My husband is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, now and will return before Thanksgiving. I am missing him. He has my camera. At the moment, I can’t decide what or whom I am missing more… him or my camera. I hate to be without my camera. It’s like going out without earrings. I feel naked… absolutely naked!

This morning I’m watching the sunrise and enjoying the quiet of the morning and preparing for the day. I am drinking a cup of Ethiopian coffee, my favorite. And actually, I am wishing my hubby was here to enjoy the moment with me–now that I think about it… He puts the sparkle in the ordinary of life. 

And I wish I could take a photo of the dawn to share it with you, but as I said–no camera!

Anyway, I am planning my Thanksgiving menu today, settling my guest list, and seriously strategizing for the days ahead. I don’t want to have too much to do in the last day.

Our meal will be typical for most Americans: turkey, dressing, mash potatoes, boat loads of gravy, ham, sweet potato casserole, squash casserole, cranberries, salad, blueberry buttermilk pie, and pumpkin and pecan pies. It is making my mouth water… I know our family is totally boring, but this same meal will be repeated on Christmas. Lots of American families don’t repeat turkey on Christmas, and a few don’t even do it on Thanksgiving… imagine that?

I was just reading about the first Thanksgiving, because I love the story and am so proud of our history. Their menu was not your Mama’s menu:

Roasted whole turkey

Roasted venison

Grilled fish

Roasted duck

Roasted pumpkin and winter squash (no pies–just plain old pumpkin and squash–no sugar!)

Boiled beans

Definitely not my Mama’s or your Mama’s menu! All I can say is I hope they at least had salt! But I love how we have kept the traditional parts that are indigenous to America like turkey, corn, cranberries, and pumpkins–only they all have gotten so much better. with sugar and salt and flour and yes, Campbell’s canned mushroom soup! What’s greenbean or squash casserole without it?

Oh and btw, our forefathers were Pilgrims, from a Puritan background, but they were from merry ole England. The meal included beer and ale. They weren’t completely cheerless.