Happy Thanksgiving

The turkey has been eaten.  (Not this one, of course. My mother-in-law always has cool decorations so I snapped a few photos!) The pumpkin pie was almost single-handedly (mouthedly??) consumed by high school-age son.  With whipped cream, merci.  College age-son did not eat all of the cherry pie that his grandmother made him for his 23rd birthday.  He did that one year.  It has been a long-standing tradition that he have a cherry pie instead of a birthday cake when we visit there for Thanksgiving.  I am not sure how it started, but one year she decided not to make one (not realizing how much it would be missed) and although I do not think tears were shed, he was a sad, letdown boy.  That son is a stickler for tradition.  I will need to warn a future wife about that.  I just realized we forgot to pull the wishbone...  Zut alors.
This cartoon was on the editorial page of the Washington, NC newspaper.

Obviously, I have not been keeping up with the news from Florida.  I had to resort to google.  Seems that the outgoing governor of the Sunshine State is hoping to pardon Jim for exposing himself during a concert in Miami in 1969.  (I suppose he has no more important things to worry about down there as he leaves office?)  In French class, I had just explained to my students who Jim is because we were talking about Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris where he is buried.  He died there in 1971, probably of a drug overdose.  I went to his gravesite once while in Paris.  I'd never been there and I decided to get up very early while my students and co-chaperone were still sleeping.  The cemetery opens at 8:00 am. Very interesting place.  All day vigils are held there.  The police arrived on the scene while I was there.  It appeared that a couple of Jim's fans were indulging in an illegal activity.  I just kind of stood back and watched.  You never know what you might see when you are in a cemetery, I guess.

Anyway, back to Thanksgiving.  My mother-in-law makes great stuffing for the turkey.  Sauteed onions and celery and sage are the flavors she uses.

I contributed Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Around My French Table.  I thought it turned out well.  (Ms. Arizona reported that she made it, too, and stuffed her pumpkin with spinach, rice and craisins.  Sounds heavenly.)
I stuck with the original recipe.

It was a lovely day.  We missed seeing the Ex-Ex's sister, her husband and their son.  Nephew recently picked up and moved to Colorado to look for a job.  Sister and Brother-in-law were home nursing a cat with a broken jaw.  I had no idea that cats could break their jaws, but evidently it can happen although they do not know how it occurred in this particular case.  Hopefully, we will see them at Christmas, which is just around the corner.
Oops!  I shouldn't forget to tell about my mother-in-law's cinnamon rolls...

They are vraiment bon.  With a cup of hot coffee.  The smell of baking turkey in the background.  Ahhh...

Bon appétit, Pilgrims everywhere!