[rollei_list] Enjoy Those Dinosaur Leftovers!
- From: Marc James Small <msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 20:03:35 -0500
I've been out of town and am only now catching up with back mail, so pardon
my protracted silence.
Thanksgiving is the USian version of the European "Feast of Harvest Home"
and, due to our later onset of autumn, is celebrated two months later than
it was in Europe -- though the first US celebration of Thanksgiving
occurred at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia in September, 1619, on par with
the English adherence to the autumnal equinox.
This is one of my two favorite holidays, as nothing is expected of us save
for the preparation of food and the consumption of the same. Standard fare
is roast turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce (the
better ones of these are quite good, being a mixture of the very tart
cranberry with sweeter elements such as oranges and the like), stuffing (a
bread-based concoction cooked inside the turkey and often including loads
of nuts or oysters or the like), and ending with pies and coffee or tea.
Turkeys are birds and we now know that birds are the sole survivers of the
clade Archosauria, making them dinosaurs pure and simple. And almost every
USian household is now awash in leftovers, so many of us will be dining on
dinosaur leftovers, just as did Alley Oop, for many days to come. I love
leftover turkey, so I will be belching in peace for the next several days.
Thanks be to Clade Archosauria!
My late mother's eldest surviving sister (Mom was the senior of five
children, three of whom are yet living) cooked the meal and we hosted it,
so we had a grand occasion, as Aunt Barbara's second son, the family "glue"
came as well, and we rarely get a chance to see him, so we had a marvelous
discussion of how to make sauerkraut and the various vile concoctions my
mother's father was accustomed to eat.
I hope all of us had a grand and productive day and I especially wish those
of us who celebrate Thanksgiving the best.
Oh! My second favorite holiday is Veterans' Day, celebrated in the US on
11 November annually -- it is recognized in some parts of the British
Empire (he grins) as Remembrance Day, though they tend to celebrate it on a
Sunday to avoid missing postal service. (But the British have revived the
two-minute silence, and bless 'em for that!) I am a veteran of US military
service, so Veterans' Day is MY holiday. No gifts to give, no need for
special observances, just a day dedicated to me and the other 30 million
folks or so who have worn this nation's uniform. I close my office every
year: my secretary wanted to work and I let her do so (overtime pay, of
course) but I refused her telephone calls the day long, as I was
celebrating my family's long service in the military of the US and of the
colonies which came to constitute it.
In any event, Happy Thanksgiving Day, Rollei List!
Marc
msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!
NEW FAX NUMBER: +540-343-8505
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