Thankful

Another richly blessed Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we had the BEST time. We headed to Granny and Granddad’s in Cozad for the holiday. After a bright and sunny drive down I-80 we arrived Wednesday to help Granddad pack the rent honey given out to those who allow daddy to put bees on their property.

Dennis and Addie had never had the pleasure of filling honey bears, but we soon developed a rhythm and got over 30 boxes packed in an afternoon. Part of that was due to my dad’s ingenious “devices” he creates to make repetitive tasks simple and streamline. He developed a template for putting the cardboard boxes together, and rigged a contraption out of an old queen excluder and some boards that created a perfect slot for sliding the empty honey bear under the mouth of the honey tank just perfectly so it wouldn’t spill. It even had enough tension that it wiped the lip of the spout off so there were no drips when removing the full honey bear. It was fun to be in my dad’s warehouse, his world, for an afternoon. It was also just fun to work together as a family, with my family, doing the work I grew up helping my dad do. I was really impressed with Addie’s work skills. She not only dutifully stayed on task, but when her job was completed she anticipated what she should do next. I’ve worked with a lot of adults who don’t have that skill, so she made her granddad proud, “that little girl knows how to work,” which is the ultimate complement for my dad.

We had a small gathering by our standards, just 16 folks around the dining room table that Cynthia had richly prepared with candles, china, decorations and all around loveliness – and then the FOOD! Granny is a genius in the kitchen – turkey, ham, sweet potato soufflé, butter beans, biscuits, mashed tatters, gravy, two types of stuffing, fried okra, and so many pies (thanks for making my favorite, Granny - French silk). Yum.

We had the BEST weather, too. It was in the upper 60s the entire weekend. We spent as much time as possible outside. Dennis brought his GPS units from camp and we made up a small treasure hunt using GPS points. The best part of the day was taking Mamo outside for a “walk.” Daddy pushed her all around the acreage in her wheelchair, and she just loved it. We took her out to see the chickens, around Cynthia’s dormant, but still beautiful garden, while the great grandkids weaved in and out of her path. It was great.

Addie and Katherine played the entire weekend, and had so much fun. She and Kat are like sisters and love each other fiercely, but fight just as sisters too. They had a very wonderful time together, and Addie can’t wait until Christmas at Granny’s.

And the best part is we get to do it all again on Saturday at Dennis' family's Thanksgiving gathering. I'm pullin' for more French Silk pie . . .