Archive for November 21st, 2008

T-6 and counting – Thanksgiving Final Preparations

Friday, November 21st, 2008
Thanksgiving in Connecticut - turkeys are in hiding.

Thanksgiving in Connecticut - turkeys are in hiding.

Project Turkey started in September. Apart from the usual fare, advanced preparations have involved boats, jets, bows and arrows, veterinarians, appliances, and niki’s.

Yes, I live in Alaska most of the year as my daughter finishes up her last year of high school. Yet my children are still very rooted in our family traditions in Connecticut – the biggest one being Mom’s huge thanksgiving throw down. Since I will probably be living in CT part of the year after the kids leave the nest, I have kept my Connecticut residence. And as a way to give them a sense of roots, and a nest from which to soar, I maintain our family thanksgiving tradition.

I thank my lucky stars for how cheetah project management has saved my hide on this grand day year after year, especially now as I have to coordinate preparations from afar. We will be arriving in Connecticut (with the puppy), after a 36 hour journey from Alaska, late Monday night. This means I have two days to get ready for the Thanksgiving day bash at our house there for 20 people. In those two days I have to:

1. Open up the house after being gone since last July. Luckily my folks live in the area and keep an eye on the place for me. My house cleaner in the area blocks aside time to help me when I come into town. Still the house has been devoid of human life for four months and needs the basics. Luckily my parents keep my car so that is usually working. Sometimes I do have to get a rental car – note to self – make a reservation for a rental car as a back up plan.

2. Get all the ingredients as the fridge is totally empty. I have already ordered the long lead items I wanted from Kane’s Market. My youngest had been practicing with the bow and arrow as we have a dozen or so wild turkeys that run around our yard. I’m not really up for that experience this thanksgiving, so I ordered an organic bird from my friend Bob Kane who runs Kane’s Specialty Market.

3. Make sure the appliances are in fact still working. I had a new fridge delivered in September as it croaked after my July 4th party and have the double ovens scheduled for repair on Tuesday. If the double ovens get repaired, then I can also make a turducken – which is a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey. Bob Kane makes these as well.

4. Take the high schooler to visit the eye doctor, orthodontist, and dentist as she essentially sees herself as an “exchange student” in Alaska and just prefers these folks in Connecticut.

5. Welcome my three out of town visitors who are coming to check out Connecticut to see if they want to move there. And yes, they are being enrolled in the thanksgiving day preparations.

6. Get a new pair of walking/running shoes that are pretty much already broken in so i can safely do the 10k turkey day run/walk with my mom on Thanksgiving morning.

The rest is rather academic. This will be my 25th Thanksgiving day bash +or – 3 or 4. For the most part over the past 25 years, I have hosted Thanksgiving. After you do something 25 times, it gets pretty routine. Maybe that is why I like the complexity of the way it has been for the past couple of years – of flying in from afar and whipping it all together in two or three days. Just makes life a little more exciting.