(Houston, Texas) Grand Mommy was a quiet lady who never got upset. She raised chickens, geese, goats, and horses. She drove a cherry red Thunderbird. She owned everything needed for a grand Thanksgiving and she spared no expense.
She had grown up in an America that I would never know. She had worked as a Chauffeur for the Texas State Senate. Through that job she bought two homes and a large plot of land in south Houston. Her favorite color was pink. She used driver’s gloves when driving around Houston. She knew many secrets but never spoke of them. She never told me any stories about her childhood or even how she learned to drive. She never mentioned her parents, her marriage to Grand Daddy, her school days, everything about her was a mystery except Thanksgiving.
Grand Mommy talked about every dish and how to prepare it. The first step to having Thanksgiving was housekeeping. All the tablecloths had to be cleaned, starched, and ironed. I can still remember the heft of the fabric, how clean it was, and what the starch smelled like. The starch had a different smell than the spray starch of today. Once all the linens were starched they were set aside and the furniture was polished with Lemon Pledge furniture polish. The entire formal dining room smelled of lemons.
Thanksgiving was a favorite day of Grand Mommy and I am glad it brought her joy. She appreciated her life what she had and it was a test of her family. She had a keen eye for detail. She didn’t discuss the data she was gathering, just know she never missed anything.
After the linens were done and the furniture shined like glass, Grand Mommy turned her attention to the dishes, cutlery, and the pots and pans. All the silver had to be polished and the china cabinet was opened to reveal the fine china she was gifted on her wedding day or the fine china that was her Mother’s. The china was cream colored and with straight lines of sparkling gold. The cutlery were all gold and shined under the chandelier looking like true fairy tale magic.
After all the food was prepared and placed into formal serving dishes and platters. We were dressed in formal clothes that we had to pick up from the dry cleaners.
Aside: Dry cleaning is the process of cleaning clothing without the use of water. Clothing is cleaned organic solvents that work to lift stains without damaging delicate fabrics such as silk, wool, and velvet.
We were all dressed perfectly with no a strand out of place to sit at Grand Mommy’s table to state one by one what we were thankful for and say prayers.
When Daddy in his suit and shined Stacy Adams we all clapped. Daddy would smile sheepishly and begin to carve the turkey. There was white wine for the adults and lemon tea for us children.
Every item on Grand Mommy’s Thanksgiving table symbolized something. @SymbolSage the turkey symbolized a great harvest. I can agree with that. Our years were good and we always had turkey. After Thanksgiving then Grand Mommy would begin pickling and preserving but that is another post for another day.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my Grand Mommy. What a life she must have had during all the wars, Emancipation, Jim Crow, the advent of Social Security, buying land, buying a cherry red Thunderbird… How did she do it all? I will never know.
Do you remember the Thanksgivings of your youth? What was it like? What memory sticks out to you? Comment below… Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from Grand Mommy’s Grand Daughter! Selah.
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