Thanksgiving Turkeys

This is Hazel and she is an assertive young lady.

That's just fine with Zeke because he likes 'em bossy. The bossier the better. I can't tell him what to do. Shanti can' t tell him what to do. But apparently if you're three years old and wearing a pretty dress, you've got carte blanche (Shanti's friend Tim--who was at this dinner--theorized that this attitude will serve Zeke well once he's a husband.) :o)

Really I'm exaggerating. Hazel isn't bossy--she is a very sweet little girl who simply knows how she wants to spend her time. She and Zeke met at Thanksgiving dinner at the Sutherland's (she is Jeff and Stella's daughter), and had a fabulous time chasing each other around the house all evening. They'd play in the family room for a while (Bill's parents still have his Playskool toys from when he was a kid), then they'd tire of the toys and come thundering down the very long hardwood hallway to the other end of the house where the adults were chatting in the living room. Then they'd jump around behind the couch, squeak loudly, and dart back down the hall. I can't count how many times they did this. Ten? Twenty? Thirty? There's no telling. It went on all night. At one point they were both sweating. That's OK though. I'll take sweating over crying, whining, or arguing any day. And there was none of that with these two (wipeouts notwithstanding). They got along famously. For this, as well as the amazing feast and the generosity and warmth of the Sutherland family*, I am grateful.

*If you haven't spent a holiday with the Sutherlands, you really should try it some time. I know this may sound like a venture into hyperbole, but I don't know if there are nicer people on the planet. Each time we come over, they welcome us like long-lost family, shower us with lip-smacking good food, and dazzle us with intelligent conversation. The result, of course, is that we wind up lurking around long after the point when more polite guests would have gone home. Sorry about that Sutherlands! We promise we'll skedaddle a little earlier next time.