My favorite holiday

One of the blogs that I follow, Tales from Twisty Lane, recently featured a Thanksgiving Day meme. Now since Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday of the year, I had to jump right on that bandwagon! Feel free to jump on it yourself if you like.

1. Which do you like better: Cooking at your house or going elsewhere? This is an easy one - I like being at home and doing the cooking. Part of the joy of the holiday is feeding my family, and, if I'm lucky, I might even have something from my own garden to include in the meal.

2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen turkey?
My brother-in-law (Bless him!) will, as he usually does, bring a smoked turkey to the feast, so all I have to do is the side dishes.

3. What kind of stuffing?
My husband's Aunt Lurline had a wonderful cornbread dressing recipe. It's the best dressing I've ever eaten, and, you can take it from me, since I grew up in the South, I have eaten a LOT of dressing! I am the fortunate recipient of Aunt Lurline's secret recipe and I will be making it again this year.

4. Sweet potato or pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin, and maybe pecan, too, if my pecan-pie-baking daughter decides to bring one.

5. Do you believe that turkey leftovers are a curse, or the point of the whole thing?
We don't really eat much meat of any kind but, when we do, it's usually turkey or chicken. I love turkey sandwiches, so leftovers are fine by me.

6. Which side dish would provoke a riot if you left it off the menu?
The aforementioned Aunt Lurline's cornbread dressing, but also mashed potatoes - some members of my family can't imagine a major holiday meal without them - and, yes, our guilty pleasure, that old stand-by, the much-maligned green bean casserole!

7. Do you save the carcass to make soup or stock?
I'll try to send the carcass home with brother-in-law.

8. What do you wish you had that would make preparing Thanksgiving dinner easier?
I don't really need another kitchen gadget, although a roomier kitchen would be nice. When I was employed full-time (and more than full-time), I used to wish for more time and energy. Now I have the time, if not necessarily the energy.

9. Do you get up at the crack of dawn to have dinner ready in the early afternoon, or do you eat at your normal dinner hour?
No, I do everything I can the day and night before. Since I don't have to cook a turkey, it's not really any more difficult than cooking a usual family get-together dinner. And we are flexible about eating times. We eat when everything is ready. There's always plenty to nibble on if anyone gets hungry.

10. If you go to somebody else's house, what is your favorite dish to bring?Whatever they need me to bring.

11. What do you wish your guests wouldn't bring to your house?
Uh, well, there is something, but on the off-chance that the bringer actually reads my blog or somebody spills the beans, so to speak, I won't mention it here, because I wouldn't offend that person for the world.

12. Does your usual mix of guests result in drama, or is it a group you're happy to see?
It's just my nearest and dearest and I'm happy to see them all.

13. What's your absolute favorite thing on the menu?
I love it all! Did I happen to mention that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday? That has a lot to do with the food of the holiday.

14. What are you thankful for this year?
Life, love, health (never mind those aches and pains), friendship, my family - both those who are here and those of whom I am left only memories. Precious memories that all flood back especially at this time of year.

I am thankful for my garden - everything about my garden, even the things I don't like about it! Yes, even the weeds. I am thankful for the creatures that visit my garden - even that little Sharp-shinned Hawk who is making nervous wrecks of my other birds and even the darned raccoons that keep messing with my fountain. I'm thankful for so many things that I can't possibly name them all, but let me mention one more: I am thankful for you, dear reader. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

*****

In regard to the creatures that visit my garden, my quest to identfy all the butterflies that drop in continues, and I have a new one for you.


This attractive orange butterfly didn't turn up in time to be a part of my orange themed Bloom Day post, but I saw him yesterday and managed to get this one imperfect image of him before he flew away. It is a male Goatweed Leafwing butterfly, sometimes simply called Goatweed butterfly. Notice the sort of "hooks" on the top and bottom of the wings. As I tried to get closer for a better shot, he startled and flew away in a very erratic flight which is one of their defenses. But I was happy to make his acquaintance, however brief.