Most of us should be putting the finishing touch on all the stuff & stuffing for the Thanksgiving feast by the time we get around to reading this. I know a lot of folks that really go a long way toward fixing & cooking way too much food for the festive Holiday.

Thanksgiving and Easter probably match up pretty well together for being a family time of visiting, eating, and giving due time for the essence of the respective Holiday.

Only Christmas would out-do them in those categories. Christmas & Easter are “Holy” remembrances of certain events, while our American Thanksgiving is a time we take to be ever thankful for a bountiful harvest that was probably initiated for the Colonists to also give thanks for their new-found freedom.

From what I read, it appears that the 1st Thanksgiving was celebrated about 1621 and I’ve yet to find anyone that can refute that. If you’ve happened to read “Out Yonder,” Ross McSwain’s column in the Angelo Paper this past week, the ol’ Brady boy gave a pretty good run-down on the background of the 1st Thanksgiving, how it came about, & what they probably had to eat. Not knowing whether the menu mentioned was a point of recorded history or conjecture, I’ll take it as truth as it is what Ross wrote and you know how us ol’ timers are about the written word, especially if it’s in the Newspaper. Of course, I’m referring to west Texas and not New York City.

Anyhow, he goes on to say that the 1st real celebration of the Holiday with a meal more than likely consisted of Venison as the available meat for the table, some boiled corn that they made into a bread, along with some wild fruits & berries, as well as having some squash & pumpkins. I’d have to say that the Harkey House still adheres to some sort of the original menu in that we usually have some sort of Venison dish during the day, as well as Cornbread (even if it’s in the dressing), certainly some berries in a sauce, as well as some Pumpkin. We might have altered the dishes somewhat, but the main ingredient in still in evidence.

Knowing that the Colonists were fairly new from England, I would have thought that even though they didn’t catch a Turkey back then, they could have probably roasted a goose. We should consider ourselves quite a bit more fortunate than those original Colonists in that we have flour to make pies & cakes , as well as our fair Valley of the Pecans, can & do make better pies with the addition of the good nuts to our Pumpkin pie as well as have a few good ol’ Karo syrup Pecan pies on hand too. Some prefer to cook a big ol’ Hen instead of the traditional turkey and most have a ham on the side. A big Beef Prime Rib roast goes over very well at some Ranch homes, while I’ve known some folks that have a Cured Venison haunch on the table. Whatever you have and however it is prepared will all go well with the family and proper respect for the tradition of the Thanksgiving season.

One aspect of the Thanksgiving holiday that most men appreciate most, in comparison to the spring & summer holidays is the amount of football we get to watch over the 4 day celebration. This is a tremendous season for football in our great State, drawing the interest of a lot of folks that might usually not pay as much attention.

Son, Will is going to be tail-gating on Turkey Day down in the shadows of Memorial Stadium in Austin. I think that he and most of his usual friends plan on each of them chipping in to prepare all the traditional dishes and cook or warm them up on his BBQ pit that he had custom made for just that occasion.

We would also add, that of all the 3 games left to decide the eventual champion of the Big 12 South, the Aggies probably are the least likely to act as spoilers in the mix.

Cousin, Mildred will probably agree with me, on that one. From what I’ve seen recently, Baylor even has a better chance than do the Ags. Anyhow, I think that Duke & yrs truly will still be watching the game, regardless, as I’d never been considered as a “2-percenter.”

This will likely be my last call for all yall to get your Pecan Show entries in to the County Extension office, ASAP. It would also be prudent to save some of the savory nuts for an entry in the San Saba County Pecan Food Show that will be held soon after the Pecan Show. Call the County Agents’ office if you need any info. Other than that, the Mayor & yrs. Truly will certainly be holding up our part out around——————Harkeyville!!!!!!!!