Nostalgia

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. My bakers get out of school shortly so once Mommy wraps up work we'll head to the kitchen together. That is a tradition they love.

Tomorrow, after a 1st look through the paper with fresh coffee and the parade on tv, we'll head out, pies in hand, to my sisters house. The small fam we have here will watch football while the women try sneak peeks at the dog show and sit down to a dinner of turkey, stuffing, potatoes and more. I'm taking peanut butter pies - the ones that won the baking competition at work and had at least one person stalking me 'til I gave up the recipe. We'll have one extra friend to go with us as she's in town with no fam. I think there will be 11 of us.

We'll discuss shopping but it's already been decided I'm the one taking my Dad out at 4am. There's no need for a plan. He used to take whichever grandchildren were deemed "old enough" and turn it into a great adventure. The other adults were never invited and had no desire to go. With the Parkinson's he fights daily that is no longer the plan. Now one of us takes him (usually me or my eldest) to wherever he wants to go. . That means we'll be at Sam's Club when they open, visit my sister and b-i-l who are doomed to work Black Friday into eternity after choosing retail as a profession, go to Wal-Mart and then the grocery store. Lat year there were 4 stores on his list. We made it to 3. I will, yet again, suggest that with a cart or wheelchair he could do more and he will say no...He's afraid he doesn't have the fine motor skills to drive the cart and refuses the idea of a wheelchair. It sucks and it makes me cry. I am so thankful he is here with us but I HATE-HATE-HATE that he is fine but his body won't work.

My aunt had another heart attack. This is her 4th. She's in her 80s and they think the chemo she's doing is what tipped the balance. They're evaluating a plan of action and I hope to know more next week. We spent every year of my childhood going there for Thanksgiving. We'l load up our red station wagon with the wood panels down the side and drive straight through Wednesday to get there at night. There would be coffee (with liquor), greetings and my Uncle Alec playing the mandolin for us. I'd get to sleep in the springiest bed I have ever seen and we'd all be together for Thanksgiving. There'd be the parade, football, sledding in the cemetary if we got lucky and lots of time laughing and catching up. I really do miss it. We have many of the same traditions, just a different location and different players.

I hope my children apreciate and cherich our old holidays when they have their own families. I know I do.