Thanks Giving

The day after Thanksgiving, we drove up to our cabin.  We only planned to stay overnight because we had a lot to do.  It was beautiful.  When we got out of the car, I felt as though I had been transported to another world.  There were about 4 inches of snow and, because there are so few residents in the community, most of the snow was untouched.

I should probably go back a step.  Les and I had an appointment with our accountant that morning.  I made a short list of things I wanted the kids to do before we left the house and then ended up doing most of the things myself.  All they had to do was fold their laundry and pack for one overnight.  I asked them to be ready by 10:30 so we could leave as quickly as possible after our appointment.  We wanted to stop at the potato chip factory on the way and get to the cabin in time for a late lunch.

We stopped for gas and headed down the parkway.  The kids had convinced Les to put Christmas music on the radio.  The car had finally warmed up and we were enjoying the ride.  Suddenly, Cassie said, “Oh, no!  I forgot my glasses and my contacts.”  To his credit, Les turned the car around without saying a word.  Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the driveway.  Cassie jumped out and headed toward the house.  Then, Lacey jumped out too.  She took off for the house so quickly that she forgot to close her car door.  Not wanting the heat to escape, I got out to close the door.  Since I was out, Les decided to get out to.  He went into the house and returned with his Kindle.  The girls came back and burst into the car. 

“All I forgot was my glasses!” exclaimed Cassie.  “Lacey forgot her toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush!” 

As we were backing down the driveway, Cassie tapped me on the shoulder.  “I forgot my pajamas,” she whispered.  In response to my glare she continued, “I’ll just sleep in my clothes.”

By the time we reached the potato chip factory, the kids were starving.  But first, we had to park.  “Don’t park in the snow,” pleaded Cassie.  “I’m wearing moccasins.”    Again, to his credit, Les didn’t say a thing.  Luckily, there were plenty of free samples available inside the factory.  We watched the chip-making process for a while.  Then, we each picked a favorite flavor to buy and we were off.

Back to our arrival at the cabin. . . When we arrived, Cassie tiptoed down the path to the cabin, with Lacey running behind.  Lacey wasn’t in much better shape.  She was wearing sneakers and ankle socks, and her jeans had holes in both knees.  In response to my question, she explained that she had only been able to find one of her boots.  We unpacked the car and cooler.  I didn’t know how long the snow would last.  I asked the girls to come outside and pose for a few pictures.  They laughingly obliged.  Ten minutes later, they were soaking wet.  But, I had some awesome photos.  One will end up on our Christmas card.

Les had purchased another new gadget to improve our TV reception.  We spent about an hour fiddling with it and couldn’t get a single channel to come in.  What was happening?  First no cell reception and now no TV??!!

“Well,” I declared.  “I’ve got a book and my knitting.  I’m set.  But, it looks like you will all have to find something to do.”

“Why don’t you play with me, Cassie?” Lacey asked.  And she did.  The girls spent the next couple hours with Cassie showing Lacey how she could build a coffee shop with her Legos.

I went into the little kitchen to start my pot of turkey soup.  The ceiling light kept flickering and I couldn’t get it to stay on.  After puttering with the fuse box, Les declared that we could have either a stove or the lights.  I opted for the stove.  Les ran an extension cord from the family room into the kitchen and clamped a floodlight to the top of one of the cabinets.  Then, he hung a flashlight to the top of the medicine cabinet so we could have light in the bathroom.   The largest burner on the stove wasn’t working.  So, dinner took longer than it should have. 

While the soup was simmering and the girls were playing cards, I went for a walk.  It was just before sunset and the surrounding woods were beautiful.  Along the way, I met one of the few fulltime residents.  He hadn’t been out of his cabin in the three days since the snow fell.  He inquired about the road conditions and I assured him that it was safe to drive.  As I walked on, a little piece of me envied the simplicity of this guy’s life.

We had dinner around 8:00, ate leftover pumpkin pie, and watched the VCR edition of “Toy Story 2.”  The girls enjoyed every second of it.  I got up once during the night to stoke the fire and then Les took a turn. 

In the morning, Les turned on the TV and, like some kind of Thanksgiving miracle, it worked.  We were able to receive three channels!  Okay, we had PBS in both English and Spanish, and the valley religious channel. But, the real miracle was that Les would no longer be able to convince me that we needed a new TV.

It was truly a day of miracles, as the girls slept until 9 a.m.  Then, we discovered that the toilet wasn’t working.  We had to bundle up and walk down the road to our friend’s cabin, where we have a standing invitation for just such events.

As I was tidying up the cabin, I turned on Cassie’s cell phone.  She had 184 unread texts!  Truly amazing.  She did have cell reception and was willingly going without her phone to spend time with us.  Yes, I agree, receiving 184 texts in less than 24 hours was also amazing.  But, in spite of the many frustrations the trip had caused, we have many reasons to be thankful.