Turkey Day at Peggy’s: A Chronicle

Since I’ve been gone again for ten days, I’ve got some bringing up to date to do.  It all started the Friday before Thanksgiving.  Keep in mind, I’ve been fighting this stupid bug my sister gave me.

I decided to drive to Richmond Friday morning early, rather than go up Thursday night like I normally do and stay in a motel.  The auction was cold and rainy, and very slow.  I packed up and drove Big Red to Peggy’s.

On Saturday, we did the VMI game, our last regular season game for the season.  We just about froze to death as the high for the day didn’t make it out of the 20’s.  Considering the cold, we still had a decent game but I clearly found a weakness in Big Red.  The exhaust system is so strong it pulls in gale force winds.  When it is below freezing, that cold air hits Peggy working the service window.  She got so cold that she took rubber gloves and put them on her feet over her socks to try to keep circulation in her feet.   Every few minutes, I’d turn off the fan so she could warm up some but within five minutes or so, I’d get dizzy from the fumes coming off the fryers and grill.  So, I had to put the fan back on which increased Peggy’s frostbite.  It was one tough game.

Sunday morning, I got up early and left for a breakneck trip to New Bedford, Massachusetts where I picked up a fire suppression system for Big Red.  Monday I drove back to Harrisonburg.  Why, you ask?  It saved me over $2,000 and Big Red now will be able to meet those stupid fire Marshall regulations in Richmond, Chesterfield County and wherever else they have them.

This is my tenth Thanksgiving with Peggy and on nine of the ten years, we’ve done turkey day for both her family and mine.  We knew the numbers would be down this year.  Mom obviously can’t make that kind of trip anymore.  Amanda, my niece, caught the bug from her mother (or me) plus had a bunch a pet sitting jobs come up at the last minute.  So, Jean opted for staying home with her and they had dinner with mom at Heritage Green.  In addition, Peggy’s brother from Suffolk couldn’t make it and we never know about various nieces and nephews.  Peggy’s ex also planned to go to his brother’s this year for a change plus her son, Daniel and his crew are too far away in Kansas for a trip for just one meal. 

Peggy still cooked for 40.

On Thursday, she got up at 4:00 am to put the bird in the oven.  I, of course, stayed in bed.

At 6:00, she got up again to baste the little fellow–something like 24 pounds–and start the homemade rolls while I snoozed on.

Then, by 8 am, she got started on the cranberry salad, dressing and green bean casserole.  I got up and got a cup of coffee.

At nine, she’d done a round of dishes and was working on some kind of concoction with turnips and squash.  I gagged at the thought and took a shower.

By 10, she’d done some more dishes, made the deviled eggs and checked the fourteen desserts she’d made the past few days.  I turned on the parade and had another cup of coffee.

By 11, the potatoes were peeled, more dishes were washed, the liter boxes and bathrooms cleaned, the vacuum run  and the oven loaded.  I took a nap.

By noon, the family started rolling in, the bird carved and the feast was served at 1:00 pm.  Somebody woke me up about a quarter till.

I, of course, took full credit for the meal and all of the work.

By Saturday, Peggy still wasn’t talking to me, but we worked the JMU playoff game with Wofford which they won.  Another good outing, but I ran out of corn dogs of all things and almost ran out of powdered sugar.  That would have been a disaster.  I’ll have plenty more for this week’s quarterfinal game against Villanova.

Maybe by then, Peggy will be speaking to me.