We did it differently this year.
Both my Mom and Grandma are gone now, and my son who got married lives in the mainland. My ex now lives with them. My brother, who helped me raise my four kids for over 14 years, lives here on Oahu a few miles away, now, but has a girlfriend who expects him to be there at least part of each holiday. So, I share an apartment with my oldest 2 boys. Jasmine, the other half of our band, lives in a dog grooming shop nearby where she babysits the overnight pets, but comes here daily.
So, we somehow decided to eat out this Thanksgiving. Hmmm. I had nearly all the ingredients, too, especially since a local store offered $3 turkeys with a $50 purchase.
So, thought I was getting off scott-free, when Jasmine decides we should do our big traditional breakfast (which we sometimes reserve for Chrsitmas) of Sausage Gravy and Bisquits, Eggs, Little Smokies, Sweet Rolls, and whatever of the desserts we had created since the local restaurant was going to only give you one slice of pumpkin. So…besides the breakfast I made a family recipe of Persimmon Pudding, esp. since my brother insisted I make something to take to his girlfriend’s house. And, my firstborn is a Thanksgiving baby, at least every four years.
Ok so then there was the mid-day snack, too..since my brother was going there for noon celebration, and with us for early evening.
So, then we finally went out…tho pretty filled from the above. And had to wait for parking..no street parking either. But the real wait was the line out the door for this “non-reservation” place that was cheaper than all the rest ($13,50..which for Hawaii is pretty good since it also included drink and that pie). That line took about 45 minutes, and then we were put in a hot corner. The food was OK, and the pie was sliced thinner than anything I’d ever seen.
My eldest offered a short prayer…kinda embarrassed. Our normal is to have each member pray something or say what they are thankful for. Kind of loses some meaning of what this holiday is supposed to be about.
We had always said we would try this. I had always threatened we’d do this, if these grown kids didn’t help me more with the meal and clean-up.
I did have some time, while they were absorbed in football, to work on mastering an instrumental piece that I have wanted to offer a couple years, now. I sent it out as a freebie to all our FB friends, in the mass email reverbnation offers to your fans, and will be sending it to a few of my guitar students. Oh, and biggest thing, put it up on the new Android Market (Google Music) as a single, since we are still working on other stuff to be put up soon. Oh, you can have it to, this weekend, by going to
http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/3493750
But really..accept for a couple hours free, it was still nearly the same amount of work for a mom. And just about the same expense. So, I think we’ll go back to our traditions until I am too old to cook. Or too old, at least, to lift a fully-stuffed turkey. Then we can go out without me also cooking desserts and breakfast.
Or maybe by then we can go to my brother’s house, if they get married.
Marlene*** of Nightbloom