Thanksgiving long ago

       Winter can be perfect if the quality and quantity of the snow is appropriate for the planned task.  Skiing is delightful with a deep powder but driving is perfect when there is a dust that covers the grey. The wrong snow for the wrong task is very inconvenient or annoying. 

        This morning produced the kind of snow that turned to ice which results in  wheels spinning for the commuter. By midday, and a rise in temperature, moving the snow off the sidewalk was like shoveling water out of a swimming pool. It was the kind of snow that made your mittens soggy when you attempted to make a snow ball.

        When I was young, this was a holiday that was spent at my uncle’s farm in Ohio.  Mother would always have the suitcases packed and ready the day before.  Dad would always have to just make a quick stop at the office to finish some important sale.  We were lucky if we got out of town by mid-day. 

        One of the problems with travel between Buffalo and Toledo was driving through Pennsylvania. There was always construction even in the winter and there was always snow near Erie, maybe even in July.

        The trip was usually quiet since mom was not happy that we would be arriving after her family’s bedtime and dad was attending to the highway with the snow building up on the road.  The windshield wipers slapped back and forth and once in the car, the wheels just went around and around with only a quick stop for gas and toilet.

        The end of the trip would bring us to Uncle Medard and Aunt Gertrude’s farm and they would get up and bustle about to get us into bedrooms for the night.  Uncle Medard was an industrial plumber with a wide girth.  He told a good story and was an even tempered man.  I would enjoy spending time talking with him and reading is mechanics illustrated books.  Aunt Gertrude was a well-meaning woman who always planted the wet kiss on your check upon your arrival.

        It was the mystery meal since you had no idea who would be attending the meal – Medard had three boys and a girl.  Rev Simeon only came in the summer but in the very early days, Joe and Jim came with their family.  Then Joe and his wife split and he came with the new wife occasionally.  Jim and his crew would come for the meal and then leave until he decided to take a permanent leave. Mary Ellen and her crew were the steady family and over the years would be the only connection.  Mother was very close to Mary Ellen and I always felt they had a much closer connection than mom and I.   It all feels like another life time now... the chicken plucker in the basement, the hen house, the nut crusher in the yard, the riding mower... long ago.

         We would drive, talk, eat and then drive home again in the dark and like today, it would snowed.