Close to Nowhere

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Easter is a good second, but I love Thanksgiving.

Now that we have young ones in the family again, I enjoy being with them at Christmas. All the joy of Christmas belongs to children and they spread it joyously.

But Thanksgiving is so special. It's a day spent cooking and eating with loved ones. How can you beat that?

Since I've become a whiny, sick old woman, I spend a lot of time giving thanks to God for many things.

This year, I'm so thankful that after a recent bout of not being healthy, I'm going to be able to cook a turkey, make dressing, bake pumpkin pies and I'm sure I'm going to get some potato salad in there somewhere (even though I think I'm the only one who really wants it).

Several years ago, oldest granddaughter Merideth, who is a cranberry sauce freak, tried her hand at making it from scratch. It was wonderful.

Now, cranberry sauce has to be made from scratch. And every year, the experiments with it just get better and better.

And sweet potato casserole? While we love it, experimenting with sweet potatoes is fun.

One year, we had sweet potatoes, apples and raisins, and lots of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. It was supposed to have pecans also, but son Kris would be really unhappy. He hates anything with a nut even associated with it.

The turkey is always cooked the same way. Smeared heavily with butter, sprinkled with pepper and Mrs. Dash, onions stuffed in the cavity and lemons squeezed over the bird. I always add water to the pan so I'll have lots of good turkey broth for the dressing. The lemons and onions add wonderful flavor to the turkey and the broth.

I've made the turkey like this for so long that I don't remember when that recipe came into being.

I've read a lot of recipes for dressing, but the way I make it came from my mother. She was a Yankee originally, but her dressing was spectacular ­ and Southern.

Cornbread, stale biscuits, white bread, onions, etc. She taught me how to measure the sage to make sure it was just right. "For a pan this size, two handfuls." That's how she measured it out, while showing me what a handful was.

This year, ours will be a small gathering. Daughter Dana, son Kris, oldest granddaughter Merideth, with her husband Tim and the two joys of my life, Shepard and Sissie (Ruby June), and granddaughter Remy with her husband Mitch.

One of the many things I'm thankful for are Mitch and Tim. God sent these two wonderful young men to my beloved granddaughters and I am so grateful.

Here's an interesting note about Tim, a licensed electrician. He works in Memphis, Tenn., and is currently working on the freezers that will store the COVID19 vaccine that has to be kept so insanely cold. What a fascinating piece of history for his children to brag about!

I hope your Thanksgiving is as blessed as I'm hoping ours is.