Grandma's remembrances of Thanksgiving Day, 1979

Thursday, Nov. 22, 1979                                   with Barbie, Jim and my five little girls

(Partly sunny day, 36 degrees at 9:30)

A good day to start a fresh notebook.  A lovely day with my girl and Jim and Dorie and Jana,  Lee and Marianna--and baby Emily--I like to write out their names.  Each one is becoming, and is, a new person. Now that Marianna keeps calling me "Gamma" and talking to me all the time I feel close to her. She is such a darling busy 2 year-old.

Barbie came for me at 9 and brought Marianna with her. I was all dressed in my new lavendar pants suit. Barbie liked the outfit. She is really amazing the way she has everything planned and organized. The girls were all dressed up--Lee has on a long red and white check dress--I gave Dorie and Jana. Jana had on a long red and white check (dress) I gave her last year. It fits her better now. Dorie had on a long dress too and they looked like old-fashioned girls. Marianna was in pants and a shirt--later Jana dressed her in a white blouse and green jumper and red tites (tights).

Barbie had everything set to go when we returned at 9:30. She got the turkey ready to go in oven--Jana, Dorie and Lee helped me tear the bread up for stuffing. Barbie lets the girls help a lot. She had stuffed celery--a dip with potato chips, crackers--cheddar cheese cut up; tomato juice or cranberry. About 11 we snacked since we were not to eat until football game was over about 2:30. The girls watched the big parades on my color TV which was still there. I watched as I gave Emily her bottle. After that I held her and talked to her a long time. We put her to bed and I sat in the kitchen looking at magazines. There was nothing I could do towards dinner. It was all prepared. I did clean up some cups--glasses--silver, etc. that had accumulated. Two lovely pumpkin pies were ready--all vegetables prepared. There was a white cauliflower surrounded by gold carrot circles--a casserole of green beans and onions. She also made a delicious onion soup--cooking fresh sliced onions--sauteeing them and then adding can beef consomme soup. We all had some of it as we waited for the feast.

Jim had invited a man for dinner who had taught him guitar. They watched the game.

I started to take a walk and in the cool air I kept going and walked all the way around the block over on Parkside, looking over into the park where the trees were all bare--my legs never bothered me at all.

Tonight as I think of that street along the park, I remember a young couple in their 30s. They had recently taken a huge step to try and buy their first house with a big mortgage. They had two little girls age 5 and 9--they were tucked in bed and their Grandma Martha Johnson was there with them. It was a beautiful snowy night and Art and Barbara decided to take a walk around the same block I walked on today. We were thrilled to be living near the big park and the lovely big homes on Parkside. I can hear Art saying "No matter what happens, I am glad we moved and bought the house in this neighborhood."  We felt wonderful that night and what happened in the next 30 years in that neighborhood was wonderful. Pretty quick we had our third little girl, Margaret. And we enjoyed that house on Columbia Terrace for six years. Then we moved across the street into a larger house--ten rooms 2 full baths, double lot--beautiful trees and flower gardens--and we lived there 24 years--no, Art moved into his heavenly home in 21 years.  I was there alone 3 more years.

One that white snowy night we could not dream one of our girls would love that street so much she and her husband would buy a big house a few houses down on thesame street and have five little girls. And Barbara grandmother of nine boys and girls would come from her small home to have Thanksgiving on Columbia Terrace.