Fall has finally arrived and with it the beginning of excitement about the holiday season. I've already begun looking at those magazine recipes for turkey. The ways that food editors have devised to get that bird done with a flourish are amazing. Inject this and that under the skin of the turkey. Soak the bird in this or that overnight. Barbeque the bird in some seasoning that only can be bought in a Serbo-Croatian grocery store. I am overwhelmed by the possibilities, but I know at last I will just stuff my turkey with apples, rub him with salt and pepper and savory, and cook him on the grill in a roasting pan. (The grill saves me the oven cleaning and leaves room in the oven for the pies, rolls, and stuffing.) See, now even I am offering those turkey day tips.
I think today's big fat-breasted turkey compared to the sinewy, wild, free range birds of the Pilgrim era is a perfect metaphor of the difference between the near-starvation state of those early settlers and the over-stuffed celebration of our time. If the celebration of the first Thanksgiving did take place, it was not a glorious feast. They had turkey, corn meal, some vegetables, and lots of water. Historians have debunked those elementary school images to which we were all exposed. Still, the image of the groaning board with the Indians and the Pilgrims gathered around it is ingrained in my celebration of Thanksgiving. If it wasn't really like that, it should have been. We can celebrate that the Pilgrims dared to come to the harsh unwelcoming shore of Massachusetts in the winter and that some survived.
Good news from Deborah Thomas. She has come through her knee replacement surgery like the trooper she is. She will be with us next week for our meeting. Judy Shostrom and the MCREA Board did a great job carrying on while she was recovering.
Did you know that FREA has a program, "With Four You Get More", which rewards members with a patch if they bring in four new members within one year. I think some of you may already have brought in some. Be sure to let the Membership Chair, Sue Roe, know so that she may keep track. Surely, some of you have a friend or two who might like to join us. Ask them to come to a meeting to try MCREA out.
FELT is still collecting books and food items to distribute at schools on Fridays. Your help is needed to be sure there is enough to fill up those kids' backpacks each week. If you bring items to the meetings, I will be happy to transport them to Jane Evers who heads the effort. I took her a trunkful of books and food that you have contributed so far. She is most grateful for everything we do.
I hope to see you all at the meeting next Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 11:30, at Renaissance on 9th. If your caller does not call you, please let Mary Ann Jensen know on or before Sunday, Nov. 13. Her number is 756-7603. Remember, reservations must be honored or you will receive a bill for the lunch you missed.
Cathy Slusser, Manatee County Historian, will present a program about places to visit in the County. She is a second generation (at least) Manatee County native who is very knowledgable about the early settlers, their work, and their buildings.
See you soon,
Ellen
