1. After completing some morning routines, at about 11:45 I headed up to the Inland Lounge for some Thanksgiving Bloody Marys. I can't think of many other days during the year when I drink a Bloody Mary, but it's a drink that always seems to hit the spot on Thanksgiving Day. I went to the Inland Lounge for another reason. Cas is keeping a long tradition at the Lounge alive: a free Thanksgiving dinner. A guy named Jeff cooks turkey, ham, dressing, gravy, vegetables, and an assortment of other food and brings it all into the Lounge around noon. Cas put a board over the pool table and set up another couple of small tables and the food was laid out for anyone to eat as little or as much as they'd like. I had a tiny bit of smoked turkey and a small helping of dressing and gravy just to test the essentials, but as many as fifteen guys, many of them bachelors, helped themselves to this generous spread. I'm sure more came later. With a full day of feasting ahead of me, I neither wanted to drink very much or eat a lot, and, anyway, my services were needed with our family, so I left the Lounge around 1:30, very happy to have been a part of the festivities there and wishing I might return later.
That didn't happen.
2. Carol and Paul hosted Thanksgiving and we started off with a delicious brandy punch that Christy made and dove into a smattering of other finger food, including a warm brie cheese prepared especially for dipping apple slices into. Before long, it was time for dinner and we all sat at the family's copiously supplied table. Everything was very delicious: Carol's turkey, potatoes, and gravy, a vegetable plate made to look like a turkey, my dressing, the Deke's roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, Christy's awesome cranberries, Zoe's pumpkin buscuits, and probably more that I am not recalling.
I felt grateful on this Thanksgving Day to be living in Kellogg again where I am seeing old friends more often, making new friends, and can spend so much good time with Christy and Carol and their families. I'm grateful that the Deke is enjoying living here and that we are closer to Patrick, that he loves coming to Kellogg, and that he made the trip up to be with us this weekend.
3. After dinner we all got a bunch of good laughs playing "He Said, She Said". The Deke was in charge of teaching us how to play. We laughed through two good rounds and capped off the night with desserts and Brandy Alexanders for those who wanted them.
Patrick, the Deke, and I headed home after a very full day. It felt good to crawl into our new and comfortable bed shortly after 8 p.m. and retire into a refreshing night's sleep after such a full and satisfying day.
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