Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Third Time's the Charm

Thought for the day:  Why fix it if it ain't broke?


Grandson Aaron is a rather, um,  exuberant eater at times.
Rather than come up with a new post for Thanksgiving week, I'm gonna do a re-run of last year's rerun. (If it ain't broke...) After all, the year may be different, but the sentiment hasn't changed a bit.

Since our grandson is two years older than he was when that picture was taken, his table manners have improved considerably. But he's still cute as a button. (ALL the grandchildren are, of course.) I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving, and I'll be back with y'all next Monday. (I plan to spend the weekend doing some very serious... digesting.)

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Thought for the day:  An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving day.  [Irv Kupcine]


I'm optimistic, but I'm not stupid, so I won't even pretend to count calories on Thanksgiving. At best, maybe I'll exercise a little discretion and only eat one piece of pie. And skip the whipped cream. (I know. Such phenomenal control.)

Some years ago, when one of our kids was in middle school, I wrote a silly poem for one of the bulletin boards I'd been asked to design for the school's hallway. The senior Bush was president at that time, but with a quick presto change-o to that part of the poem, I'm gonna go with it here for an easy lazy extremely thoughtful post for your enjoyment.

And so, without further ado, I give you ...




                                                                Turkey Blues


                                                There once was a turkey named Jake,
                                                Said, "How much must we poor turkeys take?
                                                When Thanksgiving rolls round,
                                                We must go underground;
                                                Why can't all those people eat STEAK?"








                                                   Now, turkeys may not be so pretty,
                                                   Can't fly, and aren't very witty,
                                                   But with a leader like Jake, 
                                                   A chance they might take,
                                                   So a bunch of them left for the city.

                                                   Jake led a big march on D.C.
                                                  (The IN place for protests, you see)
                                                  "We don't want any fights.
                                                  But we, too, should have rights,
                                                  For this is the land of the free!"

                                                  Obama came out on the green
                                                  With the most turkeys I've ever seen,
                                                   Said, "The issue is not at all murky ...
                                                   Rights are for MAN and not TURKEY;
                                                   That's the way that it always has been."

                                                  Thanksgiving is special in the U.S. of A.
                                                  And turkeys are heroes, I'd like to say.
                                                  So thank the next turkey you meet on the street
                                                  For being so terribly tasty to eat
                                                  And have a great Thanksgiving Day!

                                                             ***************

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.      Erma Bombeck

                                   
Hmmm, this is one smart bird. Crabs would be even better than steak...

One final thought: I'd like to wish all my Jewish friends out there a very Happy Hanukkah. As a Christian, I'm certainly no authority on the subject, but I do know that Hanukkah commemorates a miracle, when a single day's supply of oil kept a lantern burning brightly through eight dark nights. So it is an 8-day festival of light that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, and spirituality over materialism. Seems to me, whatever your religion or non-religion may be, these are all things worth celebrating. So, Happy Hanukkah, everybody. May the light always conquer the darkness in our lives.


Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.




68 comments:

  1. Loved you post--even though it was 2 years old, it wasn't stale in the least!!

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. (Sometimes stale is good, especially if you like bread pudding.)

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  2. hahahahahahahaha... loved the post.
    Not sure I could eat a turkey with tan lines.
    Have a lovely Thanksgiving Day.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad to make ya laugh.

      Hmmm, better not let tell the turkeys, or next thing ya know, they'll ALL have tan lines.

      Happy Thanksgiving!

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  3. I love all your Thanksgiving sentiments and especially the clever turkey poem. When I dig into a Thanksgiving dinner, I wind up looking exactly like your grandson Aaron - - although not nearly as cute.

    Have a fantastic Thanksgiving, Susan!

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    1. Thanks, Jon. I hope you do get to dig into a nice Thanksgiving dinner this year, and if ya do, dig into it with gusto. (That's what napkins are for!)

      You have a fantastic one, too.

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  4. 'Turkey Day' on our side of the pond is on December 25th (and the 26th, 27th, and, if the Turkey was big enough, the 28th too).

