Those 70ish Girls

By MG and Lav

MG: I’m spending Thanksgiving in Murdo this year. Not really. It’s just pretend. The nice thing about writing is you can change up people, places, and things and make them anything you want them to be.

I’m spending Thanksgiving in the house my parents built 70 years ago. It’s between the motel that used to belong to the Gonzalez family and the house that once belonged to Jack Mowell, the pharmacist and his wife, Helen. I think the motel and my house are now owned by Danny Iversen, and I don’t know who owns the Mowell house. I think at one point in time, it became part of Laura Hayden’s motel. (I’m not sure if I spelled Laura’s last name or Gonzalez right.)

Anyway, I digress. I’m having Thanksgiving in my old house and it looks exactly like it did 70 years ago. The furniture is the same and everything.

I’m making turkey and bread stuffing. None of that southern cornbread stuffing that they serve in Texas. We’ll have mashed potatoes and lots of gravy, sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows on top, green bean casserole, Mom’s raspberry jello salad with frosting made from sour cream and marshmallows all whipped up after melting together all night, and jellied cranberries, just because. We’ll have eggnog, cream o cheese o cherry pie, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert. Oh, and someone needs to bring a relish tray. I hate the time it takes to put together a really good relish tray.

After dinner, we’ll decorate Christmas cookies while we enjoy a crackling fire in the fireplace. There will be freshly fallen snow…enough to make a snowman. I think I’m kind of conflating Christmas and Thanksgiving, but that’s okay.

Everyone who would like to come is more than welcome. There will be plenty to eat and do. I’m definitely inviting my cousin, Valerie. Someone has to do the dishes, right? How about it, cuz?

I’m adding lots of pictures of the inside and outside of my house. The basement is nicely finished, and there is also a fireplace down there. The pics are all between 60 and 70 years old. It’s kind of amazing that everything looks just the same, except for Val and me, of course. We’re 70ish.

~Lav: I am coming, Mary. Just gotta get my scarf, coat and boots on. Gotta get out the old door of the apartment and down those steep steps and into the sharp wind outside on Main Street, but I’ll be there soon. Takes me awhile since I’m 70ish. I’ll bring the electric portable mixer over that we bought at Sanderson’s Store for whipping the real whip cream. Plus I will be sure to bring an apron so I can wash all the dishes and help clean up. Your Thanksgiving menu sounds perfect. Can we have Coca Cola to drink? Or we could make punch. My Mom always bought a few bottles of Coke for the holidays. I made a relish tray with cold veggies and those little gherkins that I hate, but they look good on my Mom’s glass serving dish.

Later: Your 70 year old house looks cozy, modern and inviting. Your Dad sure knew how to design it with the planter out front, big picture window and breezeway next to the garage. I love coming inside seeing your beautiful brick fireplace, and all that real wood trim, balanced off with those bookshelves. It’s such a classy looking home. They don’t build them them like that anymore.

Okay let’s get ready. I think Mark is coming and a few Borks will drop by. Andrea said she would maybe stop in for pie and coffee later and are Bill, Liz and Gus coming? A guy named Ralph is too busy, he said. He and his millions of cousins are going hunting for pheasant down on the farm. Imagine that. You and I didn’t get invited to their family reunion. We never met a reunion we didn’t like.

I thoroughly enjoyed Thanksgiving. Thanks for coming over.

~ Oops- had to add a couple pictures along with yours, Cuz.

Okay. I’m going to set out the dishes and silverware. This will be the best Thanksgiving ever even if it’s just pretend. See you soon.