Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving was a bust … or so it seemed. Our family was looking forward to a quick getaway to our ranch house in the high desert for Thanksgiving weekend – just the five of us and the dogs. But our plans changed. I caught a cold four days before, which meant two family members had to bow out due to an impending surgery. Understandably, no one wanted to share germs and the two had dinner with friends instead. Our Thanksgiving gathering was down to three.

The day before we were set to leave on the trip, our 13-year-old cat Midnight slipped and face-planted into a concrete step, knocking out his left canine tooth. A trip to the vet confirmed the loss but he was eating and drinking without any trouble. We felt comfortable leaving Wednesday evening with the plan of one of us coming back Friday and watching his movements in between from a home camera. He seemed fine and was often seen grooming and eating.

Since our last visit to the ranch, Caltrans had completed the bypass project it has been working on for two years, rerouting the main highway around the town to the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains, near the end of our street. I have been upset about this project ever since I learned what it was planning. When we arrived, the stark reality of the opened highway so close to our house was just too much. The whoosh of cars and trucks behind our backyard was far different than the peaceful sounds of the wildlife we were accustomed to hearing.  Daughter Delaney wondered why I didn’t seem cold as it was only 36 degrees as I watched in disappointment. I told her my rage was keeping me warm.

After unpacking and getting everything turned on, I settled down about the highway and set to work making apple and chocolate cream pies. Since there would be no “company” the next day we decided to eat some while they were still warm from the oven. Yum.

We woke the next morning to a glorious Thanksgiving Day. The trees were a brilliant yellow set against a clear blue sky and we could see the desert around us for miles. We started cooking, the three of us together, and soon the house filled with varying aromas of our traditional comfort foods. In between our tasks, we took the pups out to the large garden we designed in 2020 and they enjoyed running around while we warmed our bodies in the sunshine. By the end of the day, we had enjoyed our delicious dinner and all of us, including the dogs, were tuckered out.

It was right around this time that I realized that my cold had evolved into something else entirely. I was getting sicker. I developed a fever, sore throat, crackly noise in my lungs and an explosive cough that could only be described as demons emerging from my body. It became clear that I should be the one to return home to care for the cat and so I could take some antibiotics.

The next day, after sleeping quite a bit, I packed up only what I needed for the drive and left the last two family members behind to finish the leftovers and clean up. I was nervous about entering the new highway, which was confusing to navigate; nevertheless, I managed it and was home in three hours. A quick test after that revealed no COVID-19, which was a relief.

I tell this story to illustrate that life often throws us curve balls but we don’t have to let these disruptions keep us from celebrating. Despite everything that happened, I really enjoyed my Thanksgiving. It was memorable and I am so very grateful every day for the love of my family, friends and the support of CV Weekly readers.  

Thank you.

susanbolan710@gmail.com