I want to thank you, thank you...

So today is Thanksgiving Day, one of my favorite holidays. It means a big meal, seeing a nuch of relatives I don't get to see much, and it's close to my birthday. Today, it was a bit rainy, which kinda sucked but it was cool, which i liked. Too many times in recent years has it been like 60 pr 70 degrees on Thanksgiving, and that's just too warm for later November.

My grandfather was the oldest of 7 kids. All my life, every Thanksgiving, we have a big reunion with all my grandfather's syblings, thier kids, grandkids and even some great-grandkids. We rent out a big community center and upwards of 55-70 people show up each year, depending. Everyone brings something different, and it's rotated every year. So one year, you might have to bring a turkey, the next some corn, the next mashed potatos, the next sweet potatos, etc.

Me? Well they know i can't cook to save my life. SO this year, i was to bring three packs of brown and serve rolls. Last year, it was carrots and celery. year before was a gallon of milk, I think. One year, it was salt and pepper. yeah, I got it rough.

When i was younger, we'd eat lunch there, hang out all day and visit, play some touch football outside, eat sandwiches of leftover turkey, pack up and go home, but basically spend most of the day there. Now, well, we eat lunch, and every talks a bit, then we pack up and leave. We were outt there buy 300, having arrived at 1100. But people grow up, get married, and have in-laws to go to.

Plus, The Cowboys play every afternoon, and I really need to be back to see them. See not only am I fan of the Cowboys, but that's when i fill out all my Christmas cards. yes, you may get your birthday/anniversary cards weeks or months late, but you'll get your Christmas cards the first few days of December from me. Why? Oh, who knows..I blame the Polt Chaos.

So, yeah, after stuffing myself on the food, I came home and watched Dallas trounce the Bucs, which made me smile. And got all my Christmas cards, 40 in all, signed, sealed and stamped (and yes, some of them even have things written inside them....okay, Amie?). And now, I'm here typing all this up for you. I've even got some photos from the reunion!


Firstly, this is one of FOUR cooking pots that Mama Polt took. One was a cooker containing the turkey, one had saurkraut, one gravy, and this one contained sweet potatos. you can, I trust see the green "bungee" cord she used to hook over all four of the lids, to make sure they'd stay tight and not come off in transit. I damn near lost a figner trying to help her get them hooked tight enough, but nothing spilled on the way, which was the goal, so all went well I suppose.


This is your Uncle Polt holding my lil cousin Cam. He's quite the dapper lil guy with the vest and all, dontcha think?


This is my devastatingly cute cousin Zack. It's unfortunate I couldn't get a better photo, cause he really is a heartbreaker. But hands off ladies, he's only 17. And hand off guys, cause, dammit, he's straight as far as I know.


This is Uncle Polt's first plate. yes first, but more importantly, look at all the yummies on it! man, that was some good eats today, with the second plate being just a good as the first.


Okay, this is a photo of the grandkids, spouses and great grandkids in my immediate family. We range in age from almost 39 (yours truly) to 18 months (Cam turned 18 months today), although my cousin Jaime is due to pop another one out on December 5th. I could name everyone, but it's not like any of you know them anyway. You might notice little Cam asleep on hismom's lap, though. Just let me point out the two boys in the middle, wearing the hats. That's Zack again on the right and that's his 14 year old brother, Kyle, next to him. Yeah, Kyle's three years younger but a few inches taller. And at only 14, he's nowhere near done growing. I imagine next year, he'll be taller than me AND his father. As I tell him, he's a freak! A freak of nature!

Oh, and you'd think since we're all family, it wouldn't be an issue to get us all together for a photo. Oh but NO! Tha drama, oh my sweet lord, the DRAMA! Just for a freakin photo. Next year, I'm leaving it up to someone else to get this all done!


Oh and this is the afore mentioned Kyle just a few moments later.


I really have no idea what this sweet little girl's name is, nor am I totally sure which of my cousin's she belongs to. But she was just to sweet and adorable in that beret that was too big for her head, I had to get a photo.


Oh, and this is the comparison between Kyle and myself...freak, freak of NATURE!

I took some other photos as well, that I'll not bother you all with. but I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (those of us celebrating it today).

I read many posts today about people saying what they're thankful for. And I concur with most of them: family, friends, good health, decent job, etc, etc. And I'm not diminishing thoses. But there's one I need to add. I'm thankful for all my readers, whether you read every day, just stop in for HNT's, or have just stumbled into the Palace for the first time. I'm thankful for you all. I have an under-developed streak of crativity inside me, and this blog gives me an outlet for it. But this blog is little more than a diary if no one reads it. SO thank you all. Thanks for stopping by, thanks for commenting, thanks for having blogs I can read and comment on, and thanks for being part of my extended family!

POLT = listening to "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley

"I take it you've ridden before?" "Well been ridden, yes." - Patsy Stone, Absolutely Fabulous