Sunday, December 1, 2013

Thanksgiving

Last minute plan change and it was decided the boys would go with me to Georgia for Thanksgiving.  My older son came rolling in about 3:20 Thursday morning and we decided to load up the car and hit the road at 4am, for the 7-8 hour drive.  My son's girlfriend had made a blackberry pie so I tried eating my piece as I drove. I don't recommend this.  On my chore list now is cleaning the seat the piece of pie was sitting on.
Our tradition is to stop at a Waffle House along the way for a big plate of tan.  I get the same thing every time - coffee, two eggs over medium, whole wheat toast, hash browns and grits.
We got to my mother's house just before noon.  When everyone was there (the three of us, my mother, two brothers, sister and niece), five of us took my mother's four dogs and my niece's dog out for a walk.  The dog I was walking, at the front of the photo, is missing a leg.  The little chihuahua was actually being carried because she is old and arthritic.
Our unconventional Thanksgiving meal.  My family loves a good crab boil.  Or at least, the members of the family who grew up in Georgia do.
There was plenty of red wine, of course, including this interesting Apothic Dark which claims to have notes of blueberry, blackberry. coffee and chocolate.  For the life of me, I just can't discern that sort of thing.
On the drive down my younger son said sarcastically, "You know what I like about eating crab? You expend more calories than you are able to take in." My older son said, "You know what I like about eating crab? NOTHING." Pah. They just don't get it. I ate only a little of the extras so I could concentrate on the work of deconstructing crabs and managed to eat three of them.
The next day, my sister and I took a long walk around town and then some of us watched part of a bride dress show marathon, loudly criticizing the silly pun-laded script and the outrageously priced gowns.  Seriously, there is something twisted about spending what would make a solid down payment on a house on a dress you will wear for only a few hours.
We had champagne, Earl Grey and grapefruit juice cocktails after dinner and sat around talking. My youngest brother and my sons had gone to see the movie "Thor" and that got us into a discussion of family history I didn't even know about. I usually tune out when genealogy gets discussed because it gets into such mundane detail about people who died a long time ago. But it turns out, a branch of my mother's family were Vikings from Norway who settled in Scotland. And my own last name, from my father, is from the Normans, the folks in France descended from Viking invaders. That branch of the family went with William the Conqueror to Britain.  
Who knew? Vikings on both sides of my family. The peace-loving Quaker in me cringes a little about this information. But my older son, who wears a Mjölnir (Thor's hammer) pendant around his neck and keeps a journal in a runic alphabet he created, felt vindicated.
The second night, everyone accompanied us out to the car to say goodbye because we'd be leaving before dawn the next day. As I was driving back to our hotel, my older son was laughing uproariously in the back seat. He finally choked out, when pressed, that it was "a joke that went too far."  I got suspicious at the level of merriment and turned on the light. There, quivering on the floorboard and partially covered by my backpack, was the elderly chihuahua. My youngest brother had stashed her there as a joke. I made a U-turn. Back at the house, I tucked the tiny dog under my arm like a football and marched her back into the kitchen, which was filled with my laughing, crazy relatives. Any Southerner could tell you, they ain't right.

36 comments:

  1. wow...never thought of that combo in a cocktail...might have to give that one a try...i envy your crabs and you pie...i got neither over the holidays...i def dont mind the work on crabs...sounds like a good thanksgiving to me...

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    1. Personally, I prefer plain old champagne. These tasted basically like grapefruit juice to me.

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  2. What kind of crabs are those? They look sort of like Dungeness, but I don't think they have those down south.
    Sounds like a good gathering.

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  3. Oh WOW...sounds, looks and tastes like you had an AWESOME Thanksgiving Day! My mouth was watering over your breakfast at Waffle House. OMG...that looked so delicious! I can eat breakfast anytime of the day.

    I've got tried that Apothic Dark! You know how much I love Apothic wine, but had no idea they had a dark.

    " Any Southerner could tell you, they ain't right."

    HAHAHAHAHAHA! Loved that! Well, I'm not Southern, but I ain't right either. That photo of the dog is so cute! What a precious little face!

    Thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving with us, girl.

    X



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    1. I saw that bottle and said, RON!

