Oh the joys of Thanksgiving!

I didn't decide until a day or so that I was going to cook, despite the fact that I have a family. I figured we'd go over to my sister-in-law's house and I'd bring a cheese cake and maybe some greens, and call it a day. Well, turns out that they are going out to his parents house, her husband, that is. So that leaves us, or me, to cook! So right before I came to the computer I was snapping greens into tiny pieces and placing them in a sink ful of water. As I was looking at the greens swirl around in the water, I stated thinking about the Thanksgivings, I spent as a child. My mother never cooked, and when she did, it was Praters! She's neatly arrange things on the countertops... It looked beautiful. Then, I think, she started making her own gravy! Before this we'd always go to my grandfather's house. His wife did her best, every year, to "put the big pot in the little one," as my mother would say, with little success. I remember we NEVER had turkey. She'd throw a hen in a pot and boil it to high heaven, then throw it in the oven where its legs would fall to either side, or she'd dismember it before she put it into the oven, where she'd cook what's left of the flavor, and the juices, out. The dressing ran like water. Why can't our table look like the ones on TV? I thought. So needless to say we didn't have the pretty brown turkey, like on the magazines, with stuffing all around, we had chicken, that, after being overcooked, was sweet... I loved it! It wasn't until my mother started "cooking" did we have turkey, a smoked one of course, on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now I cook everything from scratch, because, I feel like it's necessary. My only dilemma is I'm borderline Vegetarian ( I only eat fish and turkey) I plan to take the whole plunge after Christmas, starting with Kwaanza. I will cook an entire vegi dinner. I must go for now, but quickly, let me tell you what I've been reading: The Bridges of Madison County, by James Waller. I love this movie the book is very good too.
Lastly, I plan to do some shopping the day after Thanksgiving, this'll be my first year really participating in this because ...I hate the madness!
Happy Thanksgiving
LF Goodwyn