In All Things, Give Thanks

 

 

I think it's safe to say that 2020 has been a doozy for all of us in one way or another. As many Americans gathered around their tables on Thursday, November 26th, to celebrate and enjoy being with each other, and many of them did not, I'm sure we all experienced a bittersweet feeling rather than the bounteous joy that usually accompanies such gatherings. Lately I've been reflecting on things that I am grateful for even though this year brought its own unique challenges to my life. One thing I'm especially grateful for is readers like you who support us authors. Writing for entertainment can be an entertaining endeavor in itself, but sometimes stressful, too, and this year it has been especially so. Along with that, I am also grateful to have received the inspiration I needed several times in order to finish a project on time. I am also grateful for my loved ones and pray that your loved ones are safe or that you'll find comfort if they have met misfortune this holiday season.

Notwithstanding these somber thoughts, however, I want to keep this blog post lighthearted and, yes, entertaining. I've put together a short and sweet Thanksgiving Quiz for you - don't worry, I've also provided the answers. And this isn't just a history quiz - as much as I like history, I thought it would be fun to learn a few things about Thanksgiving in this day and age (mostly). So here we go!

1) Which U.S. state grows the most corn?

*

*

*

Answer: Iowa, with Illinois being a close second. This was a fun fact to look up because a few years ago, I traveled through parts of both of these states and saw cornfield after cornfield. Arizona (where I'm from) grows a decent amount of corn, too, but what I saw on that trip was on a whole new level. And even though it was just corn (as compared to a natural wonder like the Grand Canyon), the sight of all that corn against the backdrop of a perfectly blue sky brought to mind the song lyrics, "amber waves of grain". I'm thankful I got to see such a great sight!

2) Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving?

*

*

*

Answer: According to Brittanica, the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock most likely ate duck or geese at their harvest meal. Turkey, it seems, was introduced as the bird to eat in the early 1800s with the publication of Northwood, a book written by female novelist, essayist, and editor, Sarah Josepha Hale. She is remarkable for the fact that she became an editor after her husband died. She became the top influencer in the publication for ladies called Godey's Lady's Book. In 1830, she also penned a book called Poems for our Children. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was one of the poems in that collection. Anyway, Hale's book, Northwood, described in quite fascinating detail a Thanksgiving meal that featured a turkey. She eventually campaigned for Thanksgiving to be made into a national holiday, as she felt that such an event would help to ease mounting tensions in the country. (Sound familiar?) Of course, this didn't happen until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday in the month of November as a day of prayer and thanksgiving. Here is a picture of Mrs. Hale. Wasn't she lovely?

3) Which U.S. state grows the most pumpkins?

*

*

*

Answer: Illinois, with Morton, Illinois being called the "Pumpkin Capital of the World". States like Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California aren't far behind. However, globally, China is the real pumpkin capital of the world in that it produces the most, followed by India, Russia, Ukraine, and finally, the United States.

4) Why does the President of the United States pardon a turkey every year?

*

*

*

Answer: The first unofficial pardon of a turkey came from President Ronald Reagan back in 1982. President George H. W. Bush decided it made for pretty good press, apparently, so he did the same. From there, the successive presidents have all carried on the tradition.

5) What is the record for the world's largest pumpkin pie?

*

*

*

Answer: New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers produced a pie that weighed 3,699 pounds on September 10, 2010, in New Bremen, Ohio. But if you're looking for who produced the world's largest sweet potato pie, you'll have to travel all the way to Japan. According to this article, Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company produced a massive 703-pound sweet potato pie in 2018. That's a lot of pie!

6) Which U.S. state consumes the most turkey?

*

*

*

Answer: California. Go figure.

7) How many feathers does an adult male turkey have?

*

*

*

Answer: Approximately 5,500. That's a lot of plucking before the bird gets to your dinner table!

8) What is the longest-running Thanksgiving parade in the United States? (Hint: not Macy's)

*

*

*

Answer: Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Parade celebrated its 100th year this month. Macy's in New York City began four years later, in 1924. Did you know that the balloons in Macy's parade have to be painted once they are blown up? Here are two articles that share fun facts about each of the parades:

Philadelphia: https://whyy.org/articles/looking-back-on-the-nations-oldest-thanksgiving-day-parade-at-100/

Macy's: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71548/16-fun-facts-about-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade

I hope you've enjoyed this informal and informational quiz. I certainly learned a lot while putting this blog post together! And that's one of my favorite things about being an author. I come across interesting tidbits all the time. (For instance, I recently wrote a contemporary story that takes place in Georgia with the series title being called Georgia Peaches, but did you know that California is actually the U.S.'s leading peach crop producer?) 

Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday, there's one thing that I think we can all be grateful for this holiday season, and it is that fictional characters get a happily ever after. If you are in the mood to read stories with characters who dream of a better life and face the odds in obtaining them, I invite you to take a look at my Amazon page and view the stories that I have to offer. A few of them are even on sale at this time, and all of my Belles of Wyoming stories have updated covers. Here is the link to my page: https://amzn.to/2GKnBUA

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR? by CHERYL PIERSON

Hi everyone. Our Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA is today! For the last several years, I have not “cooked” a big Thanksgiving dinner. With my daughter going to LA every year at that time and my son opting for McDonald’s so much of the time in the past, there just wasn’t a need to make a big dinner. Yes, my husband did complain. Every year. But he never offered to help with anything, either. In desperation, we tried different traditions—the “Festive Fajita Party Pack” from our nearest Mexican restaurant, which is wonderful, by the way; the “Smoked Turkey Dinner and Fixin’s” from a fantabulous barbecue place we love…but of course, it wasn’t the same.

This year, my daughter will be home with us, and she wants “the dinner.” I haven’t bought my turkey—or anything else. It’s Tuesday. I’m not stressed, though. Let me tell you why. I have the money in the bank to buy those groceries. So many people don’t. If I want to make sweet potato pie, I don’t have to skimp on the marshmallows. If I want to make turkey, I don’t have to worry about one brand being ten cents cheaper than the brand I really want. And best of all, I can buy both kinds of cranberry sauce, since I’m the only one in my family who really loves the whole berry kind. So I’m very thankful for the fact that I don’t have to worry about being able to provide the menu I want to make for this holiday dinner. And everyone will get what they want, even Embry--who likes everything. Would you believe English peas are one of his favorites?

My third "child"--Embry
I have learned to cook pretty darn well. It wasn’t always this way, believe me. My mother was a wonderful cook, but being a child of the 60’s I couldn’t have cared less about learning from her. I was happy with a hamburger (which I did learn how to make for myself) and chips. I learned how to cook only after I got married—and there were quite a few trial and error “flubs” that had to be tossed. They were unsalvageable. So I’m glad that now I have learned through the years and am able to do the job right, at this point. And I'm so glad I don't have to make everything from scratch like my mom and grandmothers did!

My great great grandmother on my dad's side of the family, Sarah Manery Casey. She was full blood Indian, married to an Irishman...My son, Casey, is named for that part of our family.
I have the physical ability to cook. This may seem like a little thing. We gripe and complain sometimes about having to fix a meal, but I promise you, one short walk through a nursing home will make you thankful for so many things. Seeing the older people there who would give anything to be able to prepare a meal once more, or go work in their gardens, makes me realize how much I have to be thankful for—even the simple preparation of a holiday meal takes on new meaning.

I have a wonderful family. And this year they are all going to be home for Thanksgiving! So many military men and women are far away from everything familiar in dangerous situations. Families separate as children grow up and move away. It’s not always possible to get home for the holidays. And many homeless men and women have no families to go to.

I have fantastic memories of growing up, all of us gathered around my grandmother’s table, or wherever we could manage to find a place to perch with our plates. We spilled out onto the porch, into the living room, eating in shifts. Of course, the men ate first. It was a huge gathering—my grandmother had eleven children. I have thirty-three cousins on my mother’s side of the family. When we were done there, we’d go to my dad’s side and visit. There were only eight cousins there, but three of them were boys, and the younger two loved to play cowboys and Indians. What could be better? Another blessing to be thankful for—boy cousins who were just my age.

A good time was always had by all, and that was the holiday that brought everyone home to granny’s house, even if they couldn’t come at Christmas. I had a cousin, Julie, who was a few months older than I. She was my “partner in crime”. One Thanksgiving, we spotted a package of six Milky Way candy bars in the refrigerator—our favorite. With everything going on, we managed to sneak the package out, and she hid it in her jacket. We made it out the door and into the nearby woods. This was quite a trick, since she had three younger siblings at the time. We ate those candy bars, three each. I can tell you, I was feeling sick when I ate that last bite. But we were so proud of ourselves for managing to get them out undetected and to actually be alone to commit the rest of the crime. When we got back to the house, our Aunt Joyce was beside herself. It turned out, she had bought those candy bars for a specific purpose—to make her “Mississippi Mud Slide Cake” that two of her brothers-in-law had requested. Of course, as eleven-year-old children, we’d never even thought that the candy bars might be needed for a recipe. We laugh about it now, but at the time, it was serious stuff. I thought she was going to whip us good, and Julie and I both believed our mothers would have let her!

My Aunt Joyce--she was the only woman I ever knew growing up who had been in the Navy. Loved that woman, but she put the fear in us over those Milky Ways!

These are only a few of the “everyday” things that I’m so thankful for. This is really just the tip of the iceberg. When we think of everything we have in this beautiful world, it’s impossible to make a list of things to be thankful for, isn’t it?

What are you thankful for this holiday? Do you have a favorite memory to share? Let's hear it!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!