Mira and I rise from bed before seven. Twenty-one of our family will arrive for Thanksgiving by one in the afternoon. Brief–and individual–breakfasts precede the first labors. While Mira prepares and begins to cook the turkey, Frank and I bring up tables and chairs. He soon has tablecloths and plate settings in place. I review how to reverse sear a Tenderloin on a barbeque.

It isn’t long before one smoke detector repeatedly sounds an alarm, even with the ventilation fan on high. And the labors continue.

Meanwhile, swirling winds blow leaves from my neighbor’s lawn onto mine. I can only imagine what my brothers-in-law will say when they see that!

swaying pine

oh, to be

a leaf on the wind!

Happy Thanksgiving, haijin and haikai lovers!