It's turkey time! Time to get the turkey out of the freezer and in the refrigerator in hopes that it's thawed when I'm ready to prep it for the oven. In my mind...I can smell that bird cooking before I even get it in the oven. So much to do in a short amount of time. My feeble attempt at cooking the feast my mom would cook is just that a feeble attempt.
Growing up we worked in Christmas trees. From my earliest recollection (around 5-years old) we worked in those pines every single year. We made white pine garland, princess pine garland and wreaths. Those roping machines sure got a workout every year. Our hands would be black with pine rosin, our clothes smelled of fresh cut pine. The best hand cleaner-Crisco lard. Yep, Crisco was the top choice to clean our hands quickly. We would each take a spoon-full of lard, work it into the rosin for a few minutes then wash the lard off our hands with dawn dish detergent. The lard cleaned and moisturized. Oh the memories!
On Thanksgiving Day we would work in the tree field until afternoon then we would gather at my mom's banquet table to eat. She would work all morning in the pines then somehow manage to prepare a feast... fit for a king.
The smells from my kitchen on Thanksgiving Day are comforting. It brings back all those good memories from my childhood. Turkey filled with homemade cornbread stuffing, homemade gravy made from the turkey stock, green beans slow cooked with salt pork, sweet potato candied yams, cranberry sauce, homemade yeast rolls, and pumpkin pie. In addition, to the traditional thanksgiving meal my mom would also make a homemade chocolate pie, and homemade banana pudding...all made from scratch. No instant pudding. Oh the smells. Yum!
Thanksgiving Day reminds me to be thankful for my blessings! I was taught as a child to be thankful in all situations. Money doesn't create thankfulness. Thankfulness is generated from the heart. Anyone who knows me well could tell you--- I've always said, "I'm grateful for hot water." There are so many countries outside the USA that doesn't have access to hot water, they don't even have access to clean drinking water. Hot water in America is the norm--to some it's a small thing. I'm very grateful and humbled that I was born in a country where I can turn on the faucet and experience hot water! So much to be thankful for daily! The photo below brings back so many thankful memories. Time spent in the pine field with all those bugs, spiders, and cold frosty mornings--taught me many valuable lessons.
I've been blessed!
Psalm 107:1 "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
Psalm 106:1 "Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
Psalm 100:4 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
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