Saturday, November 30, 2019

Tradition, old and new

 In a break with tradition I did serve a boneless turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm happy to say it went fairly well, the deboning I mean, and it resembled a Turkey when completed. I was pleased after trussing that spineless bird up and watching it roast. It carved just as the video had shown and I must say, quite tasty. Of course I have a great deal left over which will be used for sandwiches and creamed turkey. No soup, no bones! That's fine with me I'm never been a big fan of turkey soup. I'm also happy with the clean up, Just wrap that leftover bird like a giant meatloaf. 
 My wife saw a video of what you can do with leftovers and so we tried that. You take a crescent roll, you know the kind in a can, and roll it out. It'll be shaped like a triangle. On the wide end of the triangle place turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, and if you like, cranberry sauce. Roll it all up and coat it with an egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes, smother with gravy and you are all set. They are delicious. We do enjoy trying stuff we see on Facebook that others post. I'd say our success rate is about 78.3%. Keep in mind that we are not finicky people when it comes to food. 
 Today I'm " on call " to help with the outdoor Christmas decorating. With my grandson off to college his Mom is left without a helper. Well that's not exactly true, my son is around but his enthusiasm for decorating is rather on the low end. For him it is on the " honey do " list, a chore he will try to avoid. I was volunteered, of course, and am happy to help. I've been involved in their outdoor décor on and off over the years. It's sorta a tradition. 
 Speaking of tradition here in Greensboro the town has always had lanterns on the telephone poles for holiday decorations. They were lighted plastic with faux stained glass windows. They have been there every year I have lived in Greensboro, thirty years or more I think, I've lost count. Well this year I look up and there are stars! What, where are the lanterns? What are these stars doings there? Has the town abandoned this tradition? I'll have to ask the Mayor about that. The Mayor, you may recall, is my son. Yes, the same one that doesn't enjoy decorating his own yard. He is also apparently fine with disregarding an old tradition in favor of something new! First the town got a second stop light and now this! I'm thinking I may have to move soon. Oh, and the Mayor also told me the Grinch is replacing Santa Claus in the Christmas parade. Can you believe that? 
 The last few years I have been putting up an artificial Christmas tree. I know I can't believe it myself. I've been using the excuse that my apartment is rather small, I have no little kids around, and it is safer and less costly. It's easy to decorate and the list goes on. Now I'm thinking I may have to get back to basics. If I'm going to write and rant about traditions lost I should certainly be practicing those traditions! Why it is just hypocritical if I don't! So I'm thinking a real tree this year. In the years I have had one it was always as large as I could reasonably fit. I'm thinking I could make one concession to tradition and just buy a small tree. I'm not certain how small a real pine will be available. I'll have to check. Maybe I can just get one in a flower pot. I could start a new tradition? How many years does it take to make a tradition? Would it count after two, three or a decade? We often speak of how old a tradition is, but we never say how young one is? If traditions are born wouldn't they have to be an infant at one time? Yes, I'd say so. So I'll give birth to a new tradition this year. A birth, a tradition, it is all fitting together now. 

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