The Thanksgiving holiday is

Nov 24 2001
The Thanksgiving holiday is quickly expiring, and all the leftovers have less than a week of purgatory to either become the pith of a white-bread sandwich or yet another bag of dumpster-bound garbage. I tried not to bring back so much this year, since the majority usually suffers the latter fate. I enjoy no less than four thanksgiving dinners every year, given my fairly disperse family and today completed this year's tour. Besides the ridiculous amount of eating required, I have no objections. I enjoy the sitting and talking on porches and in recliners, though I'm not much of a talker myself, and listening to the conversation wander down a little path of collective conscience. People check in and out, steer the conversation and then leave for more pie. Some get lost, and feeling insecure jump in with a question cleverly disguised to hijack the topic. Some sit and nod and refuse to influence the path in any way whatsoever. Others will talk incessantly on whatever topics may come down the path showing no preference for any one subject. Even the dog performs some attention grabbing stunt that steers the conversation to veterinarian practices and kennel preferences. In these conversations is the character of a people, my people.