thanks givin Dinner
Day before Thanks Givinway back in 1963...I was like ten dang years old. It a cool mornin round 55 down in Texas... We done got four days off for thanks givin holidays...I was up a 6:00 am, got to sleep another hour cause no school...Grandma..she da boss... she done got the day chores plained, so me I'm eatin my breakfast...warmed over sweet rolls..yeah five or four of em... with real butter melted on top...(dang I'm sick of sweet rolls) there I be...watchin granddad inhale couple eggs sausage toast and jelly... ewe...jelly toast n eggs.... (all goes down the same hole boy..he'd tell me) then he'd get up grabb his things and head off to work...Grandma she like grumblin about the toast crumbs on the table ...(say grandpa's worse than a little kid bout makin a mess round his plate..)Speakin of kids we got a whole basket full of foster kids still sleepin in this mornin... why I have to get up so early.?Grandma shakes a long handle wooden spoon at my face and states... You gotta a turkey to dress... for Thanks Givin dinner tommorrow...Aweee ! chit...Ya'll ever dress a turkey? Me I wanna say in what a shirt an tie... but then I don't wanna wear a foot print around all mornin , and knots from that wooden spoon don't egg zackly look like fun...Gee which one Grandma... The oldest Tom she said... he's the biggest..but ya gonna have to catch two of em.. Ya aunts and uncles gonna come up tommorrow so we got a lot of work to do... (we sure seemed like ME)Well first I went out and fed the chicken, ducks and turkeys.. just like I do every mornin before school.. tote two are three five gallon buckets of water to the trouths back there... sure seemed like a long way to the back of the lot when I was ten years old..I tossed that feed out and left the door to the coope closed so them turkeys aint gettin no head start... I got back to the house and find the axe leanin up against the back door to the garage...MMMMmmmmm something smells so good.. Grandma's makin Pecan Pies... Pumkin and Mincemeat Pies... ten or twelve of em... Lots of mouthst to feed tommorrow.. Like I said we had foster kids... like about five of em... pulse me grandpa and grandma, and uncle (grandma's brother) had some kids of his own... commin up from Houston... to Austin... it's gonna be a full house, cause my Mom and brother be bring them selves over for dinner too...that be three more... nope I didn't much care for old Jim... caught him and mom with their pants down while mom was married to another step-dad lol... (that's another story)Me I grab that old double edged axe and head out to the chicken coope... I'm musterin up the courage I need to do my duty...cause I never liked this job at all... the well killin part was like...SAD... So any way soon as I made the door of the chicken coope...all them birds just kinda looked at me like OOOOPS.... wats dat kid got in his hand... then they start tryin to find a hole in the chicken wire of the cage... Yepp all of em cluckin and runnin, and them five turkeys they done huddled up in a bunch in one corner...I put down the Axe cause I aint stupid... like runnin with knife, just plain dumb... I dive at the old Tom, but he moves way faster than I expect, I grabb a fist full of air and dirt... and the feathers are flyin...The chicken Coope is a mad house of crazy chicken, ducks and man when I did grabb hold one them turkeys it started beatin me with it wings and was peckin at me so I grab at it's pecker.... (gotta be quick...) this young turkey is a mean ole pecker... well Now I got him by the neck... and he's givin me my going away present... lots of bruise from them wings and tryin to scratch me with ... hey... make that scratched... me with his feet... Now we in a battle royal... cause somehow another turkey got in the fray... and gee do these guys hunt in packs... I jerk around to see why this other turkey in not trying to hide and well I feel a snap... okay let that turkey go and grabbed this dummy ... yepp I got my two turkeys now... that old tom.. He lived another month,met with mister Axe round christmas...Well reckon they should change dress a turkey or chicken to undress em... yeppers... took me half a day to clean and pluck them two turkeys.. funny how that smell stays with you for couple of days...but ya know some kids they have to learn some harse things in life... while they young... wanna know what i learned... Well grandma told me God put them chicken and turkeys on earth for us to eat... and well some body had to do the nasty deed and I got elected... Me I learned that all life is precious... even that chicken and turkey, and if ya can't give life... ya oughtta be real careful about why ya take...I found my self prayin that God would help me thru those times...tryin to understand the meanin of just bein a little boy with a Whole chit pot of problem.. on my mind... See I didn't wanna kill no chickens , ducks, turkeys, or rabbits.. but I had no choice..I shed a many a tear over a chicken, and other ateable creators we raised..never thought a dimes worth about it, cause I didn't like to dwell on the feelin... Some things are a neccessary sadness in life.. people gotta eat, and well some of us have to learn how to provide that food... so the circle is complete..provider to provider...That Thanksgiving Day, I watched some where around twenty some odd people laughing and enjoying family and A Awesome feast of turkey , dressing, mash potatoes gravy, green bean cassaroles... A feast fit for King... and the Pies... oh golly gee... so Yummy...Those smilin faces, the laughter, and happiness that fill that old house in Texas that day, made me feel Good....I realized I'd just done what had to be... and the sadness was rewarded with great Joy of seen all these Folks havein a wonderful Thanks giving an share it with family, cept me and those foster kids... we had kinda little party of our own...talked about our missing family... My mom and brother was there, but I felt more like those foster kids... alone...unwanted... so the six of us we took our pie outside and play ball in the back yard... Thanks Giving is about being thankful... I have so many things to be Thankful about...Specially my children and grandchildren...Mostly I'm thankful to God...for always being there for me...thru some of the darkest hours he kept me from losin hope... He showed me that Life is Grand...to cherish every moment... be kind and try to share that kindness...Thank you ....And thank all you on DS for your friendship and support thru lifes rough times... Happy Thanks giving and many Blessing...Always russ
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