Thanksgiving Preview

I woke this morning with the startling realization that Thanksgiving is 4 days away! Unlike Martha, I did not order my turkey 3 weeks ago, but I will do so today. Hopefully there is a 24 pounder just dying to be brined and stuffed and carved and devoured by the whole family which now numbers twenty-one. I am extremely grateful that everyone, including 3 of the "delicious grandchildren", loves to cook, so most of the meal arrives with the guests. My challenge is seating everyone; last year I had the children create the placecards and then they decided where all should sit...what a delight!

There is something that compels me to provide a centerpiece for every dinner table. It's worn off on my husband after all these years. He went on a golf vacation with 7 of his buddies and when they "ate in" he bought an African Violet at the market and put it in the center of the table. He took a lot of ribbing but they appreciated it afterall. Anyway, on a crowded Thanksgiving table, the centerpiece needs to be controlled! No higher than 12 inches so you can see the person across from you and not so wide that the leaves are spilling into the mashed potatoes!I know many of you are not into flower arranging so try this easy, seasonal trick: Select a small rectangular dish; cover it with a layer of fresh or dried leaves -even Italian parsley will do. Arrange 3 pears of similar size in a row. Surround the tray with votives. Martha has nothing on you! Of course, you could embellish the tray with berries, lady apples or sickle pears. Just let your creative juices flow.

A note about the blog...I do hope you will contribute but I now know that to do so one needs an account so just sign up with Google-if you like-it's as easy as typing in your e-mail and adding a password-that's all there is to it and with that, to paraphrase my eccentric friend, Hyacinth, remember,you can make everyday a day in THE GOOD LIFE!