Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday as I mentioned in an earlier blog. This year was no different. although the gatherings are getting smaller. Pictured are my wife Kim, my wonderful mother-in-law Joy, and Kim's very spiritual younger sister, Kristi, who joined us on thanksgiving morning and, thankfully, i think are going to stay with us yet another evening tonight.I am truly thankful for all three of these beautiful women! Each brings their own special view point of the world with them that really helps me to see the world differently as well.
I put together what has always been the traditional Heagle farm style Thanksgiving dinner that my mother Alice would serve up so bounteously: In addition to a 15 pound turkey (I had asked for a 10-12!), we had a rice/wild rice with mushroom and Italian sausage stuffing, freshly made cranberry sauce, true sweet potatoes (it wasn't until last year that I found there is a difference between yams and sweet potatoes), mashed potatoes and some of the best turkey gravy I have ever produced, and freshly steamed broccoli.
For dessert there was two layer cheesecake (the women's favorite) and a pumpkin pie. Since the three gals went after the cheesecake, it left more pumpkin pie for me!
It's always really enjoyable to have Joy visit as she gets such a kick out of the two kittens and their high jinks. Stella has continued to fight off eye infections -- it has now shifted to her right eye, so we are administering the necessary eye drops four times a day.Kim got the photo that I wanted to display of Stella drinking from the water bowl as she has such a wonderfully weird approach, straddling the dish with both paws as if to hold it down while she laps away.
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On Thanksgiving Day, the Eau Claire Leader Telegram ran a story on Phong Xiong and Pete Roller and how Pete volunteers part of his acerage to Phong's Hmong family to use for produce farming in the summer months.
I was excited by the article as we have two parcels that could be used for the same purpose here on our land. In fact, it would be a win/win situatiion for me as I wouldn't have to mow the big lot behind the office if cash crops are being grown there and the land would be put to good use!
So I contacted Phong and here are our e mails:
From: Lawrence Heagle
Subject: Possible Land Use
To: phongxiong2008@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, November 27, 2008, 3:47 PM
Phong:
My wife and I live just out of town, about a mile and a half from
Oakwood Mall, just beyond Interstate 94 -- actually sort of at the
junctions of Highway 53 South and Interstate 94 so it would be a
convenient spot to grow. Of course, first you will need to determine
if the soil is usable. We actually have two plots as we bought up
properties on both sides of our home. One is quite small, the other
about double that size. I know the soil is quite sandy but there is
a stand of rhubarb that grows back every summer on the larger tract.
One of my very best friends, John Buchholz, plays music with Pete
Roller, and I am certain if you mention my name to Pete he will know
who I am as I have been a "musician/comedian" in the area since 1976
when I retired from teaching middle school at (of all places) Delong!
Please do give me a call, hopefully before the snow hits and the
ground freezes and I will tell you how to get out here to look it
over. You can reach me at my cell: 590-8222. I will be home all
this coming weekend so you can also try the house at 834-8815.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your entire family!
Larry Heagle
"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hi Larry,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your wife. Thank you so much for the offer. I will be out of town this weekend, but I will call you on Monday for sure. We will set up a time to meet and look at the soil. I will be sure to mention this to Pete. Again, my family appreciates your generosity.
Phong
I am pretty excited about being able to help such wonderful people in my own attempt to show some thanks on this Thanksgiving! I hope it works out.
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