The joy of tradition

 

Colin carving
Don’t be fooled by the pictureof Colin carving in his starched white shirt and Santa Claus tie. The bottomhalf was navy blue shorts, bare legs, and sandals. Reminded me of Covid dayswhen men I know worked remotely from home, dressed just that way.

The happy tableThis year Thanksgiving inTomball was a lovely, low-key family day, filled to the brim with tradition.For me, it was turkey, a good book, and a nap. For some of the others, it wasfootball, with special appreciation for Dolly Parton and the half-time show.And for still others, it was a day for a complicated, thousand-word puzzle. Andour meal was traditional as it comes—ham, smoked turkey, dressing, gravy, greenbean casserole, mashed potatoes, truffle mac ‘n cheese (that was never a traditionaldish for me until my kids began to demand it—I still have a hard timeassociating it with holiday meals), rolls with cinnamon butter, pumpkin pie,and apple pie. Couldn’t get more traditional, and I loved it. Of course, everyonewas too full after a two-o’clock meal for the pies, so we had them for secondsupper in the evening.

I had a lovely nap between firstand second supper and spent most of the evening reading a mystery I had juststarted. Lisa and her mom spent a good four hours on the jigsaw puzzle—they stillhave a long way to go.Lisa and Torhild working on the puzzle.

To top the day off, I slepthard for ten hours and woke feeling sleep-logged. Sophie slept all night,though she wandered about the bedroom a bit in the wee hours. At six, whenColin appeared in the kitchen, she was more than ready to go out.

Yesterday was chilly, dampwith a bit of drizzle—not a day to encourage sitting by the lake. This morningis sunny and pretty, but Lisa tells me there is a chilly breeze. Maybe later,with the fire pit and a heater, we can sit by the water, one of my favoritespots. Meantime, I’m at my computer, enjoying the view from inside, with a cozyheater at my feet, basking in the laziness of the day after.