of them being my mother. My mom's oldest sister (a half sister and half brother were grown and married) had married a Marine there and also wound up being stationed here in the late 60s for his last tour of duty. Three of the four sisters had all had sizeable families, so I grew up around a lot of cousins, and we are a close-knit family. The eldest sister started a tradition of hosting Thanksgiving, and I remember more Thanksgivings at her house than I do in Oregon where we moved after my own father retired from the Navy. It was such a tradition that we would pack up our family of six and drive the length of California just to see the family and enjoy that Thanksgiving dinner. Those memories are very fond ones and that tradition is something we all cherish, so much so that we continue to have the family get together. My aunt passed away last year, but we had long ago started moving that dinner around to various other family members. Her eldest daughter hosted for several years, then our oldest cousin from my mom's half brother (14 years her senior), and so on. For at least 10 years it was one of the oldest cousins from each family that picked up the mantle. My older sister lives here too, but she's somewhat of a hermit and her townhome is far too small for the family, so me and my wife started hosting. Our home is not very large, but we have a sunroom that serves us well, fitting our expandable table to 14 seats, and a folding table or two fits the rest of us. It's a potluck affair, with a what to bring list sent out.
The list is quickly filled with takers for soda, ice, pie, rolls, since they don't want to cook anything. A few do step up either because they like to cook, or a sense of duty and responsibility to the rest of the family, seeing how several people sign up for just a single item, leaving the actual food to others. My elderly Aunts, the ones on either side of my mother in the birth order, shouldn't have to do anything, but they want to. I had to help one of them put their mashed potatoes in the over the range microwave to reheat them. She's lost some height in her advanced age, and she was struggling lifting the big container. I realized that I need to publicly give them a pass next year, and attempt to lay some guilt on the younger people in the family. We have too many grown children and grandchildren who need to step up and stop expecting their parents to do it all.
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My Aunt was not only struggling, but I could see she was in some pain trying to lift the large container above her shoulders, so I'm glad I was there to take over for her. I made a mental note to have a talk with her and let her know it's perfectly fine to let the younger generation step up. She lives with my other Aunt who has dementia, and has become her caretaker. Before dinner she asked if my mother was coming. She had forgotten that my mom has been gone for over 20 years. So it's a sad situation. They seemed to have a good time nevertheless, and enjoyed seeing all of the family members, but one of them closed her eyes after dinner while sitting on the couch, clearly tired out after the festivities.
The dinner went fine and while I was worried that two turkeys might not be enough for the 20 people expected, there were plenty of leftovers. I brought out the clamshell to-go containers and it seemed to be one of those loaves and fishes things, as there were still plenty of leftovers even after their containers were full. I really enjoy leftovers, and am happy bringing turkey and fixings to work for lunch on Monday*, which is at least a day or two past when my wife has grown sick of them. That's okay, more for me!
It was during dessert though that tragedy struck. We had several pies, Pumpkin, Apple, Apple Crumb, and even a Lemon Meringue. While one of my Aunts got up to get some pumpkin pie the other one did not. I wanted Apple, and I knew my other aunt liked it too so I thought I would surprise her with a heated slice with a scoop of ice cream. Unfortunately, and you may have guessed what the tragedy was, I discovered that my aunt would no longer be having warm apple pie on Thanksgiving. Yes, tragically there was a death.
No, not my Aunt, my microwave had died! No heating up of pie! No warming my coffee in the morning! No reheating leftovers in the tried and true tradition that is my post Thanksgiving weekend.
It was the second loss we've had in a week. After a power-outage a week or so ago, our stand-up freezer in our garage wasn't as cold as it should be and only parts of the freezer were keeping things frozen. Our turkey was in there and had started to thaw. I quickly ordered another and had it delivered two days later. The turkey was moved into the fridge, but unfortunately much of the rest out there had to be tossed. While the new freezer was here in two days, the new microwave won't be here until Dec 2nd, probably due to the Black Friday sales. I could pick it up, but installing it over our range is a little beyond my home-repair comfort level.
Fortunately, all is not lost. There's always the muffin-tin creation above, probably turkey pot pie for dinner Friday night, and I'll go with a cold sandwich in a pinch.
But despite some lazy cousins, who I love most of the time, the failing appliances, and the idea (shudder) of some cold leftovers, it was a great holiday. Thanksgiving is my favorite one of all, for all the things I've described above- the food, the family, and the leftovers. Oh, that's also food. Did I mention the leftovers? I also like the finality of it- one day and it's over. So now it's time to shift to Christmas. I've already put up the lights so I'm actually ahead of the game.
Anyway, time to go see what's in the fridge.
*Four days is my limit for refrigerated remains, unless they're frozen.
