Thursday, November 23, 2006

And Ain't There a Child I Can Hold Without Judging?

Oh, I'm sure you know how it is. Let's just say that you drive down to Ottumwa to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family and when you first get there it's fine. You haven't seen many of your family members for a long time, and it's good to see them. There is a lot, and I mean tons, of good Midwestern home cooking.


There's also a new little kitten to play with in the garage.


But as the day wears on, you start to feel a little overwhelmed. And though you think you've found a quiet place to be alone and regroup, some annoying relative comes in and shoves a camera in your face.


By that point, you're just plain crabby and tired. But you're still finding room for more food and you want to help your family members celebrate their birthdays.


And though it isn't your birthday, you try really hard to put up a good front. You even offer to help your cousin open her gifts and blow out her candles with negative results. When everyone starts spazzing out just because you licked the top of the cake a couple of times, you finally reach your saturation point.


You are just ready to pack it in and call it a day. Yeah, it was fun for a while, but you're over it and there are certainly better holidays to look forward to- like Christmas and your own birthday.

11 comments:

Claire said...

That is just way too cute! Happy Thanksgiving! We don't celebrate that here but I wish we did. My husband is a yank and only once has he made pumpkin pie with a can of pumpkins his mum sent over.

rel said...

Churlita,
Glad you had a great day!

SEET= sensitive, exciting, enviable, and terrific. I left the w out so that it wouldn't go to your head!

Good recovery?
rel

Churlita said...

Michelle,

Pumpkin pie must be very American. My ex-boyfriend invited his friend from Germany over to my house for Thanksgiving once. He said he had had turkey and stuffing before, but the pumpkin pie was totally new to him. How about cranberry jelly from a can? Do they have that in Australia?

Remiman,

Thanks. That was very SWEET of you. Watch out. I might be getting an attitude now.

Anonymous said...

I laughed outloud at the 'licked the top of the cake a couple times.':)

Churlita said...

My nephew actually did lick the cake a couple of times. It was hilarious.

Anonymous said...

That cake licker left that gig and went to another 4 hour Thanksgiving fandango....
You can only imagine how charming he was at 9:00 PM.

T.

P.S. thanks for the sammiches...good eats!

Churlita said...

I know, poor kid. On those long family holidays, meltdown is inevitable.

No problem. Sandwiches are easy.

Claire said...

We have cranberry jelly in a jar but I guess that's the same thing. I tried to convince my husband once to make pumpkin pie with a real pumpkin. He screwed up his nose and told me that is not how it's done. Apparently it can only be made with pumpkin from a can. We still have one can in the pantry. I must get him to bake one with it for Christmas. It's always ridiculously hot here at Xmas but we still insist on baking hams, Turkeys, chickens, vegetables etc. It's that stupid English tradition we continue to carry on here despite the fact that we all sweat and over our lunch.

Churlita said...

Michelle,

I've had pie made from a real pumpkin before and it wasn't as good. It was too stringy and I hear there is a lot of preparation necessary. I keep forgetting that our seasons are opposite from yours. You probably won't be sympathetic when I'm bitching about the cold, will you?

Claire said...

You're right. I won't be sympathetic when you're bitching about the cold. I'd kill for a White Christmas. Spraying that fake snow around just doesn't do it.

Churlita said...

You know I totally understand. I grew up in Arizona and thought snow was just for people on TV.