We have so much to be THANKFUL for. Here are only a few of the countless things I am giving thanks for this holiday season. There is no specific order.
Thanksgiving Day was spent cooking lots o' food, laughing, visiting with loved ones, giving thanks, and probably eating too much caloric-dense food. Hey, it's a once-a-year chow-a-thon, so overeating is permitted. Now it's back to normal-sized portions. I am THANKFUL this is a once-a-year, "limited time only" event.
In June 1958, Mr. Smith's aunt and uncle purchased this buffet, table, and six chairs at a furniture store that sold both new and used furniture. Someone had traded this "old" stuff in for something new. Aunt Milly said that she spied the set in the furniture store window and had to go inside to take a closer look. They ended up putting the set on layaway.
I am soooo THANKFUL that I was able to find four complete place settings of our china. My frugal eBay purchases arrived a full week before Thanksgiving.
Mr. Smith and I started out with eight 5-piece place settings and miscellaneous serving bowls when we were first married, but never added to our set. The pattern was discontinued in 1992, so I couldn't buy any more dishes. After nearly 26 years of only using the "good stuff" once or twice a year, only when there were eight or less gathered around the table, we finally have service for twelve. I decree that we shall use the china and crystal weekly!
Millie Girl and her auntie got things rolling by making homemade noodles. Our family's tradition is to serve the noodles and broth over mashed potatoes. That is my "mostest favorite" part of a Thanksgiving dinner -- hands down. Forget the bird and other trimmings, bring on the starch! The mashers/noodle combo is comfort food at its finest.
I'm THANKFUL that my mom taught us how to prepare this family recipe, and grateful that we can pretty much recreate Mom's noodles.
My mom used to make and roll out the noodle dough the night before the big feast. The dough has to be "just so" to be able to cut into; not too doughy or not too crumbly. As kids, my siblings and I would try to accelerate the noodle curing process by using a hair dryer set on the lowest setting. If the hairdryer would have been set on high, the sheets of dough would have likely blown off the counter. We never did try testing the tolerances for this. Well... if we did experiment, no one is talking about it.
Mom would cut very thin strips of dough by using her favorite small paring knife and end up with consistently uniform noodles. Despite trying to cut noodles by hand, just like Mom, I never quite mastered her technique.
One year, Mom ended up with a sore elbow and shoulder after cutting so many noodles. She dubbed her condition noodlitis. The healing process for this painful affliction began shortly after my mom received a Marcato Altas 150. No more sore joints after noodle making. We, too, now own an Atlas 150 -- Fantastico!
My three Smithlings all learned how to make Grandma Betty's noodles, under her careful tutelage. Traditions MUST be passed down. Especially when they involve food. :-)
I am THANKFUL for this trio o' hairy guys.
We recently had the old blue tandem tuned up at our favorite bike shop, so it not only looks as good as new, but it is now a smooth running machine.
Let me backpedal a bit and fill you in on the history of the bicycle built for two.
Back in June of 1972, I was eagerly anticipating my 10th birthday. One day, my sis and I passed by Fern McHenry's house where I spied my dream bicycle -- a Schwinn Twinn was parked on Fern's front lawn. It was blue; my favorite color. Best of all, it had a "For Sale" sign on it! I now knew exactly what I wanted for my 10th b-day.
Fern and her sister shared a modest, yet very tidy, brick home a few blocks away from my house. I was somewhat acquainted with these women from tagging along on my brother's newspaper route.
This duo seemed ancient. In reality, these two women were probably not all that old; however, they were older than my parents, so that automatically made them REALLY old! Remember, I was nine, almost ten. Anyone over 40 was old.
These two ladies had created a stir in the neighborhood when they bought matching mopeds, used them for a short amount of time, then sold them. They did the same with the tandem. To say the tandem was "gently used" was an understatement.
I eagerly rang the doorbell to inquire about the bike. The sisters told me that they had owned the bike for a couple of years and were asking $110. This was the top of the line tandem, and they had added a speedometer/odometer -- Schwinn brand, of course.
They graciously offered to let us take it on a test drive. We took them up on the offer -- no hesitation at all. We were only gone for a short time, but the two elderly women were shocked and very surprised that upon our return, the odometer now had 10 miles registered on it. Over the two years they had owned the blue bike, they had ridden it a mere 8 miles. My sister and I easily racked up 2 miles in no time at all. We then shared with them that we had ridden the bike at speeds of 15 mph. Utter disbelief was their reaction.
I hurried home and breathlessly explained to my parents that the PERFECT birthday present was just a few blocks away. I'm sure I tried all kinds of persuasive techniques. Mom and Dad listened to my proposal. I was asked to allow them time to discuss my request. After what seemed an eternity, my parents gently explained that this was just too much money to spend on a birthday gift. With six kids in the family, money allotted for gift giving was kept at a minimum.
I had figured it was a "no" before I even asked the question, but I had to try.
Although I was disappointed, I next came up with a plan to get the McHenry sisters to reconsider their asking price. Unbeknownst to my mom and dad, I ventured back to the McHenry house on my own and inquired if they would be willing to accept an offer of $100. I cannot believe that I was that bold. I was a very timid child, so I must've been emboldened by the strong desire to possess that bike. I also cannot believe that I actually thought that my parents would let me have the bike if it cost ten dollars less.
The sisters smiled politely at my inquiry and kindly answered, "No. Our asking price stands." I headed back home.
I'm certain there were tears at this point.
FYI, $110 in 1972 would be worth about $615 in 2013 terms. I certainly do not spend that much money on individual birthday gifts for the three Smith kids. The $10 discount I was seeking would be valued at $55 in today's dollars. It was pretty gutsy for a lil' snot-nosed kid to try to negotiate that kind of a deal, huh? I REALLY wanted that bike, so I was willing to do just about anything to get it.
You have already seen the picture of the tandem, so you know how the story ends. I got the bike.
Did I throw such a fit that my parents gave in and used that month's grocery money to buy me what I wanted?
Did Fern soften and reduce her asking price?
Did I take the bike on another test drive and never return?
None of these options are correct.
My dear, sweet sister negotiated a deal with Mom and Dad.
Earlier that summer, my sis had started a job at the drugstore in downtown Shelburn. She worked at the soda fountain making the best cherry Cokes and vanilla phosphates in the entire world... but that's another story for another time. :-) Although she had only worked at the drugstore for a couple of months, she had managed to save a whopping $40 (According to the inflation calculator, that is $223 in 2013 values). My big sister offered her entire savings toward the purchase of a bicycle for me, if Mom and Dad would pay the remaining $70 (worth $391 today). They reached an accord, and the bike was purchased.
I could barely contain my joy! I promised to take my sister to work, whenever she wanted. And I did. I routinely heard townspeople comment, "Hey! I think you lost your passenger!" as I rode solo back home from the drugstore. Oh, if I had a dime for every time I heard that one. Well, I probably could have easily paid my sister back her $40.
I also promised to take good care of that bicycle. And I did.
It's a long story, but I shared it because I am THANKFUL that I have a generous, kind, loving, and caring sister -- then and now! And I am THANKFUL for wise parents.
The guys at the local bike shop really like my old bike, and they enjoyed tuning it up. They also admitted that they had a great time riding it. Of course, I had to tell them the story of how I even ended up with the blue beauty. Don't worry, I gave them a much abbreviated version.
I'm THANKFUL that you actually made it to the end of this rather lengthy post. Aren't you thankful, too?!
