Author Topic: Alone on Thanksgiving, by choice (Read 3166 times)

Monkeyleg · « **on:** November 23, 2006, 01:14:47 PM »

My wife is over at her mother's house, having dinner with her sister and brothers.

My parents (88 and 89 years old) are having dinner at a restaurant with a couple of my brothers and their wives.

And I'm home alone, sitting at this computer. By choice.

My wife's two brothers drive me up the wall. One is loud, obnoxious, and talks incessantly about things I have absolutely no interest in. Trains, for example. I don't need to know every last detail about diesel locomotives, or which rail company is buying the other.

The other brother isn't loud, but also talks incessantly about things that would interest almost nobody. Last year he cornered me for nearly an hour, discussing the merits of solid-fuel boosters versus liquid fuel on the rockets used in the 1960's space launches.

My older brother's wife is certifiably insane. On a one-day shopping spree, she bought 64 nightgowns. Two years ago, she bought 700 pounds of dry dog food to store in the basement. She got her hair cut crew-cut style so that she could more easily wear her collection of wigs. What I don't understand is why she dyed her hair bright orange.

And she talks. And talks. And drives me insane.

My younger brother's wife is loud, dominating, and equally as obnoxious. When I ask my brother a question, she answers for him. I haven't actually spoken to him (when she's been around) in years. She works in a hospital lab, running blood samples, a job that apparently makes her an expert on everything medical. I'm sorry, but I don't like talking about diseases or organs or operations while I'm eating.

Tomorrow, another older brother and his wife will be visiting our parents. I get along just fine with both of them, so I'll call tomorrow Thanksgiving.

And, as for today, I'll be happy knowing that someone is having to listen to talk about diesel locomotives, solid fuel boosters, dog food, nightgowns, and diseases. And that someone won't be me.

Leatherneck · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2006, 01:31:50 PM »

Dick,
I wonder if they're talking about what an unsociable SOB YOU are behind your back.

Not trying to instill paranoia, mind you. In fact, I sympathize: we can choose our friends, but family are out of our control. F'rinstance, right now I'm in the shop with my son-in-law and two Grandsons, but we're not talking much. And we're all comfortable with that.

Enjoy your solitude.

TC

Monkeyleg · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2006, 01:56:25 PM »

Leatherneck, it sounds like you're having an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

I've told my parents that, if I know that either of these wives will be present, I will not.

The brother who's coming to visit tomorrow shares my feelings. That's why he's visiting tomorrow and not today.

By now, the two wives of my brothers know how I feel about them. And they have no particular love for me, or for my other brother who refuses to tolerate them.

That brother married a wonderful woman, and I tried--successfully--to follow in his footsteps.

What I don't understand is how my two other brothers wound up with such intolerable, dominating spouses.

Car Knocker · « **Reply #3 on:** November 23, 2006, 02:11:26 PM »

So, does your brother prefer EMD or GE locomotives? 4 axle or 6 axle? AC or DC? grin

Moondoggie · « **Reply #4 on:** November 23, 2006, 02:49:50 PM »

We live next door to my MIL, and her house has more space than ours.

My wife and I are the family chefs. We both love to cook, and work extremely well together in the kitchen.

We cook the feast at our place, and cart it next door to the MIL's. We can stage some items over there, like take the turkey over and stash it in MIL's oven. Some of the relatives pitch in, like doing the meat slicing while we're finishing up at our house. Almost everybody brings something, so it's a good experience.

The advantage to this situation for me is when I've had enough of the group gorpe, I can wander back over to our place for a nap. We have one 35 yr old niece who's a total POS, and it's nice to keep her out of OUR house since she's stolen stuff from us in the past.

I hear ya, Dick. Just cuz they're related don't mean you gotta love 'em! I have 2 sisters that I haven't spoken to in 25 yrs, and don't intend to change that.

Enjoy your holiday with your chosen friends.

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 23, 2006, 03:00:08 PM »

My grandparents and father worked for Fairbanks-Morse in Beloit many years ago. Suffice it to say, I got an early education in opposed cylinder two-stroke diesels.

I have a brass N-scale H-24-66 TrainMaster locomotive done up in Milwaukee Road colors and numbers. It's my favorite diesel-electric, and can pull nearly 100 box cars on my layouts, regardless of grade. The newer GM and EMD locomotives just have no soul compared to that monster. There's one in a city park near Monroe, Wisconsin that's displayed in the same colors.

Here's a 1600 hp Baby TrainMaster in those colors:

grampster · « **Reply #6 on:** November 23, 2006, 03:59:56 PM »

Dick,

Are you sorry you brought up trains? grin

Cosmoline · « **Reply #7 on:** November 23, 2006, 06:12:48 PM »

I haven't spent a holiday with any family since 1997. Moving to Alaska is a permanent cure to the problem.

