The turkey is cooking. One pumpkin pie baked and another apple in the oven. Why not two in the oven? I’ll show you why:

Please don’t judge me by the cleanliness of this ANCIENT oven. A lot of it came with the house.

This 100+ year old home was updated in the mid 1950’s but they forgot to do something different with the oven and stove. When we first moved in, Jim said we’d get new ones…life happens. So, I’ve learned how to cook with a “barbie” size oven which has no way of controlling the temperature, except by this:

No worries. We’ve lived here 28 years. I’ve got it figured out. It just makes for an interesting preparation process. Remember Jim laying in bed trying to figure out how the equipment is going to fit in the shed? Well, I do the same thing trying to figure out what needs to be cooked first and how it can go in the oven together – if need be. I’ve learned you can double stack items. I’ve also learned you can partially cook casseroles in the microwave and finish them in the oven. Unfortunately, this also means absolutely NO sleeping in on a day like today. I’ve also learned that if the meal isn’t quite done when planned due to the heat (or lack of) of an old oven, it’s ok.

Our little house will be full of activity today. Both Grandmas will be here and a couple of German interns that work with Jenna. This will make it even more interesting. Who we won’t have is Curt, Jamie and Eli. I will miss them but thankful they are safe in Colorado with Curt’s family. We will have our “Thanksgiving” another time – maybe around a campfire. 🙂 (it’ll have to warm up before we do that!)

I think about the many Thanksgiving meals we’ve had in this old house. The very first one was spent with a houseful! It was so cold and snowy the walls were literally running with sweat from the cooking and warm bodies. And I was VERY pregnant. A couple of years ago, we were missing Jim and his mom because she was admitted to the hospital that morning. I wrote about that one – you can read it here. 

There are many things I am thankful for but I’m most thankful for a family who loves me and accepts me for who I am. Without them, I don’t know what would be worth getting out of bed for. I would do anything for them. I am even thankful for this old oven. (even though I wish it would just QUIT!)  And…I am thankful for you, my dedicated readers and friends. Thank you for feeling my thoughts and stories are worth visiting my blog and seeing what we’re up to. I love writing but I love writing when I know someone is going to read and enjoy it.

My friend, Frank Gasperini (Executive Vice President of the National Council of Agricultural Employers), stated something I don’t believe most of us think about when we’re expressing what we’re thankful for. I am going to leave you with his thought.

“It seems you cannot look at your computer without seeing “what am I thankful for” postings. Although some are serious, thoughtful, and even profound – most seem to focus on how much “stuff” (or how much success/money) the writer has accumulated. Few of us who have the resources to be online and the time to opine on our lives even think to be thankful for enough to eat, for not being shot or bombed overnight, for having a food supply that is safe, for having access to all the food we want (and more than we need) at such reasonable prices that it never even occurs to us to think it remarkable! Much of the world is not so fortunate, and as we all know even places like the USA are only a few natural (or policy) disaster weeks away from need ourselves.”

Happy Thanksgiving and God bless!!