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    2. Apparently the Apothic Dark was a limited release and wasn't even available any more. But maybe since they sold out, they'll re-release it?

      Mt family would even agree that they ain't right!

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  4. I'd never considered giving a dog who couldn't a walk, but I'll bet she appreciated it.

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    1. She likes getting out and always likes being carried around.

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  5. First, that pie is right up my alley. Second, that would be my kind of Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, I'd be eating it alone here......though come to think of it, that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing!!

    I bet if you had a wine that said it had notes of tobacco, you'd know it! Nasty stuff!
    I give you credit on the long trips to visit family. The five hour round trip to get my son from college just about wipes me out. I'm pitiful.

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    1. I LOVE berry pies! And crab is always high on my list, in spite of the work. I have had wine with tobacco notes and it did have a smoky sort of flavor. I didn't hate it but I sure wouldn't choose it over other wines.

      I don't enjoy that drive, I admit, but I just see it as a necessary evil.

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  6. Oh they got you good with that joke! I love your sons' commentaries about the crabs. LOL!

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    1. That was all my brother's doing. Good thing we were going to the hotel and not heading home - it might have been a while before I noticed her.

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  7. I like reading about non traditional Thanksgiving dinners; we always decided year to year what we wanted to make, sometimes it was turkey, oftentimes something else. I think crabs is an excellent meal myself. Sounds like a great visit to spend the holiday with family!

    betty

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    1. After my parents' divorce, fondue became our traditional Christmas meal, so we have a history of bucking the trends,

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  8. As you say, a joke that went a bit too far! I wonder what the innocent little chihuahua thought about it all?

    The blackberry pie looks delicious. But yes, eating it in the car is rather a high-risk activity!

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    1. I think it worried her, but she is an uncomplaining sort. Not sure there is a whole lot going on in that tiny brain, though.

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  9. I would love the crab menu:)
    I also don't understand the whole mess with weddings, people draw loans to show off, I bought my wedding dress at Emporio Armani but it was discounted after summer season and it was NOT a real wedding dress but rather an elegant summer dress.

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    1. I think a lot of people have been sold on that "best day of your life" idea. WHich is ridiculous. It's just a ceremony to mark a transition in your life.

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  10. Sounds like a fun time. My neice got married last weekend and God knows how much the wedding cost, it was at £15,000 six months ago and she hadn't finished organising then! :0

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    1. I'd rather have a simple wedding and then money to start my new life!

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  11. I'm with you on the weddings what an awful waste of money and so competitive.

    Lovely Thanksgiving it looks like and the crab. Yum.

    XO
    WWW

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  12. That certainly is a different meal for Thanksgiving but it sounds awesome! Glad you got to get away and that your boys went with you.

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    1. Me, too - I was thrilled to have the boys be able to go this year.

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  13. They may not be right, and you yourself probably aren’t either, but, boy, what I wouldn’t give to be part of your clan.

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  14. Ah, now it explains everything. You are a Georgian!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRgWBN8yt_E

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    1. Mostly! I was raised in a Navy family so we lived all over, but settled in Georgia mid-way through my childhood and that's "home" tp me.

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  15. You have done a great job raising your kids but somehow they missed out on appreciating crabs. What a pity. Send me their portion anytime. A viking Quaker,eh? Never mind..... I forgive you for all the raiding and pillaging.

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    1. I think they are at that adolescent boy stage where they just want to be able to shovel food in as quickly as possible.

      See? That's why I cringe!

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  16. My mom's side of the family is Norwegian, so I may come from Vikings too. I know VERY little about my family history though.
    Your Thanksgiving sounds lovely...crazy family and all :-D

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    1. Seems likely! I have relatives on both sides who are really into genealogy, so I'm always learning new things about the family.

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  17. From "they ain't right" to "a plate of tan," I love your phrases.

    Think of Vikings this way: those who stayed in Scandinavia are now the world's models for peace and living without aggression. Something evolved there.

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    1. True - but what if the ones who went off marauding were already genetically different than the ones who stayed and developed into modern Norwegians and Swedes?

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  18. "...keeps a journal in a runic alphabet he created." Your kids are just awesome.

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