Tiffany Painter

Another Thanksgiving meal has come and gone – except for the leftovers. For all most 30 years I have hosted this meal. We have had over 20 people around the table to just 8 people this year. No matter the size of the table, the biggest challenge is getting the timing right so all the food gets to the table hot – or at least relatively warm. Every year I try to formulate a plan on when dishes need to go into the oven, what dishes can share oven space, assigning a serving dish and spoon for everything, and most importantly, what time the turkey needs to go in to get it all started. But all the planning in the world still leads to a major juggling act at the end. Everything needs to finish about the same time and get to the table quickly. My hands cannot act alone. It takes a village to make the magic happen. This year my village included some amazing hands. It started with the potatoes. I plopped the 5 pound bag of spuds on the counter and started the dreaded task of peeling. This is not a hard task, just time consuming. After a couple bare-skinned potatoes hit the bowel, my son offered to take over. I didn’t expect him in the kitchen because the football games had started and that is his favorite part of the day. But there he was removing the peeler from my hand and taking on the task for me. His gift gave me time to set the table and get ahead of schedule. Later, when more things needed to be juggled, my daughter arrived and added her hands to the mix. She also brought new ideas and dishes to the table. I know when to push my list aside and welcome change. The prep time in the kitchen was a joyful time of sharing and bonding. When we got down to the last thirty minutes when everything is finishing up and gravy needs stirring, rolls need to be put out, and the turkey needs carving, more family members pitched in. My daughter’s boyfriend took on the gravy stirring, my niece helped my daughter get all the dishes from the oven to the table covered to keep in the heat, my mom added serving spoons and forks, and I hacked away at the turkey (the mess I made could not be called carving). We all sat down at the table to enjoy the warm food that so many hands had come together to prepare. After a lovely time of eating, sharing, and laughing, everyone helped clear the table and my nephew and husband did the dishes while I put away all the leftovers. The timing was perfect for a day full of thankfulness for my family – it helped there was still pie.

11/12

decorate the sky
brush pulls orange across canvas
end of day painting

11/20

waiting is so hard
they must have forgotten us
starving side by side

11/22

morning sun rises
shaking off frosty blanket
zestful beginning

11/29

persnickety cat
punctilious with her preening
pets not permitted