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    1. HA! Our "turkey day" always extends far past a single day, too. I look forward to the soup made from the carcass as much as I do the initial meal.

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  5. Turkeys are rarely eaten here. Perhaps on December 25th, but a ham is more likely. And a chook. And for vegetarian me, lots and lots of fruit salads.
    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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    1. Lots and lots of fresh veggies and fruit salads sounds terrific. When my hubby and I go to an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet, he eats all meats, and I eat mostly vegetables. Between the two of us, we eat a lovely balanced meal.

      Thanks! You, too.

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  6. Enjoy the food, I plan to not can't calories for Christmas dinner :)

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  7. Jake and his flock are perfectly safe from me, I don't like Turkey.

    Have a happy Thanksgiving.

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  8. Happy Thanksgiving week!!! I can always count on you to make me laugh. :-) Cheers!

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  9. It's against the law to go on a diet between Dec 1 and Jan 5....(that's Delores' law). This gives you time to enjoy all the parties and not waste any leftovers.
    Funny...my turkeys never look that relaxed.

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    1. I LIKE your law. Absolutely, we must NEVER waste food...

      Mine, neither. I think our turkeys must have trust issues.

      Delete
  10. Have a blessed Thanksgiving, Susan.

    Love,
    Janie

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  11. As you wrote that poem over 20 years ago, I think it could be considered a classic. Wishing you a wonderful, classic Thanksgiving with all the trimmings, Susan.

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    1. Why yes, classic it is!

      Here's to a classic Thanksgiving for you, too... one classy lady.

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  12. Even old
    A post well told
    Rhyming away
    works for my bay

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    1. What's new is silver;
      Some re-runs are gold,
      And a story in rhyme
      Never grows old.

      Delete
  13. I admire your one piece of pie plan, but no whipped cream? You are one strong woman. :)
    Happy Thanksgiving.

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    1. Well, just between you and me, that one-slice thing isn't written in stone. Neither is the whipped cream. (I'm a wimp!)

      Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

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  14. Love this post, repeat or not. Especially appropriate this year is your wish for Happy Hanukkah, since this year is Thanksgivingukkah.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. Yeah, how about that? I've never had the opportunity to combine Thanksgiving and Hanukkah wishes before.

      Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!

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  15. Dear Susan,
    have a Happy Thanksgiving with all your family! A beautiful feast it is - and enjoying that very special meal is good - one shouldn't be too eagerly optimistic when choosing the starting day of a diet (I don't do any).

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    1. Thank you, dear Britta. Sharing a special meal with family and friends is always cause for celebration don't you think? I don't diet, either, but I probably should.

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  16. Part of the joy of Thanksgiving is turkey leftovers, so I see nothing at all wrong with offering us another helping of a turkey post.

    I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, fun, love, and leftovers!

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    1. You've got that right! One year, we went to our friends' house for Thanksgiving dinner, any my hubby was so concerned about us not having any leftover turkey for sandwiches, I roasted a turkey at home, too.

      A very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, too! (We're going to our daughter's, and she already told us she was sending leftovers home with us and her in-laws!)

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  17. I recall the pleasure I took in cooking new recipes and washing the good china. 18 hours is about right. 12 minutes? Maybe 15?

    That is over. Our extended family is heading to other places. We will see a movie, go to Denny's or maybe IHOP. Do not pity us. We are very happy.

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    1. Yeah, isn't that the truth? Any meal, no matter how time-intensive it may be to prepare, can be gobbled up in the blink of an eye. (Especially when there are teenagers at the table!)

      I don't pity you at all. Things change, and new traditions become just as enjoyable as the old ones were.

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  18. Have a lovely holiday, Susan. Best wishes!

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  19. Loved this post and the turkey poem! Happy digesting.... :-)

    My take on food for the next few weeks is this: It does not matter what you eat between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. What matters is what you eat between New Year's Day and Thanksgiving. Enjoy your holiday!

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    1. Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.

      Oh, yeah, I definitely like the way you think... but should we maybe include Halloween and Easter, too...? Happy Thanksgiving!

      Delete
  20. Happy Thanksgiving and eat with gusto! Great poem and I love your yellow fall leaf header picture. Wow - that sums up this time of year to me. Take care and enjoy

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  21. Happy Thanksgiving to you! Thanks for sharing your creativity with us!

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  22. Love this poem, I don't remember you sharing it before so I'm glad you shared it again! And Aaron is such a cutie, adorable.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Susan!

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    1. Thanks. Yeah. Aaron is a chubby cheeked doll.

      A very happy Thanksgiving to you, too!

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  23. aw. nice poem.. I am almost a vegetarian... I don't like eating ugly or pretty animals ... they're all cute. just getting more and more where I see their faces.... I don't think you're two year old post is stale... cause I didn't know you two years ago!

    Your grandson is adorable! what in the world was he eating? looks like icing and milk? lol look at them there eyes!

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    1. Thanks. I'm pretty sure I could handle being a vegetarian, as long as I can have seafood and maybe a chicken wing or ribeye steak every now and then. (Then again, maybe not.)

      I'm not sure what Aaron was eating, but he sure looks like he was enjoying it, whatever it was. Mashed potatoes, maybe? And a blob of catsup next to his nose. Yeah, those eyes... the girls are gonna be falling all over him someday.

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  24. Poor turkeys :( Hundreds of millions of poor them die in a single day :( I wish all people would go tofurkey....

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    1. Hmmm, I don't think my husband would be terribly impressed with tofurkey, but it's a sweet thought.

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  25. hope you have a great thanksgiving, I loveeee turkey, esp the skin with the dark meat and gravy.... yum!

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    1. Pop Champagne! How cool is that! (Are we celebrating? Wait... I'll grab a glass...)

      Thanks for stopping by. It's nice to meet you and your nifty screen name. Here's to a wonderful Thanksgiving to you and yours, too, with or without the bubbly.

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  26. Still a great post! Well worth repeating.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! :)

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    1. Thanks!

      And a very happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, too!

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  27. Aaron really is adorable in that photo, and I'm sure he still is! Loved reading your poem again. You also included some great quotes. I'd rather have steak too! Happy Thanksgiving to you, and your family!

    Julie

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    1. Thanks. Yeah, me, too... a nice rare ribeye with mushrooms on the side.

      I hope you had a super Thanksgiving, and Happy Hanukkah, too.

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  28. ...is a rather, um, exuberant eater at times.

    I'm the same way about my Chips Ahoy cookies.

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    1. A man's gotta go after what he wants with gusto... especially when it's cookies.

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  29. Happy Thanksgiving! That first photo is so, so lovely. It reminds me of my two children. Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Thank you! Well then your children must be very lovely, too.

      Greetings back at you from Atlanta.

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  30. Look at the cute little one. :) My kids were all exuberant eaters too. ;) Hope you had a fabulous holiday!

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    1. Our kids were, too. Especially Aaron's dad.

      We did... I hope you did, too!

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  31. Hi Susan .. last digestion day - enjoy it! What's left!! Aaron looks fun - but that's what kids do .. make loads of mess and enjoy themselves - wish I enjoyed it as much!

    Happy Thanksgiving .. and those plane trees (if they're plane trees!) are gorgeous .. love the colourings .. our leaves are still on here and slowly orangeing up and falling down ... cheers Hilary

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    1. One of the neat things about young children is how delightfully un-self-conscious they are about how they look to other people. They just enjoy.

      We had a hard rain a few days ago that stripped the rest of the leaves from the trees in our yard, and we got all of them cleaned up now. YAY! No more raking this year!

      Cheers!

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  32. Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving! Eating crabs and steaks for Thanksgiving actually doesn't sound like a bad idea!

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    1. Thanks! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. (Actually, we had crabs the day AFTER Thanksgiving.)

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  33. Only one piece of pie. I wish I had your control. Your grandson is such a cutie!

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    1. Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men...

      Thanks. He sure knows how to wrap me around his pinkie. (All he has to do is smile.)

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