Hello Footballers,
I hope everyone had their fill of pie this past week. I’m still eating it for breakfast every day and it is glorious. As unusual as this year has been, I am so very thankful for many things, especially hearing from all of you each week during football season.
In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving, we also had some other celebrations this week. Charlie and Judy celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Friday and Jim Mantooth had his big 80 birthday! Yay for big round numbers!
Here are the picks for this week. Fletch is hoping he can steal Dana’s strategy with some bold picks, and Whoosie’s dedication to the Bears are the standout choices. We are definitely running out of weeks where even making a move is possible, so I admire those who are making bold moves.
I am still working on my Thanksgiving group picture, thanks to everyone who sent in a photo or two. In the meantime, here are the list of Thanksgiving memories that people shared. I love that some of these overlapped. I also enjoyed the crazy things we all did as children. Gobble, Gobble, Gobble, Dana!
Charlie N:
Our favorite (and there were many) Thanksgiving was in San Antonio at our 50th wedding anversary. You all served and so many were there. It was super!!
Jim:
My Thanksgiving memory is the first one you (Emily) had with us. My mom (Gran) was all excited about the new addition to the family tree. It was a great day!
Stephanie:
Favorite memory is not very specific but more of a feeling. Love being inside, cooking with a fire and starting a new puzzle!
My Thanksgiving memory goes back about 23 years. Before she was infamous for organizing illicit family football pools and running numbers, Emily (aka The Commish, aka Pie Bird, aka Laser Eyes, aka Emily Knuckles) was just my angelic girlfriend with pretty blue eyes and a big smile. My heart sang as I introduced her to a Mantooth family Thanksgiving gathering. At once I knew she felt right at home. After a wonderful meal the extended family lounged in front of the TV to talk about cherished memories and visions of hopeful futures. During this wondrous discussion, Emily fell asleep on the couch and drooled all over my mom’s favorite throw pillow. Eventually the snoring got so loud, the family had to move to the dining room to play games. Our fun and laughs eventually drowned out the racket in the next room. Emily woke in mild confusion at being left alone on a strange couch and eventually joined us for a game and became part of the family. I am forever thankful that she became a part of my life. A photo from a dramatic reenactment of this event is attached below.
Note: the bit about the snoring may or may not be greatly exaggerated.
I also think of the one in San Antonio for Mom and Dad’s 50th. That was such a cool holiday w/ all the other stuff going on that weekend even the rain didn’t ruin things. The mass and the dinner after. The wonderful Thanksgiving meal w/ no one having to cook, and everyone helping with the dishes. That really was a super special holiday weekend.
Whoosie:
As a child I remember ice skating all afternoon and coming home to a house smelling of turkey.As a grown-up, I have mostly had orphan Thanksgivings sharing the day with friends, my other family. In Minneapolis about 15 co-workers and friends would gather pre-game at my editor’s apartment, reveling until near midnight.In Chicago, I’d usually be with an assorted mix of other celebrants who were far from any other family, each contributing a dish or two. One memorable Thanksgiving I hosted the festivity included about 12 in my condo—table stretched into the living room—with Mary, Howie, a young Stephanie and younger Andy, a couple and their 6-month-old baby and assorted other hungry friends.In Salida, I sometimes cooked for guests (one memorable time the turkey refused to get done and unbeknownst to the guests, who I plied with wine, saw a stint in the microwave!). And other times, I was invited to Kay and Jim’s (my local “family”) as long as I brought dessert and homemade rolls.And through them all—even the ones that found me cooking whatever I wanted just for me–I was very, very thankful to have such constant friends and family!
When I was ~6 and we had friends over and my brother John was laughing so hard while eating Thanksgiving dinner that milk started coming out of his nose. Fun for everyone!
My favorite (perhaps it is the only specific date-of-Thanksgiving memory thing I remember) is from 1968 during Vietnam, just after Nixon was elected and folks were having visions of increased military action and were not finding much reason for giving any thanks at this particular Thanksgiving. I was in the Army in Heidelberg Germany for Thanksgiving and I sent Mom a recipe I clipped from the US Army Stars & Stripes newspaper (our anti-Vietnam, anti-Nixon, European edition). It called for placing the Thanksgiving Turkey in a pile of vegetables and other things in an appropriate location, and then “cooking” it using a piece of secret military ordinance I had a role in deploying along the West/East German border. Mom let me know that although the recipe did make a particularly festive political statement, she was not inclined to share it with her bridge club girls.
Also, neither Sherry, Duck or I particularly liked turkey or especially, turkey gravy. So we usually had shrimp scampi with peas for holidays like July 4th & Thanksgiving; though we did, like I have heard Alexander Hamilton and Abe Lincoln did, observe the pecan pie part.
Emily:
My recent memory is one of the first years I had Thanksgiving with the Manteeth. Kevin had told me that Jim didn’t like pumpkin pie, and usually when we all get together for Thanksgiving, we also celebrate his birthday. So I made a pumpkin pie and told him it was for his birthday. He smiled and tried to be so nice about it but we could all tell he was grossed out. Hahaha!
My kid memory is sitting in the basement at the Senn house with Andy playing some random decathlon / olympics game on their 1980s computer and trying to race the hurdles game by tapping the z and x keys and the space bar. Man, we banged the heck out of that keyboard. Typing this I marvel at the graciousness of the Senn’s to host the 7 Nemmers plus Louise and Grandma and Grandpa to their house for those holidays. Where in the world did we all sleep? It all just seems like a big party in my memory.
Dianne:
As a 21 century effort, Dianne sent a video. This memory of “A Turkey is a Funny Bird” is well worth the watch.
Thanks everyone for sending these in. I have enjoyed reading all your stories! Also…GO STEELERS!!!