My mom had been within the border of every state before she was twenty-one. In 1952, they were all still contiguous. Her friends told her she should appear on the TV show "I've Got a Secret."
Annie's family lives in Indiana, and we were last there in 2009 for Thanksgiving. I loved Indiana farmland the way you love someplace you'll never have to live. The silence was thick around my ears and squeezed its way in.
Occasionally, I dream that Annie and I have bought a house in the Midwest because prices are good. I try to be happy, but we are always either settling in southern Ohio in my first hometown, or in southern Indiana in hers.
My mother grew up in NYS, and that's where I went when I was eighteen. There are scads of my relatives there, few of whom I've ever met. If your name is Luce, we are cousins descended from Henry Luce of Martha's Vineyard - the first Luce in the U.S. There are lots of other ways for us to be cousins, but that's the easiest. I don't have any money, so there's no reason you'd want to acknowledge kinship.
I didn't grow up with holiday traditions. I've shared satisfying holidays with friends and with Annie's family, but this is the first time EVER that I am going to spend Thanksgiving with my relatives in a traditional style. Woohoo! Some of us are ultra-liberal, some of us are conservative, and a couple of us are libertarian. Some are Mormon, some atheist, some agnostic, and some are New Age-y. Some don't believe in Western medicine, and some believe in nothing else. I don't see how anything can go wrong.
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We went shopping for a book suitable for a little girl who has just started reading. [We had to drive an hour to a town with a bookstore.] We browsed a Disney Princess book, and asked the clerk for something where women don't need to be rescued. She directed us to a series written by Jamie Lee Curtis; we chose Today I Feel Silly: and Other Moods That Make My Day. It made us LOL! Good call, Books-a-Million clerk!
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Still searching for butt rests. Took them out for test-rests today.
25 comments:
Well did she?
She didn't.
I think I'd like your family... be sure and take pictures...
"they were still contiguous"... y'kill me --- forget how young y'are...
Both became states in 1959 - I had all my geography and states memorized and here they came with this new stuff and I was in the 10 grade? no kidding... wow...
I was once in the 10th grade and there were 48 states... knew all the capitols.. yeah
AND the Presidents... how many when I was in 10th grade ... wow... 34 from George to Ike ...
I think you would, too, Carolyn. They're a raucous crowd.
For some reason, I know that about AK and HI and their statehood year. They're the only states I do know. I can't even list the presidents, and that's kinda sad.
Diversity - makes for lively conversations and no dull moments. Have a great time.
We may all be longing for a dull moment before it's over. Thanks - will do!
Love the old photo of your Mom, what a great era in time huh? And I had to laugh over your traditions paragraph! Yea, nothing can go wrong there
Nothing will go wrong. It's the holidays with family, after all :)
A very happy Thanksgiving to you and Annie.
"Contiguous"?
Sure glad I never caught anything.
I'm CERTAIN that everything will be just peachy keen with all the relations, but as you were describing all the "attributes" of the Hatfields, or maybe it was the McCoys, I started to hum that tune from Jorgi Jorgensen, "I yust go nuts at Christmas".
Of particular note, one of the lines is,
"...and yust at dat moment, someone slugs uncle Ben."
Hopefully it never comes to that.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Cyn. Yeah, it probably felt pretty prosperous, in general. Lots of boomers being made, lots of new products becoming indispensable. Young women traveling the US.
Thanks, Gail and Rick - the same to you two!
Oh Bob, you do make me laugh. I'm a little comforted to know the holiday phenomenon can be international. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
Happy Thanksgiving to you both! Our family gathering should be a similar affair this year. I've been thinking that "spirits" can be a real boost to the spirit. However, we have a few prohibitionists in our crowd. Will there be any in yours?
Happy Thanksgiving ~ have fun with your family....
Travel safe
Donna
Sounds like it will be most interesting. Would love to be a fly on the wall!
Happy Thanksgiving, Roxanne and Annie. I hope your celebration is great.
I'm not positive, because I'm not back in Mini-Sota (the correct pronunciation) where most of my family lives, but I think I've probably alienated some of my family members enough with my liberal postings on FaceBook that they wouldn't want to sit down to dinner with me. Their loss! I'm a very entertaining dinner companion!
I'm having a new adventure for Thanksgiving, too--dinner with Steve's family, some of whom are gathering in Tucson. I don't know what their political leanings are. They are Irish, though, and I know some of them still hold to their Catholic upbringing.
LOVE the vintage picture!! Had NO idea you were a southern ohio girl. Me too. How far south?? Could we have been next door neighbors in different cities at different times together??? I've always thought it was a nice place to be FROM.
Waiting for test rest results.
Have you ever seen the movie "Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase? I love the line the mom says, "What can I say, it's Christmas and we're all in misery." I'm sure you will have a fine Thanksgiving with family. Sounds like an interesting and lively group. Have a ton of fun and take lots of pictures (and notes, lol).
Marianne, I agree with my whole heart and my full glass. I don't know the full guest list, and there may be some teetotalers, but if one person drinks I'm going to join them.
Thanks Donna and Contessa!
Sue, you're entertaining a continent away, too. Has no one emailed or called to inform you of your non grata status? Please report on how your Steveish Thanksgiving goes!
Sherry, I'm from Portsmouth, right on the Ohio. Back in the early 80's, the last time things were bad like they are now, unemployment there was 20%. Where are you from? I think it was perfectly fine for a child, but I have no yearning to resettle.
Donna, I need to watch that again. I think I would enjoy it a new way as a fulltimer.
I can't wait to hear the report from the Thanksgiving dinner! If civility starts to unravel, refocus on the football games. Works every time.
Zoe
Excellent strategy. I won't even have to know who's playing to ask "Who's winning?"
The photo at top is so cool!
Isn't it scary that you have to drive so far for a bookstore? I miss them, but then some places like here in Oklahoma they never did have them. Ha.
Thanks!
Yes!! I mean, I don't buy much, and what I buy is usually not new. But, the fact that a town (apparently) has no market for a bookstore is kinda creepy.
I was not thrilled when I did the math implied when I realize that not everyone knows the song you reference at the top of your post.
I think we're in good company, if you mean we're giving away our age; I'm pretty sure everyone here remembers it. You were just kind enough to tip your hat to my reference.
This Thanksgiving sounds like perfect fodder for a series of blog posts. I hope you and Annie enjoy your visit with your family. And, don't share your wine outside your circle of two. :)
You're right, Andra. And, YOU'RE RIGHT! I'm sorry - we didn't include you in our wine budget.
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