OH! Thou rank vermin sprung from villainous seed! Scurvy, ill-begotten rat-whelp! Sneaking, rat-snouted rogue! Thou didst beguile us with trecheros words, "but one of them closed her eyes after dinner while sitting on the couch, clearly tired out after the festivities." and "Unfortunately, and you may have guessed what the tragedy was, I discovered that my aunt would no longer be having warm apple pie on Thanksgiving. Yes, tragically there was a death. No, not my Aunt, my microwave had died! "
ReplyDeleteAs Dr. Sheldon Cooper would say, "BAZINGA!" Well played, sir. Very well played!
Quoting Sheldon Cooper? That's high praise!
DeleteThat is a fine Thanksgiving family get together story! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
DeleteRead this post with increasing dread until the afore-mentioned "BAZINGA!" Tuna, good to know that it was just mechanical objects giving up the ghosts........:)
ReplyDeleteAs EMS I too shuddered that an EMS call was needed.
ReplyDeleteLOL last year I got a non-EMS call for an emergency loan of a large microwave to so and so's address.
We delivered, and received a nice invite to eat, had to go but got some pie to go :-)
I'm glad my joke was funny to others, and not just in my head as many of them are!
ReplyDeleteTuna, we used to have a similar thing for Christmas with my grandmother's sister hosting. All of her sisters (5) were there, plus their children, plus relations on my Great-Uncle's side of the family. If I had to guess, there were up to 70 people there, with fiddle music and dancing. I suspect the thing went on years before I was born; with the passing of my Great-Uncle it too passed into the history.
ReplyDeleteIt is odd to me as well that my children have a smattering of the cousins that I had. I suspect, sadly, that will attenuate more with this generation.
Of all the weekends for a microwave to fail. On the bright side, it is the biggest shopping season of the year, so hopefully there are sales.
70 requires a banquet room vice a dining room. Sounds like the Grange potlucks I used to attend as a little boy. Yes, there was a sale. The Navy exchange now contracts with home Depot so I checked their site and saw that I got a good deal, and no sales tax.
DeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. "Yes, tragically there was a death. No, not my Aunt, my microwave had died!" Glad to hear Auntie is OK, you had me worried before the section break... You forgot to recite the following ditty before pressing "START"...Oh sweet spawn of Raytheon, whose RF outpourings a heated dish do make, may it please your Magnetron to light off and sing its merry tune!". BTW, almost all uwaves nowadays are made in Korea, and many have a small, but eventually fatal flaw. Our 2014 GE over-the-range uwaver has dropped output multiple times in the last 5 years or so. Each time, it was a loosened (by heat cycles) magnetron filament spade connector. A replacement from bench stock crimped on to the remaining filament lead gets it right. Oh, but there is the grunting and groaning to R&R the bloody heavy beast from its mounting! Next time, it's going in the dumper.
ReplyDeleteI thought about a repair vice replace, but I expect that the labor and parts might be very close to the cost of a new one.
DeleteWell played, sir-
ReplyDeleteHaving digested Juvat's prior tales, we did not partake of the jalapeno sausage at Buccees on our travels from yon to hither yesterday, so the 500 miles passed uneventfully with only moderate traffic in the mountain west.
Happy leftovers to all (preferably heated!), and Christmas is only 24 and a wake up away.
JB
I'm glad you made it there and back safely. Jalapeno sausage doesn't go with turkey anyway.
DeleteAh, leftovers. W.e finish eating Thanksgiving dinner leftovers on Tuesday night, having taken Saturday (homemade pizza day) and Sunday (orange beef) off. Tuesday night will be the great apportioning and freezing of everything left, turkey for future pot pies and candied yams and dressing to go with ham steaks when we want a quick meal.
ReplyDeleteAs to the death, yeah, that sucks, sucks bad. Feel for you. You don't realize how much you use a microwave until you don't have one.
Beans, I can remember the first time I saw a microwave. It was in 1981 and my Aunt and Uncle had it. It seemed like a novelty at the time.
DeleteYeah, reheating coffee in a pot is a little antiquated, and I don't have the patience for oven reheating. Actually went to my neighbors and asked to borrow two minutes from his microwave!
DeleteNot a Thanksgiving story but a life hack. I keep a half full cup of water in the freezer. After it freezes I put a quarter on top. If there is a thaw while I'm gone, one glance at the cup warns me.
ReplyDeleteScared me for a minute.
ReplyDelete"Just" the microwave ...
I think that might be my first literary attempt at trickery.
DeleteI thought possibly some food item had failed. I am glad it was not a relative!
ReplyDeleteThere may be a lot of Cherry Points, but my hubby's last civil service station before retirement was MCAS Cherry Point in NC. Lived there 18 years and really enjoyed it.
You all be safe and God bless.
Thank you Linda
ReplyDelete