Monkeyleg · « **Reply #8 on:** November 23, 2006, 06:15:50 PM »

Grampster: "Are you sorry you brought up trains?"

No, but I now know that the train freaks are among us, and will leech our brains. Wink

Gewehr98, somewhere in my attic is the American Flyer electric train set that I got for Christmas in 1956. Last time I checked, it still ran. It may even be worth some money.

Here's my deal: you don't talk about trains, and I won't send my orange-haired sister-in-law to visit your house.

Capiche, paisan? Wink

Sindawe · « **Reply #9 on:** November 23, 2006, 06:17:51 PM »

I hear ya on being alone on Thanksgiving. I've just spent the 2nd T-day with my family, and only the long drive home from my sister's place has be as relaxed as I am now. Which ain't much.

Don't mistake me, my sister is a nice enough person now that she's mellowed out from her insane teens and early 20s, and has become a decent enough cook with practice. And part of this years thanks is her scoring a higher paying job that is closer to her home. Its the other generations of females that get to me. My neice is 13, and has turned into a petulant brat in the past year. Several hundered dollar cell phone bills, closests of clothes she will not wear and now she's freaking girl/boy crazy. *Sigh* My mother has been going on about her financial straits from raising my neice and how she's burned through most of the money from the sale of her house in Florida on my sister and niece. AND I learn that she's let the cat alone in the apartment for several days. ARRRGGGHHH!!! When it comes to cats, all my rationality goes out window.

Times like these I sorta wish they were still living in Florida.

But I am thankful. Thankful I don't have to deal with my drug doing female cousin, who is a REAL Train-wreck. She's in Texas with her father and hence HIS problem.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #10 on:** November 23, 2006, 06:29:44 PM »

Solitude, not ignorance, is bliss.

Stand_watie · « **Reply #11 on:** November 23, 2006, 07:09:12 PM »

Quote from: Gewehr98 on November 23, 2006, 02:00:08 PM

My grandparents and father worked for Fairbanks-Morse in Beloit many years ago. Suffice it to say, I got an early education in opposed cylinder two-stroke diesels.

I have a brass N-scale H-24-66 TrainMaster locomotive done up in Milwaukee Road colors and numbers. It's my favorite diesel-electric, and can pull nearly 100 box cars on my layouts, regardless of grade. The newer GM and EMD locomotives just have no soul compared to that monster. There's one in a city park near Monroe, Wisconsin that's displayed in the same colors.

Here's a 1600 hp Baby TrainMaster in those colors:

Actually, I've often thought that major train buffs are very much of a same psychological state as major gun buffs.

They both have tons of usefull information, but only of interest to me in about ten minute increments. I've often thought that the job I currently have is a little bit wasted on me as I'm not a major train buff, yet see twenty or thirty trains pass by within a couple of hundred feet of my work station every day at my job, as well as a train that stops and drops off and picks up cars every day within the plant itself. I even get to load railcars occasionally. My 9th grade geology prof would have been in heaven to have my job.

Standing Wolf · « **Reply #12 on:** November 23, 2006, 10:35:01 PM »

I spent the day with the first chapter of a new novella. I've been putting it off the past several months by this means, that strategem, five or six other delaying tactics. If I'd thought it would help, I'd have bought a new gun.

This one's tentatively entitled Cats All over the Damned Housie. It starts out with a one-eyed woman at an AA meeting on the brink of going into labor. It's going to end with the father's suspicion the new baby is deaf. I'm still not entirely sure what goes on in between, but know the eldest and middle daughter take a break from their lifelong adventures in sororicide to sneak barn kittens into their bed rooms.

Collecting model trains would make considerably more sense.

I'd planned to cook a frozen pizza, but ended up heating a bowl of soup instead: not enough ambition left by evening.

Leatherneck · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2006, 02:43:32 AM »

We did have a nice Thanksgiving. I neglected to mention that as I posted, we had a stuffed turkey and a standing rib roast in the oven, timed to eat at five which, for once, worked out just right.

Now--on to the sub-thread about model trains. I've had a life-long interest, and now, with four grandsons, I have a legitimate excuse--I mean REASON--for a layout. I abandoned the N-scale some years back when vision and tactile senses were overwhelmed. I opted for the Large-scale (or G-scale, or garden-scale) trains that are about 1:25. Man, are they expensive! But it's neat to be able to have an outside layout with trains steaming around the yard and gardens. My biggest is a 2-8-8-2 Bog Boy steam loco, which has guts galore and the weight to make it stick.

When I posted yesterday, the grandsons were working on scratch-built trackside buildings and RR artifacts. Great time. Hope your holiday was enjoyable as well.

