DOWN HOME:
Green bean casserole might've spoiled thanks
___What, exactly, did the Pilgrims and Indians eat on that first Thanksgiving afternoon?
___I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The Pilgrims should've passed on by Plymouth Rock, kept marching through America's heartland, and refused to stop until they came to the Texas Panhandle, where they could've pulled up to a feedlot, slaughtered a big ol' cow

MARV KNOX Editor

and dined on ribeye steaks for Thanksgiving. Likewise, Benjamin Franklin should not have rested until he succeeded in getting the turkey declared our national bird, so it would be a federal offense to kill and cook the dry fowl. Then, we'd really be looking forward to Thanksgiving.
___Last week, Joanna asked me to help plan our Thanksgiving feast. She didn't allow me to veto the turkey, but she wanted me to eliminate either the curry-raisin-peanut cole slaw or the corn-chili casserole, two of my favorites.
___Naturally, I suggested she instead drop the green bean casserole, topped with those ridiculous fried onion straws. But Lindsay appealed to tradition, asserting the Pilgrims did indeed eat green bean casserole with the Indians on that first Thanksgiving.
___What does a 17-year-old know about history? Piggly-Wiggly hadn't been invented yet. So, clearly, those ridiculous fried onion straws were not available, not to mention cream-of-mushroom soup and canned green beans.
___Whatever we eat this week, I'm still going to be thankful for Thanksgiving. Where else but America can you find a single holiday dedicated to celebrating three popular concepts--gluttony, football and the four-day weekend?
___My favorite thing about Thanksgiving (besides the obvious attraction of a four-day weekend) is that it points us toward others.
___Most of our married lives, Joanna and I lived far from our families in Texas. Time and distance prevented Jo, Lindsay, Molly and me from celebrating the holiday with family-who-were-like-friends. So, we enjoyed the splendid company of friends-who-were-like-family. And we always felt blessed-- reminded how God had enriched the four of us with the grace and laughter of people who love us.
___This week, we're going to see lots of family. We now live smack in the middle of our extended families. Lindsay and Molly are the "babies" of Jo's side of the family, and they're by far the oldest grandkids on my side of the clan. So, we'll hug grandparents and siblings and nieces and nephews of all ages, glad for the opportunity to gather under one roof to eat and laugh and love each other.
___And at the right time, we'll hold hands, bow our heads and thank God for turkey. Only I'll be praying that mine will taste a little bit like a ribeye.
___



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