We, With Life and Limb and Roof, Give Thanks

Brief Message of Good Values
With plenty to do today, and more people around us than we normally have, and distractions at every turn, our thoughts are not so much on what may be going on in D.C. so we just barely touched on politics. There are way too many other distractions. Schuyler thought it best to keep things simple, so he mixed only one cocktail, hoping those of us who wanted one would enjoy it. It is called a Montana, and Schuyler made them with simple and easy to find ingredients, brandy, port and dry vermouth. For almost everybody else, he was serving beautifully chilled Carta Nevada sparkling wine from Freixenet, since not everybody likes their drier brut.

 

Because we and our guests had all arrived, he raised a toast to the victims of Katrina and Rita, whom the White House is trying to forget. All the promises of immediate and effective help have wafted upward, evanescing like so much smoke. A few days ago I thought the White House was going to evict untold thousands of families from the hotels where they had sought refuge, right in the middle of the holidays. It seems that under monumental Democratic pressure that heinous mass-eviction will be postponed until Epiphany.

 

From Our Youngsters, More Good News on Values
One of our older teenagers, who is off to college next year, said that in her high school class someone had been talking about a group of young people who had gotten together to form the The Principles Project, which in their words, "Progressives need to tell the United States what we believe - and why we believe it." The program was launched by 2020 Democrats, a coast-to-coast network of young Progressives, The Principles Project "has been created in partnership with a host of activists, intellectuals and other Progressive groups."

Please, look them up at The Principles Project.com but briefly, our teenager said that in the notes she had taken in class, this energetic, patriotic group has given us these Progressive values to ponder over Thanksgiving:

"We believe in defending dignity."
"We believe in strengthening democracy."
"We believe in promoting progress."
"We believe in embracing leadership."

 

The full content of the Declaration of Progressive Principles is found at www.principlesproject.com

 

Youth and Grandparents
Well, we normally think of Thanksgiving as going to Grandma's house for good food and wise advice. Remarkably, today we're having dinner fixed by a younger generation and graciously served to the older generation, and beautifully, have learned some valuable lessons on principles to carry us through this, the first day of our traditional holidays, and hopefully, into the coming year, from the younger generation. And here, in this old stone farmhouse, we're having a multitude of generations, faiths, religions, ethnicities, gender preferences, and dogs! Oh yes, all guests were told that they were quite welcome to bring their four-legged owners over also, so, it's going to be a whopping good time. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Dinner, As Prepared By All of Us
While final dinner preparations were being made, Schuyler and Elizabeth kept cocktail glasses full and champagne flutes bubbling. All along, they had been passing around Cold Roquefort Cheese Balls, Camembert Biscuits and Cheese Wafers.

Late in the afternoon, we sat down in the large dining room, the small dining room, and set up portable tables in the other two sections of the great room. If we normally seat around 45, and today every family brought friends and the children invited some friends, well, you can imagine the activity.

The kitchen, thanks to the enormous old French range, with its numerous ovens, burners, soup pot plates and griddles, was put to good use today. Along one side of the large old kitchen, a new bank of Viking cooktops and different ovens helped all the "cooks" put the finishing touches on the dishes they had brought to the farm, without getting in anybody's way.

 

The Dinner Gong, And All Hungry to The Tables
For our first course, we were each offered a choice of either Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup or Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup. To keep things simple, we had agreed in advance to keep serving only the Spanish sparkling wine with all the courses until the main course, the turkey and Rock Cornish Game Hens.

 

Following the soup, the main course was served, and as you can imagine, everything imaginable went with everything else, and everything was served in abundance. The centerpiece consisted of several platters with turkeys, some prepared following the latest craze, that is Cajun deep-fried turkey, with the interesting addition of prune and liver stuffing, the second one more traditionally slow-smoked, with chestnut and sausage stuffing. Every platter bearing a turkey was surrounded with plump little Rock Cornish Game Hens with cornbread and pine nut stuffing, allowing for at least one hen per guest. We had decided on this plan because not everybody enjoys turkey, and turkeys only have two legs, leaving a lot of people out there hoping for "gamier" fare! For this entire part of the meal, we had agreed in advance that we would serve one wine, good Châteauneuf du Pape.

 

Everybody helped to keep the serving platters full with typical and atypical side-dishes. We had platters heaping with Creamed Collard Greens, Oyster and Corn Bread Dressing, Dried-Cranberry Chutney, Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Leeks, Mashed Potatoes with Chive Oil, Braised Fennel, and mountains of Max's Stone-ground Cornbread Biscuits.

 

Desserts were too abundant to mention, but every family brought a special family favorite, so you can imagine the groaning sideboards. We had Apple Pies, Almond and Marzipan Tartlets, Mango Pies, Crème Brulées, and so much more. Fortunately, we had two 40-cup coffee brewers stored in the old Butler's Pantry, and on days like today they really come in handy.

 

End of a Banquet And More
Finally, our dear friends and neighbors, have a good Thanksgiving, and like good Democrats, Liberals and Progressives, remember those the Republicans would like to see disappear from the face of the earth!

 

Copyright, The Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums, Brighton & Hove

 

Finally #2: Oh, please! Enjoy your festive day, but please, don't enjoy it so much that you look like Mr. Had a Lot here! Jolly good fellow, but maybe a tad too much to eat and drink? However, enjoy; we had this image sent over from the Royal Museum at Brighton, England, just in time to let you know how some of us will look at day's end.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving, and we'll be in touch again on Monday.

 

Summary:
Sometimes, many important political ideals come from the younger generations, and we express some of them today. Important dinners, such as Thanksgiving, can change generational "duties" around, and this year, the younger will cook and serve for the older, and we will all, each one of us, be thankful for something.

 

Key words:
good values, Freixenet Carta Nevada, Katrina, Rita, White House, The Principles Project, young progressives, Viking cooktops, Viking ovens, Châteauneuf du Pape

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
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Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
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