Thanksgiving reminds me...

Of my grandmothers most of all. I miss them on this day most of all. Grama Lillie would have ten worlds of holiday stuff laid out for us and everybody brought something so good--especially at her house on Skyline. She would have this enormous table made up downstairs in the store room and the huge table for the adults and the little card tables set up for all of us children- I usually sat at Grampa's huge bar though in front of that clipper ship. Red Cabbage, dressing, Ham, Turkey, Every kind of potatos, sweet & marshmallowey and tons of Jello only for me :o) and every kind of Pie imaginable. Like 15 pies. Im so lucky to come from a huge family we had the best of times. Playing cards all afternoon canasta, rummy, spades, watching old John Wayne stuff and tarzan. The best part was when we all held hands - like 40 of us- and grama said the prayer and told the old bastard to get down in his hole.. Lill, shut those gd kids up- haha. What a wild bunch. Im most grateful for those days. I truly thought my grampa Gene was the devil when I was a little girl. Jeez!

And then Grama Evelyn, she was born on Thanksgiving day. I remember the year when Uncle Pat was still with us, they all went out hunting and brought back quail and pheasant and rabbit. We had that in addition to the regular Thanksgiving table. She always made waldorf salad and blueberry salad and cherry pie especially for me. She taught me how to be a lady, and being wealthy has absolutely nothing to do with being refined. And Grampa with his non stop happy hour and whiskey & ice clinking in the glass. Aunt Joann always made cranberry salad and everything smelled like heaven just walking in the door. And that little light up tummy sailor that sat on the bar forever. Those little things, the little details are what stand out and make me smile. They all knew how much they meant to me, they knew how much they were loved and for that im most grateful today. Miss you so much but im smiling because in my heart you are still right here.