Thursday, November 26, 1936

THANKSGIVING DAY

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Thanksgiving Day. Nice Day.

Morse went to Saginaw

with Dick Baerd, Bill Clarke

to witness a football

games by Coach Finch's team.

Henry, Hank and I enjoyed our dinner all alone.

Had chicken biscuit gravy,

veg salad, pickles, jam, pumpkin

pie, cranberry cake.

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On Thanksgiving Day in 1936, Edna's family is mostly married and grown. There are only two other people at the dinner table with Edna ...Henry and Hank. Edna notes, "enjoyed our dinner all alone." There is a bit of sadness in Edna's words..

I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday of the year. I love to make a huge traditional dinner including turkey and stuffing. I don't really love turkey but it's a tradition and I love traditions.

This year, all across the United States, people are "enjoying their dinners all alone." It is 2020. It is the year of COVID-19. We are all celebrating Thanksgiving in smaller groups to help stop a global pandemic. I don't like small Thanksgivings but I want this pandemic to end. So, small it is. There will be other Thanksgivings. But the truth is, my kids are growing older. Soon, they may be spending Thanksgiving with new families.

This is where Edna found herself in1936 ...with grown children who had families of their own. It was not the type of Thanksgiving she loved. But she still made cranberry cake.

I have never had cranberry cake. I love new traditions. So, while I didn't have cranberry cake for Thanksgiving it will be on the menu for our Christmas dinner. I don't have Edna's recipe but I managed to find a cranberry cake recipe that looks delicious.

This year, I am thankful for Edna. I am thankful that she kept journals and recorded her history so that I could spend part of my Thanksgiving Day with her ...with family.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.