TC

280plus · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2006, 03:11:20 AM »

Well, to make a short story long... laugh

We went to Granny's. Granny is turning 98 Dec 4th so I made the turkey here and brought it there. Stuffed it with an old Italian recipe: ~ 10 eggs, 1 lb sweet sausage , the innards of one loaf of Italian bread that has been allowed to stale, then soaked in water and squeezed out (don't ask me why) and the all important salt, pepper and grated Romano cheese. Skin and chop up the sausage then sautee it. Drain the liquid. Mix your eggs, bread and seasonings then pour them into the sausage pan with the sausage and cook just like scrambled eggs. Leave them a little wet though. Proceed to stuff and cook turkey as usual.

Anyhoo while the turkey was cooking I managed to show the step daughter how to load .45 ACP and let her make a couple of her own. She was proud and went to show them to mom. grin

I check the turkey about 2.5 hours later and !!! the button is popped and it's looking pretty done. How can this be? This was supposed to take 3.5 hours, not 2.5. Hmph, so I pull the tin foil, saved it in case I needed a hat later, and let it brown. Half hour later I check it again. This bird is WAY done. What is going on? This is just wierd, I've NEVER seen a turkey cook this fast. Can you say the oven got set to 450 not 350? Whoops! rolleyes

It came out OK, just a little sooner than expected. Good thing I got nosy and looked in there though.

So we goes to granny's in the heavy traffic and pouring rain. Just me, my wife, one stepdaughter, one son to join granny and her sister Antoinette who is almost 89 herself, she's "the baby". It was a bit melancholy for me actually. Between granny being so old and remembering the Thanksgiving get togethers in the same house at the same table where as many as 30 would gather in my childhood for a huge feast and to see it now dwindled to just a few. Still, granny and Antoinette thought my stuffing was good, so that pretty much made MY day.

roo_ster · « **Reply #15 on:** November 24, 2006, 08:45:00 AM »

I have not replied, as I have been enjoying family and hte gustatory delights that only properly cooked Thanksgiving Dinner can deliver.

The last few years, my mother has flown out for a week to see the kids over Thanksgiving. She also cooks up a storm:
Sonia's Lasagne & garlic bread
Breaded pork tederloin, lionized taters & onions, and Fordhook lima beans in a milk & butter sauce
Thanksgiving Dinner: roast turkey, sage dressing, beer bread, whipped taters, gravy, baked green beans with cream of mushroom, cherry jello with jello pie filling

Oh, yeah, buddy: good eats.

She loves the grandkids & thye love her.

For Christmas we'll go to my sister's & BIL's to hook up with them, plus nephews, plus dad & stepmom. A little more tension there, as my sister & BIL are high-maint & live an odd existence only possible due to his family $$$ and successful OBGYN practice.

* The alternative to sage dressing is saurkraut dressing.

Monkeyleg · « **Reply #16 on:** November 24, 2006, 12:48:23 PM »

Ummm....all of these recipes are making me hungry!

meinbruder · « **Reply #17 on:** November 24, 2006, 04:35:16 PM »

Quote from: Cosmoline on November 23, 2006, 05:12:48 PM

I haven't spent a holiday with any family since 1997. Moving to Alaska is a permanent cure to the problem.

Plus one on that. Wifey and I moved from Los Angels to Portland, OR in '89. I've flown back exactly twice for major holidays. This year our plans got changed a day before Thanksgiving, computer melt-down and replacement which caused us days of twiddling with the new one. A second machine is of similar vintage to the dearly departed, I think I need to plan ahead this time.

Dinner was a tri-tip with Asparagus and mushrooms, we bought a turkey breast from the store for left-overs. :)

}:)>

Sylvilagus Aquaticus · « **Reply #18 on:** November 24, 2006, 08:38:13 PM »

SWMBO and I made a pledge to each other on the way to my mom's house that next year we'll do Thanksgiving, just the two of us, in Aruba.

Or somewhere else warm, and alone.

If mom wants to see us, she can fly down. Alone. Maybe.

Regards,
Rabbit.

Antibubba · « **Reply #19 on:** November 25, 2006, 08:46:30 AM »

I spent it alone too, at least the feast part. I cooked a duck in a Romertopf pot, added pomegranate to the stuffing, and made mashed potatoes with kefir cheese instead of butter (HEY! It's California, dude). Delish!

grislyatoms · « **Reply #20 on:** November 25, 2006, 10:58:27 AM »

Just me and the kiddo this year. We were going to run up and visit the folks but I managed to get the "creeping crud" that's been going around lately and didn't feel up to it.

Pretty traditional fare: Turkey, sausage stuffing, cheddar mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, broccoli with lemon pepper butter, green bean casserole (made with cream of chicken soup, not mushroom soup. Can't abide mushrooms.) rolls, pineapple pie.

Nice lazy day, the way I like holidays. Played some videogames with kiddo, snacked on turkey sandwiches and called it a night.

Great day, all told.

Monday I will make one of my absolute all time favorites, green chile - turkey stew. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Hope everybody was happy and safe.

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Author Topic: Alone on Thanksgiving, by choice (Read 3166 times)