Thanksgiving

The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving were tough.  Any holiday from now on will be.  It's not that Curtis wouldn't be here for the holiday, he had not been here for Thanksgiving in over 3 years.  The thought of not getting the expected phone call was more than I could bear.  To add insult to injury, Emily had moved to Iniana in October, and wouldn't be here as well, true empty nesters.  So, thinking that my mother in law would be home alone for the holiday, Dave and I decided to take a meal to Houston, MN and spend a nice quiet day there.  To our surprise, we ended up with 7 in her little apartment.  We had a very nice day, considering the rocky start.  It's amazing what things can send you over the edge!  Potatoes! 

Dave and I didn't plan the "typical" Thanksgiving meal.  Ham and scalloped potatoes.  It seemed more of an Easter meal to me, but I guess it seemed fitting being we were in Dover on Easter Sunday to recieve our son home from Afghanistan.  On Wednesday night, Dave and I prepared the meal including the scalloped potatoes.  I probably should have cooked them part way, but I thought they would be fine as long as they were in sauce and covered well.  Wrong!  Packing the cooler the next morning, I checked the potatoes, and you might guess, they had that strange gray tone to them.  That was it!  Gray potatoes!  They are what set me off.  Eventually, I came around and decided that we were going to cook them anyway, and if anyone had a problem with them, go get their own potatoes!!  For the record, they turned out just fine.  We had a great meal with the Swenson's and eventually made it to Madison for the rest of the weekend with the Sperger side.  Spending time with the people who love and support us ended up being a very nice holiday.

I don't write this for sympathy, I write it to show that it isn't what you say or do that can make a person "sad" after a death.  Sometimes it's what isn't said or done, and sometimes it's the potatoes.  It's never far from my mind, so you are not bringing up anything new to me. It is always better to acknowlege a death. Believe me, if I'm not in the mood to talk about it, I will say something. But it never goes unappreciated.