Things are quiet in Calhoun County this Thanksgiving Day. Jim's new wife cooked her first Thanksgiving dinner for him. The turkey came out a bit dry and the gravy and mashed potatoes were a bit lumpy, but Jim was just happy to have her to sit down to Thanksgiving with. Maybe, Jim thinks, she will do better at Christmas.

Bill, the Sidewalk Washer, sat down to a great Thanksgiving dinner with his wife but he still has that hole where something is missing and he can't quite figure out why it is still there. Bill's wife has always made a good Thanksgiving dinner, as they prefer Ham to Turkey. The last time they had Turkey a lot of it went to waste and Bill is not going to buy just a breast, as it would cost him as much as a whole turkey would otherwise

Garland's whole family is home for Thanksgiving. Garland decided that this year he was going to deep fry his Turkey, so he got everything ready and injected the Turkey with all kinds of good tasting things, got the deep fryer up to the proper heat and dropped the turkey in. Perhaps Garland, who will only read directions as a last resort, should have taken the time to read the part where you just lower the Turkey into the deep fryer so the oil you cook the Turkey in will not come out and catch on fire. Garland's wife did have the presence of mind to make sure that there was a fire extinguisher and a spare Turkey standing by.  When they sat down to dinner Garland not only gave thanks for the food but also for his wife who is wise in ways he cannot comprehend at times

John has gotten a run to Sacramento Calif. and Marge is going with him.  About the time the rest of Calhoun County is sitting down to dinner Marge and John will be getting married, and then they will go to one of the local casino's buffets and have thanksgiving dinner. Marge thinks this will be the best Thanksgiving ever and is thankful that John waited so long for her.

Officer John Fritz and Joe will be working today, but there is a rumor that their boss is going to bring in a thanksgiving dinner for the officers on duty to share as there are no restaurants open in Calhoun County today and the best the officers can hope for is a hotdog at the Handy Stop.

Joe McCain is going to celebrate his Thanksgiving with the woman that finally got him to settle down after all those years on the road.  He will think about the road every now and then, but as time passes the pull to travel gets less and less and he is more thankful for the woman that got him to settle down.  Now he can see what is in the world instead of just watching it pass by as he goes through it.

The Fergusons will have their whole family together for Thanksgiving. It will be kind of hard to seat them all in the two-bedroom house they now have, but they don't mind and are thankful they are all there to be together. Mr. Ferguson had a heart attack a month or so ago and the family thought they were going to lose him, but he proved to be stronger than the doctors thought he was. He had told Mrs. Ferguson that the reason he didn't die was he was waiting for them to go together. She thanked him for the thought and knew she couldn't imagine what life would be like without him in it to share things with.

Elmer (Woody) has taken the day off from his workshop where he is working on a special order for a young man that recently got married. The young man is from outside Calhoun County but word of mouth had come to him of Elmer and the young man had come to Elmer asking if he could make them a four-poster bed.

Thus things go in Calhoun County this Thanksgiving. All are grateful for what they have and some mourn what they have lost. But as the first snow of the season begins to fall they all realize that this is a great place to live and they would not move elsewhere for any amount of money.

The folks of Calhoun County wish all of you a good Thanksgiving and a happy holiday season.

© Copyright by Tina L. Rice 11/25/2005