When a plan comes together
'I love it when a plan comes together.' - Actor George Peppard
(as Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith on the 80s action-packed tv series The A-team)
This summer my brothers and I cobbled together a cousins' gathering, out in the wilds of St-felix-dekingsey. We sat with our cousins Kevin and Andy and extended family, eating at picnic tables, sitting around a campfire talking and laughing 'til the wee hours and sleeping out in campers as the cripser late summer night air made our noses cold.
Andy hadn't been to visit in close to a decade. We've reached that stage where decades go by that fast.
'Even children get older, and I'm getting older too.' - Fleetwoood Mac 'Landslide'
The kids are growing up fast, they went from babies and small people to teenagers and some leaning into their early twenties.
Our time together was fun. It felt great being together - we told a lot of the same old stories. We laughed and felt nostalgic over the same people and things.
I wanted Andy to come back to visit again sooner. What if I hosted Thanksgiving? Would he make the trip from Angus, Ontario? I decided to appeal to our common ground - obscure, silly humour. I sent him an image of an Egyptian pharaoh - the kind seen drawn on artifacts. I told him that we should join together in honour the original pilgrims the aliens.
It was perfectly obscure. He fell for it. 'How could I refuse such an invitation?' was his response.
That meant that I would mash our family into my two-bedroom apartment. With an open-concept living-room and kitchen, I saw no reason not to send the word out to the family and in came the responses. My brother and his twin daughters, my mother, my aunt, my uncle, my cousin and her daughters, my boyfriend, my sons, my youngest son's best friend and Andy.
Fifteen of us.
We did the usual, it took about two seconds for the potluck arrangements to be made. Potatoes and carrots from Auntie Debbie, a veggie dish from my cousin, I'd order the pies from Boulangerie Lace (a new business in Knowlton), my brother had a turkey left that I could roast, I'd grab a few vegetables and Mum would bring dinner rolls.
I was excited and a bit nervous to stuff and roast a turkey for the first time. I somehow made it to my mid-forties without hosting this significant a gang for Thanksgiving. When I couldn't find the grinder to make the dressing, I chopped ingredients instead, watching Murdoch Mysteries on my tablet computer as I through in things I thought would go well together, imagining the consistency I had helped Mum with years ago. Carrots, bread crumbs, onion, some basic spices, black pepper, improvising a little with sesame seeds and chopped mushrooms too. Threw in a few eggs to blend it all together and some warm water.
The food preparation was complete, the bedding washed for fresh beds for guests, and I was in bed by 12:30 a.m. for a few very restless hours before finally crawling back out to do the finishing touches and loading the turkey into the oven.
Pies were delivered as I prepared turnip and squash, with a complimentary hug from Kylla Lace - two lemon meringue, a key lime, one pumpkin and one apple read for my guests. I was happy that the meal was a group effort.
The vehicles began arriving around 11:30. Everyone was in by about ten past noon. The tables were set, a little higgledy-piggledy and the matching dishware only went so far, the centrepieces left something to be desired.
A playpen was set up for my cousin Laura's youngest daughter, Rosalie, in my sons' room. My eldest son quietly curled up in his own bed alongside of her and she never stirred, an amazing feat during a slightly boisterous family party.
In order to come through on the alien theme in my silly invitation to Andy, I had covered party hats in tin foil, and in true holiday spirit, my family played along, wearing them as we ate, not unlike our paper Christmas crowns.
It took my brother, my cousin and my boyfriend to negotiate the bird out of the oven. Everyone lined up and served themselves from the dishes spread across the counter and the stove - heaps of veggies and turkey, home-made cranberry sauce brought by my aunt as well. Warm home-made dinner rolls kept in foil in serving bowls steamed on the tables.
We talked, laughed and ate. The warm weather allowed us to keep the patio door open, and the air was glorious. We cleaned up together, and then almost as quickly as they had arrived, everyone began the return home.
I think I'll keep the tin foil hats for next year - I realize that sometimes you just have to launch out an invitation and play along with those guests who are able to attend. I learned that even though the turkey always seemed to land on other family members who do so much work for family gatherings, that I was able to look after that part of the process myself (I just need help getting it out of the oven).
Our gathering didn't have to be fancy, spacious or complicated. We were together and lucky enough to feast on an abundance of food. Looking forward to hosting next year already.
Happy Thanksgiving!