Five weeks ago, I left Boquete, Panama and have spent the majority of that time with my brother in Branson, Colorado. We celebrated Thanksgiving, and on Saturday, November 29, I’m on the train back to Albuquerque.
I spent so much of my time in Colorado with my brother riding around our ranch, looking for wildlife and reminiscing with him only memories we share.
Wednesday, November 26 – Prep Day
Last year, I didn’t fix a big Thanksgiving dinner because I was recovering from that horrible dog attack. So, this year, I looked forward to more cooking and baking.
In the evening, I baked two pumpkin pies in the kitchen my mom reigned as Queen. I had already gotten her delicious pie crust recipe out of her recipe box, but because it had been a couple years since I had baked a pie, I struggled a little.
I forgot to get the milk out of the frig and had already started kneading the dough, so when I needed to add the milk, I got dough on the door handle, the milk carton and everywhere—what a mess!
But as I kneaded the dough and felt Mom’s guidance, I relaxed into the process and thoroughly enjoyed the messy situation. I ended up with extra dough, so I remembered a childhood treat Mom did for my brother and me. I rolled out the dough and topped it with butter, cinnamon and sugar, then I baked it and ate the whole thing relishing the flavor. My two pumpkin pies turned out great!
But because of my absence from the baking role, I forgot how long it took for my pumpkin pies to bake. I used the time wisely, though, because I made cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries. As a child, I didn’t like canned cranberry sauce, but my brother-in-law gently forced me into eating it one Christmas. I had pre-decided before trying it, but with his persuasion, I tried it and liked it.
Then many years ago, Mom showed me how to make it from the fresh cranberries, and I have done it ever since!
What a fruitful evening! I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.
Thursday, November 27 – Thanksgiving
Traditionally Lin and I watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Mom and Dad did too, so that’s what I did.
My cooking mindset jumped into play and I scheduled the different items to get started. First, I put the 13.75 pound turkey in the cooking bag in the roaster. I worried it would be too heavy and cumbersome to handle, but I mastered it easily. Second, I peeled the potatoes and got them started. Third, I prepared the green casserole and baked it. Fourth, I made Stove Top Stuffing. Last, I made the gravy.
When Mom and Aunt Willie were alive, we had so much fun with a standing battle between the two: did you use water or milk in the gravy? One of their last Thanksgivings together, Lin came out into the dining room and they were squared off, fists raised, playfully one saying, “Water” and the other saying, “Milk.”
The memory resounded as I grabbed the milk to add to my gravy.
I had turned to the first football game of the day, setting our table so my brother and I both could see the TV and the game. My brother and I started our feast with grace, thanking God for this country and our time together. The meal turned out fantastic. We delayed the pumpkin pie and whip cream until later during the afternoon.
We spent the rest of the day watching football. I started knitting a Christmas stocking for a great-niece that’s two years late. I couldn’t do it when I was on a higher level of pain medicine because I graft out the name to add to the stocking, and it has to be exact. Finally, I was able to do it.
During the day, nostalgia overcame me. I’ve had so many Thanksgiving in my house with lots of family members and lots of games and laughter around the round table. This quiet Thanksgiving reminded me that it’s okay as life has changed. I can celebrate the past and enjoy the difference of today as I age.
Lin and I talked several times during the day—missing being together on this holiday!
Friday, November 28 – Ranch Day
As this was my last time to go to the ranch for this visit, we spent several hours out there. We left my brother’s house at 9:00 AM and didn’t return to town until after 1:00 PM. We had seen five does and two bucks a couple days ago, but we saw no wildlife on this trip.
The Sangre de Cristo Range to the west had fresh snow crowning the range. So I tried to get a panoramic picture of the whole area 360 degrees, starting with Mesa de Maya, DeVoy Peak, Brown’s Mesa, Saddlerock, then onto the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Range and lastly, the Spanish Peaks, but it was too much. However, we had fun staging it!
As we headed home, my brother asked if I wanted to go through the summer pasture, and I said yes—it seemed he wanted to delay this special time ending.
When we got home, I warmed up our leftovers—my favorite meal of the holiday. I did make a fresh batch of gravy, and it was much better than Thanksgiving Day.
Then, I had several tasks to do before leaving today. I cleaned up the kitchen and ran the dishwasher—a luxury I don’t have in Panama. Also, I bagged up individual meals for my brother. Then I cleared off memory cards for our game cameras we have on our ranch. Then to end the task, I had to repack my suitcase because I had bought some needed things to take back to Panama.
After I finished, I went to my brother’s house, and we had a delightful evening watching the 30th Anniversary of the “Everybody Loves Raymond” show. We both enjoyed the insider show, laughing like crazy at the different antics.
Saturday, November 30 – Another Amtrak Train Trip
I woke up to clouds this morning early, but then the fog quickly rolled in, so we left Branson earlier than we planned, but we ran out of it before we got to Raton. Because we were so early, we swung by McDonald’s for drinks.
The Amtrak train was thirty minutes late, so my brother and I sat in his truck and watched the first 15-20 minutes of the Texas Tech vs. West Virginia football game on my iPad because his great nephew, Coy Eakins, plays for them.
I’m sitting here on the train now, writing this blog on my laptop and watching the game on iPad. This is my fourth train trip in these five weeks. I do love riding the train.
Finally,
I have two days in Albuquerque before I head to Panama. Today, my friend Sheri and I plan to go see “Wicked For Good.” Lin, Sheri and I saw the first Wicked movie together, so she was willing to wait to today to see it with me.
Then tomorrow I need to go up to our house and retrieve the mail and check the house out. At 1:00 PM, Sheri and I plan to have lunch with my two teammates from Washington middle school and another dear friend from there. Tomorrow night the Denver Broncos play the evening game against Washington. I look forward to sharing that event with Sheri. Also, I need to repack my two big suitcases so they don’t exceed 50 pounds. I gathered a lot of “stuff” to fill up the empty one—hopefully everything will fit.
I’m anxious to see Lin, but I’m so thankful for my five weeks here with friends and my brother. Carrying on the theme from last week—juggling my two lives!
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