Thaw Day . . . .

Well, Butterball has come into the kitchen where it will remain in the kettle until tomorrow morning.

Butterball has been residing in a cold chest after a day or two on the floorboards of the Suburu.  When it was evident that someone might want to have some leg room in the front passenger seat, I moved the turkey to the cold chest, all in an effort to keep it cold.

Now it's warm-up time.  I hope I have brought the bird in soon enough for a good thaw by tomorrow morning.  I can remember my mother often starting the thaw on Tuesday nights.

Preparing for the big feast certainly brings back endless memories of my mother----polishing the silver, ironing table cloths, planning the table arrangements, thinking of the myriad of details that go into an attractive setting and tasty dishes.

Mother lived in the kitchen, it seems, from dawn 'til dusk on Thanksgiving Day, and now the torch has been passed.  

So, it will be a long day tomorrow but with the work comes good memories of times past and the desire to do everything possible to meet the standards she set for us during holiday preparation. 

I bought some new bowls the other day for the dining room tables tomorrow.  The top three will hold blueberry jam cooked up a couple of days ago, last year's jelly and honey created by our neighborhood bees.

I haven't decided what will go in that bottom bowl, but it does have a special memory.

Every time I see the bowl, I think of Sarah Arndt, a former student who molded it in Dan Shook's pottery class.  Sarah brought it to me one day at the end of a school year, and it resided on my classroom desk for a few years.

Tomorrow it will be on the table with other dishes filled with food and memories.

If all goes well with the transport, the turkey will sit on a platter given to us by Bill's mother.  Dishes given to me by various family members will take up the rest of the setting.

Hopefully all the food that goes in each will pass the taste test.  

Annie took this photo with her cell phone last night, shortly after we arrived in town from the airport.  Of course, a quick stop at Second Avenue Pizza was necessary before watching the game.

I can't remember if there's ever been a time that a Sandpoint basketball team has beaten two different Coeur d'Alene teams back to back, but I can tell you that it's a big moment in the history of the SHS girls' program.

They trounced Coeur d'Alene High girls last night, and as the game recap in the paper said this morning, "They're for real."

To say the two W's are having a good time with these consecutive "W's" is an understatement.   Congratulations, Bulldogs and the two W's:  Woodie and Willie. 

I stole this photo off from Cindy Wooden's Facebook page, and, don't worry, I'll say a few "Hail Mary's" for the theft.  

This was taken on the Papal jet when Cindy "cracked the pope up yesterday on the flight back from Strasbourg. (Yes, on purpose)"

Enquiring minds, of course, want to know what Cindy did to stir up Pope Francis' funny bone. 

Cindy has been featuring some photos of her travels this week with the Vatican Press corps and the Pope.  What a treat for the rest of us who hold her in such awe to see her in action as an accomplished and respected journalist. 

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Guess that's all for now.  Happy Wednesday.