Thanksgiving

 



    It's 11 AM. The turkey is in the crockpot. The dishes are washed. C is in the kitchen preparing cornbread dressing with the cornbread I baked yesterday. This is something from his southern culture that we have incorporated into our meal. I wasn't sure I would like it as I was used to eating  traditional stuffing. This is baked in a dish in the oven and not put into the bird. Good for us, since we do not get a whole turkey, just a breast. It's become my favourite part of the meal next to the mashed potatoes. 

    The last week I noted that my Facebook memories show posts where I show pictures or write about things for which I am grateful. Some of them are pretty obvious like C, my job, the cats, our home and my coworkers. Some of them are a bit more interesting our like our furnace, cellphones and refrigerator.

    Today I'm going to write about a few less obvious things that I'm grateful for. 

    Monday we went to Cannon Falls to get our Thanksgiving turkey breast from a farm. It's a small family farm that I think is in it's third generation. I'm grateful for small farmers. They care about the land and the animal they raise. Farming is a lot more work than many people realize. I learned this growing up and spending time on my grandparents' small dairy farm. I was reminded about this from a friend in North Dakota who who grows wheat and other crops. We try to buy as much as we can from Farmer's Market to support local farmers. Yes, it's more expensive, but the products tend to be better and we know we are supporting our local community.

    I'm grateful for crockpots/slow cookers. I started making chili in a crockpot because it was the only way I could make chili that tastes good. I came to appreciate that fact that I can put ingredients into the pot, turn it on and dinner cooks while I do other things. We have been cooking our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey breast in the crockpot for the past few years. Its doesn't taste like one that is roasted, but it also isn't dry most of the time. It's a convivence I'm glad to have.

    I'm grateful for the keyboard on my computer. It is actually the first keyboard I bought for my first desktop computer some time in the 1990s. It doesn't look the greatest, but I like the tilt of the keyboard. I also like the way the keys respond when I type. I like hearing the click while I work. I've had three desktop computers and I've never needed another keyboard.

   A month ago I attended the ordination of a Catholic bishop. It was held in the Cathedral of St. Paul. I've been in there before mainly to look around. I've never attended a worship service there. Many people came from all over the state to attending including those from from the bishop's former parishes. There is a lot of ceremony some of it I suspect dates back several centuries. For instance, the mandate from the Pope appointing a new bishop must be read out loud to congregation. Then the bishop elect must walk through the church and show the mandate to all in attendance. It was a spiritual experience and I'm glad that I was able to attend. I believe it is good to attend the worship services of other faiths/denominations.

   I'm grateful for those of you who read this. Some of you started before I put this column on BlogSpot. I'm grateful for platforms that aloo people to share their talents. I'm also grateful to those who find what I have to say interesting or entertaining even after so many years. Thank you for reading.

Happy Thanksgiving!


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