Preparations

It is ten days until Thanksgiving, but we are well into preparations. I think we are making up for last year when Wife had COVID, and her parents each died from the blasted virus, 13 days apart (her mother on Thanksgiving night). 

Some friends brought Thanksgiving dinner to us and, because we were being cautious, I ate on the deck and Wife ate at the kitchen table. I stayed at some friends' guesthouse through the quarantine period. 

It's hard to believe we are a year out from all of that, but we are, and this Thanksgiving should be much different. At last count, we will have 19 humans for Thanksgiving dinner, maybe 21, as one invitation is still out. It will be all our family, plus my DIL's parents, plus Wife's sister and family. The still- outstanding invitation is to some friends. 

Four of those in attendance will be our grandchildren -- two four-year-olds, a two-year-old and a one-year old. I guess I could say it will be organized chaos, but I probably should not make such a prediction, as the chaos will likely be anything but organized. But it will be good chaos. 

Wife is, however, HIGHLY organized in making preparations. She has already done most of the grocery shopping and is making things to put in the freezer. Because we will have various and sundry folks staying here from Wednesday through Sunday, she's also preparing food for those other days too. 

This is her strength, and we both know it, so she gives assignments to me which I am happy to carry out. We will be out of town this coming weekend, so it's important we have a lot of the logistical preparations made before we leave, so she can concentrate primarily on cooking next week.

Tonight we put a table cloth on the dining room table, and one on the long table we have set up in the living room. We will have to serve from the kitchen table, so the extra table in the living room is a must. 

It's an old eight-foot table that was in my dad's office years ago, and which I used as a desk when I was in law school. It has followed me ever since. From the looks of it, it has seen better days, having been used over the years for displaying garage sale items, various school projects and refinishing furniture. There are nicks, cuts and paint and varnish stains on it, so the table cloth is very much a necessity. 

But with that table cloth thrown over it, it is lovely, and I think my father, a master of frugality, would be pleased to know it is still useful. 

Wife fusses and frets over the seating, and how comfortable people will be, but I remind her it will all work out and they will all just be happy to be here. If elbows happen to bump together at tables, don't you think that makes it all the more festive and cozy?