Society

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. This is my favorite holiday with all of the essential elements of joy: food, friends, and football. As a Bears fan, I get to watch the Packers and the Lions compete today and I am guaranteed to leave a winner.
We are also celebrating Chanukah with my wife’s family — a twofer for the day!

Of course, we begin with our own game. We are starting the day with the 47th annual Turley Turkey bowl. As always, it is the Bears against the Redskins. I am the coach of the Bears and John Rice is the coach of the Redskins. While the Bears have a long unbroken record (at least here in McLean), Rice is an ever-creative coach and Redskins are expected to be a fierce team this year. However, our Bears team remains injury free and will be ramped up with donuts and hot chocolate. In honor of Trestman, we will be trying out our new West Coast offense style.

I am also making our traditional two Turkeys — one in the oven and one smoked on the grill. Both will have an apple-sausage-cornbread stuffing and Waldorf salad. We will have 16 and three dogs over for the dinner.

Now it is off to the gridiron and the annual appearance of the McLean Monsters of the Midway. I will update on the game for those of you who cannot see us on cable.

Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

UPDATE: The Monsters of the McLean Midway triumphed again in a spirited game. The final score was Bears 21, Redskins 14. The last play was particularly exciting with an intersection, a recovered fumble, and Redskins touchdown with just 30 seconds remaining on the clock!

120 thoughts on “HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!”

  1. Otteray Scribe

    Thank you so much for the link to the painting by Norman Rockwell. Since both my parents are deceased, it brings me back in time to fond memories. Frank

  2. randyjet, No. The Pilgrims stole the corn they found at what is now known as Corn Hill. The stole other things as well.

    The place is called Corn Hill because it was there the Pilgrims found the corn they obtained for their first planting. … As a matter of fact, they didn’t find that first corn — they stole it. If you are a Mayflower descendant, you must forgive me — but here is the story:

    When Miles Standish and his little band were reconnoitering around Truro, they found some corn to which they helped themselves generously. When it was gone, they returned for more, and on the second trip they dug up two graves. Slightly under the ground they found a mat, and under it was a bow. Beneath the bow was another mat, and under that were bowls, trays and dishes. Beneath the third mat there were two bundles. They unwrapped the first, and found that it contained a quantity of red embalming powder and the skull and bones of a man. In the second bundle was the skeleton of a little child, with a number of small bracelets of fine white beads and a little bow and arrow. They took away with them “sundry of the prettiest things,” and “covered up the corpses.”

    Read more: http://www.wickedlocal.com/truro/news/lifestyle/celebrations/x1682939003/Truro-looks-back-November-1620-The-Pilgrims-Steal-from-the-Indians-at-Corn-Hill#ixzz2lxoPFSgZ
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  3. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Chanukah to all! It is a glorious sunny, but cold day in Northern Illinois. I am thankful for the opportunity to express ideas and opinions here and for all of the regulars who spice up my day! I also want to echo OS words. Don’t forget our military men and women around the world. Have a peaceful Thanksgiving! I also want to repeat Prof. Turley’s comment that as a Bears fan, we will be winners today no matter who wins!!

  4. Gene,

    What time is dinner Saturday….. A day without red meat is a lost day….. Thanks for being there dude…. Keep up the good fight and don’t let nick or any other pricks get to you…. You have a lot to share….

    Blouse,

    I hope all is well…. Tex too….

    Mespo…. And every one else….thanks for your wonderful contributions….

  5. Mike S.,

    You do indeed have much to be tankful for,,,,, and one is your amazing companion of many years Maxine….. You are a lucky man…. Indeed…. I think I know you well enough to know…. That you really enjoy this site and you are one that wants all sides represented….. I don’t know how or why some try and make it personal….. You are a champion of free speech indeed….

  6. Frank,
    I had to move your comment to the trash. It was all machine language–thousands of characters. I tried to reformat and save it, but it would not save as an image. I think you were trying to post the image of the famous Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post cover of Freedom from Want, one of the “Four Freedoms.”

    There is a way to embed images in WordPress comments, but since we don’t know if the copyright is still owned by the Rockwell estate and how protective they are of it, probably not a good idea.

    However here is a link to the famous painting, the original of which is in the Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, MA.

  7. Thank you for your words of wisdom Frank…

    OS…. Time does make things not as real as yesterday but heeling does take place….. I know…. Many here know….. You are in my thoughts….

  9. Gene H., Anonymously Yours, Otteray Scribe:
    Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I’m sorry it posted 3 times, I thought maybe it was too long and got rejected. I’m not very good with ‘chinery at my age in this new world. Frank

  11. Happy Chanukah and Thanksgiving Everyone. My younger Daughter is with us today and we will be sharing dinner at a Cousins home. Yesterday my wife and daughter made traditional Chanukah Latkes (potato pancakes) yesterday for today’s dinner. This morning I made our families traditional thanksgiving breakfast, as we watched the Macy’s Parade. A tradition that began when my children were tots and hasn’t happened since they became adults. Wonderful nostalgia for this old couple.

    I am most thankful this year for the 3rd anniversary of my heart transplant, which my annual checkup has shown to be doing well. I am especially thankful to my donor and his family for being so giving at a time of their greatest loss.

  12. Let me add my voice to the sentiments expressed by Darrell Carlson above. Don’t forget also to remember Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning and Julian Assange who are not free today, but who may have helped save civilization from the powers of secrecy and darkness.

    Also, those incarcerated, who are both justly and unjustly unfree today. I see That Sheriff Joe Arpaio out in Arizona was bragging yesterday that he was spending the princely sum of 56 cents on Thanksgiving day dinner for the inmates in his jail, and they only get two meals a day, holiday or not.

  13. I really like Frank’s list. Made me think. Something to print off and hang on the refrigerator door. As all the regulars here know, the “happy” part went out of Thanksgiving for me on September 17, 2011. The friends I have made here and on other sites have helped fill that void more than you know.

    Hope everyone has the holiday weekend you hoped to have, may your favorite team win and no one gets indigestion. Keep the family members who are not present close in your hearts.

  14. Some of us are resoundingly appreciative and thankful for our American Military Service Members, and all the others who put their very lives on the line – not for insatiably selfish gain – but for the welfare of their fellow citizens.
    That’s “MY TEAM” and it beats all your worshiped teams of overpaid, greedy athletes playing the games everyone else did as children………..

  16. What every one has said…. Including lucky Larry….. He has a place to relieve himself….. But what he doesn’t realize is that we have this forum to express ideals…. Even if we disagree…. Frank thank you….. I guess the third times the charm…..

    To everyone happy day to you and your family….. Happy Thanksgivinmaku ….. If I recall the two will not fall on the same day for 7900 years…..

    1. bettykath, You also forgot the part where the Pilgrims simply found the stash, and when informed that it was not free for the taking, they repaid the Indians for it. Try telling the whole story.

  18. And Blouise, I get ya being the matriarch, I too watch the young ones pulling it all together, lol.

  19. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m off to my daughter and son in law’s home to help prep for dinner. My contributions this year are an array of sourdough breads and rolls, butternut squash bread, cranberry orange relish and Elaine’s cake! Thanks again Elaine!

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