Thanksgiving

The week of Thanksgiving dawned foggy at the Holler. Not that fog isn’t picturesque, but it doesn’t make me think Thanksgiving, so I was glad to be going out of town. On Monday before the big day, my mom and brother came to pick up the boys and me for a week’s stay at Midmile Farm-- the old stomping grounds in Indiana. My brother and sister-in-law had flown in from New Mexico a few days before, so it was to be a nuclear family reunion.

Of course, a trip to Grandma’s house is ever an opportunity for Charlie to discover how many different playgrounds the world has to offer. We got in late on Monday night, and after a day in the car, Charlie went to sleep even later than usual. As chance would have it, he also woke up early Tuesday morning with a nose bleed, so Grandma and I formed a plan to flat wear him out that day. The first park we visited was the VFW playground in Columbia City. It is a paradise of wooden wonder that makes me wish I was a few feet shorter, a lot of pounds lighter, and at least twice as energetic. It was a chilly day, but we played as long as we could before going home to Grandma’s to make lasagna. After a day of running in the cold and very little sleep, Charlie still managed to keep himself awake until the end of the movie he was watching: 10:30 p.m. I don’t know what it is about sleep these stubborn Pearson males dislike so, but after the movie was done, he fell asleep faster than I’ve ever seen.

Wednesday morning, Charlie didn’t quite wake up all the way. He zommed his way down to breakfast, but quickly gave up on sitting upright, and went to nap on the couch, sleeping the morning away until 1:30 p.m. This was enough for me to decide he must have strep; it was so out of character for him. So just for a little vacation fun, we visited ReadyMed. No strep. I guess we just wore him out a little better than we intended to.

Thursday was, of course, the big day. What Thanksgiving would be complete without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, or, as my sister-in-law Susan and I came to call it, “Where Celebrities Go To Die.” My eyebrows hit my hairline first during the performance by Alan Cumming, who closely resembles nothing so much as a strung-out, gay elf. A little while later, I was wowed by Cindy Lauper, looking like she had spray painted hot pink stripes on an albino ferret and Superglued it to her head. About the last thing I saw was what appeared to be duet between Miley Cyrus’s doppelganger and Kermit the Frog. I went to Thanksgiving dinner thinking, Well, that really puts the “Ummm...” in “awesome.” Dinner was, of course, fantastic. Perfectly slow roasted turkey, Mom’s signature cranberry salad, sourdough rolls, au gratin potatoes, stuffing, pies... And a new dish: Mom’s Spontaneous Cajun-style Blackened Green Bean Casserole... which happens when an overworked cook forgets the beans are still in the oven. Seriously, though, if I ate that well every day of the year, they could fill me with helium and float me along with Snoopy and Buzz Lightyear in the Macy’s Parade.

A little while after lunch, Uncle Joel took Charlie for a run/ chase/ mudfest/ exercise in futility which I, sadly, missed while giving Abraham a nap. The futility part came in when Charlie tried to catch Uncle Joel. I think it was good for him. It’s not often Charlie’s will gets bested. The mudfest... well, as you can see here, we didn’t escape the unfestive, non-crisp yet still beautiful fall weather.

The rest of the week blurred by, with a couple more parks thrown in, a trip to see some Christmas lights, and a shopping escapade at Michael’s Crafts. I’ve never been dragged out of a store by my collar before, but I think the experience was good for me. Temporary insanity happens I see a wall of beads marked “50% Off.” What can I say?

On the way back to the Holler on Sunday, Grandma, the boys, and I crammed a five hour trip into seven hours. Grandma jury-rigged the little dvd/tv so that it wouldn’t shut off every 5 seconds. Charlie watched movies, looked at books, played Leapster, and in general complained very little. Abe slept and also complained very little. Grandma drove, and I only complained when I started to get queasy, which was in no way intended to be a comment on Mom’s driving. We stopped at a school playground in Eden, IN for an hour long fifteen minute break. May I just say that playgrounds are way cooler now than when I was a kid? Here is what Mom looks like after a week with my children... We had supper at LaRosa’s, and got in at the tidy time of 5:00 p.m., in time for Grandma and Grandpa to turn right around and drive home again. Super(grand)parents! Any ideas what I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving?