Wednesday Weblog for November 17,2021 |
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Quote of the Week:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -- Mark Twain
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Leading Off: We Kind of Made It |
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One year ago in this space I wrote:
"Thanksgiving is here already, and with it a stark reality that this pandemic is a generational event, it is unbelievable that it is potentially more impactful than a world war or a massive earthquake.
Makes you think twice about what you are thankful for.
- Things we have always taken for granted are no longer taken for granted.
- Things we used to complain about are gone, and we'd love to have them back and we'd probably complain less.
- Industries, occupations, communities and businesses have been devastated.
- Sadly, many non-profits may never recover, especially those that were not built on solid leadership and employee or volunteer engagement.
Know what the good news is? We'll make it.
Persistence and determination will get us through, and when we make it, we'll be a little smarter and a lot tougher. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated after that society had endured extraordinarily difficult circumstances and was filled with gratitude that they 'made it.'
If you are reading this now, you are in some state of having 'made it' and are probably naturally grateful. While I am not a Pilgrim, I live about 75 miles from the Rock, and have imagined many times what it must have been like to deal with so much strangeness, so much unknown, so much doubt, so much fear. And like the Pilgrims who relied on their faith in each other and their God, we have relied on each other and something more to arrive at Thanksgiving 2021. We are all 'older, but wiser.'
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Wattle, Snood & Cranberry Sauce |
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Once a Year Traditions
There are 6 things that happen in many families only once per year at Thanksgiving:
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Cranberry Sauce:
No one loves cranberry sauce. If they loved cranberry sauce they’d have it at least twice per year, not just once per year. And of course, there is no comparison between inferior whole berry cranberry sauce and the superior jellied cranberry sauce with the metal can ridges on the surface. Can you name another food where can ridges on the finished product are cool?
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The Kids Table:
Remember that folding table that was in the basement all year or you borrowed from your neighbor because there weren’t enough chairs at the big boy/big girl table? And of course, graduating from the kids table was always a big day for large families or large gatherings. It was a rite of passage for many kids and the beginning of thinking about being an adult. On the other hand, getting demoted to the kids table after being at the main table, because Uncle Fred and his wife came over for dinner, was crushing. (Chris Doherty, aka Gang Green, carving the turkey at the kids table in our kitchen. A Polaroid photo with a caption on the back that says "Hungry Pilgrim Turkey Day 1970).
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Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions:
In the decades of watching the NFL on Thanksgiving, there have been, oh, maybe a half-dozen games worth watching? Ok, maybe not that many. Year after year after year of watching crappy Detroit teams that you would never watch on any other day. Followed up by the overhyped Dallas Cowboys, who last won a Superbowl in 1996, so don’t give me that line about America’s Team. 1996 is twenty-five seasons ago. Anyone know of a team that has won, say, six Superbowls since then? Dallas might have America’s Cheerleaders or America’s Favorite Go-Go Boot Wearers, but they are not America’s team, we ALL know who that is.
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Electric Knives:
I wonder how many households have an electric knife that is used only once per year and then only to slice the turkey into large slices so they look good on the plate. We've had years where we searched for the electric knife in the basement, just knowing it was there somewhere. Perhaps the male attraction to power tools was leveraged for this particular invention/tradition? The pictured knife is made by Black & Decker, as supporting evidence. Hmmm.
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Trimmings:
The holidays are the only time we eat trimmings. Have you noticed that? We don’t have burgers and dogs with ‘all the trimmings,’ or a seafood platter with ‘all the trimmings’ or even spaghetti and meatballs with ‘all the trimmings.’ Honestly, I’m not completely sure what the legal definition of a trimming is, because if you think about it, trimmings are the parts you throw away most of the time.
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Green Bean Casserole:
Have you noticed that everyone knows someone who makes a ‘great green bean casserole?’ Everyone has an aunt or a neighbor or a friend that makes a great green bean casserole. Once per year.
Three innocent questions: Question 1: Are you good at anything you do once per year? That tells me that it is a dish that must be hard to botch. Question 2: Ever wonder why you never see it on a restaurant menu? Question 3: Ever wonder why there is so much left over after the meal? Just asking for a friend.
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Pop Quiz: Thanksgiving Knowledge |
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Quiz: So, I have saved you the time of searching the internet for Thanksgiving facts and trivia to fill in those awkward silences if you are (illegally?) visiting with your family. Ok, my wife did most of the research, but we ARE a team.
To make it interesting, I have included them in a 20 question pop quiz.
Here are the True/False questions, that will make you seem as smart as Cliff Clavin on Cheers at the dinner table when you finish eating first and are just sitting there acting interested.
Keep track of the number of ‘True’ guesses you select and learn the answers below, after the Surprise Photo of the Week. (It would be cruel if I shared the answers next week, so I’m trusting you not to peek). Remember, if you know me well, I can be tricky. Stay alert.
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- Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had foil food packets of roasted turkey and the trimmings for their first meal on the moon.
- The wild turkey is native to northern Mexico and the eastern United States.
- Wild turkeys can fly at speeds of up to 55 miles an hour
- A turkey typically is about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
- On average, it takes 75-80 pounds of feed to raise a 30-pound tom turkey.
- The top 3 turkey producing states are Minnesota, North Carolina, and Arkansas
- The United Kingdom is a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving.
- The snood is the long, red, fleshy growth that hangs down over the beak
- The wattle is a bright red appendage on a turkey’s neck
- A bunch of domesticated turkeys are called a rafter or gang.
- Wild turkeys prefer to sleep in trees.
- Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the country’s official bird.
- Turkeys have great hearing, but no external ears.
- The Turkey Is almost certainly named for the country of Turkey
- Domestic turkeys have been bred to have white feathers.
- George H.W. Bush's administration started the 'official' pardoning ceremony
- Turkeys are actually a type of pheasant.
- The "Turkey Trot" was named after how turkeys walk.
- Venison, pheasant, goose, duck, pigeon and swan were more likely eaten at the first Thanksgiving than turkey.
- Cranberries are native to North America
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Surprise Photo at the End |
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Same brother, available on Amazon. I will sell MY vinyl version for less than $300 if interested. |
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Answer Key: They are all True. Here are the links to the sources used.
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Joe's Positive Post of the Week |
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Where This Weblog is Read, (or Sent Might be More Accurate) |
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The Roll Call of states and countries where readers reside: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Washington DC, Wisconsin plus Canada, Spain, Conch Republic, Australia and the United Kingdom |
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Ed Doherty
774-479-8831
www.ambroselanden.com
ed-doherty@outlook.com
Forgive any typos please.
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