Thanksgiving Report - Part 2

Wow, only took me a week to get back to this :)

Anyhow, so Thursday was, of course, time for the traditional Thanksgiving feast. We always gather with my Dad's side of the family at my Pap's farmhouse for this, and this year was no exception. I think all told we had about 25 people this year, ranging in ages from 93 (my great aunt) down to toddler. It's quite an event when we all get crammed around the various tables in the house. Dinner is pretty much the standard classics (well, that, plus oyster stuffing, which I assume is NOT a standard for most families), and dinner is all well and good, but for me, it's all about getting to dessert.

You see, my grandma was ridiculous when it came to desserts, and especially pies. There would likely be pies around virtually anytime we would be there for dinner, but around the holidays, she'd outdo herself. And they were really good. Grandma passed away during my junior year of college, and I miss her greatly, but luckily in this regard, she passed her gift onto her daughters and at least one of her granddaughters (my sister). So, we've never been lacking for desserts, and this year was no exception. Of the top of my head, this year we had pumpkin, cherry, apple, black raspberry (my favorite), and coconut cream pies available, as well as our family's traditional coconut cake. It's always a good thing that we don't just go for dinner and then leave - Thanksgiving dinner gets to be much more of a marathon than a sprint. Along with the standard picking through the leftover turkey, and sampling through the various pies that couldn't be taken in with the original meal, there's also the big box of Kay and Ray's potato chips, and much Pepsi to be consumed throughout the rest of the afternoon and early evening!

Anyhow, after Thanksgiving day is over, it's on to the rest of the weekend, which I always stay with my folks for. The real revelation of this Thanksgiving was related to my dog, Chaser, who comes along for the trip whenever I'm with the folks for a couple days.

Chaser is (by best guess, since he came from the shelter and came into the shelter as a stray) about 4 years old, and a mix between a yellow labrador and a terrier. For those who have met Chaser, you know that he isn't really very social. Actually, that's inaccurate - he's actually so social as to be anti-social. Really, the issue hasn't been his behavior itself, but rather his size. When a little dog, such as my sister's pug, is all excited to see you and scurrying around jumping up at and on you, it might be annoying, but it's not really that difficult to deal with. Chaser, on the hand, is all of 50 pounds, so he makes an impact! He traditionally just gets so excited when there are different people around - more specifically when I'm around and different people around - he's always been good when I've had people take care of him.

Anyhow, I bring him along because I have to when I come home, but his presence has always complicated my visits. He stays down in the basement, which is finished and very comfortable, a perfect place for hanging out. Unfortunately, traditionally he's made it very difficult for the family to come down and hang out, because he just wouldn't calm down. Because he was so on edge, I was never comfortable leaving him uncrated down there unattended, and I didn't want him to be crated for the whole vacation, so I would often spend more time than I wanted to down there with him by myself.

I had had some hints in recent months that he had started to mellow some socially, so I was hopeful this trip might be a bit different, and man, was it ever. He still gave my folks a standard exuberant greeting anytime they came down, but once they got settled in, he did as well, just being very playful and social, but not nearly as jumpy and obnoxious. He would often even, get this, lay down and relax! It was crazy. We had gone from one extra person in the room being too much for him, to a Friday night where my mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law (and their pug) were all down there with him, and he was just great. I'm sure they all liked Chaser up to this point, but this time I think we were all able to actual enjoy having him around, in the way I enjoy having him around when its just me and him. It really made the time at home so much better, and more relaxing, since I didn't have to neglect my dog in order to spend time with the folks.

So, all in all, after the rocky start, it was a great holiday weekend with the family. Of course, since I was rendered pretty much sedentary while I was recovering from my cold, and had the traditional Thanksgiving gorging along with plenty of food the rest of the weekend, I was 2.5 pounds heavier when I got home. Totally worth it! :)