11.25.2011

Cleaned

Platter

I did it.
I made a turkey and a half.
And it was yummy.

I cooked a little too much food...
okay, I cooked way too much food.

I was sending people home with entire second meals.
And our fridge is still full to the brim with left overs.

For breakfast I had a dinner roll turkey sandwich and a piece of apple pie.
I tried some with Eva, but she opted for cereal.

The last bit of the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher...
and my slow cooker is making broth as I type.

This year there was a changing of the guard so to speak.
Not just with the cooking...
I now am the keeper of the Turkey Plate.

I remember it sitting on my grandma's table.
It was "ugly as sin" she would say each year...
but Grandpa bought it for her.

He had accidentally broke her china platter one year during the clean-up.
He ran out to buy her a new one the day after Thanksgiving.
This platter is what he came home with...
and so it became the "Ugly Turkey Plate."

The grandkids were allowed to carry it and dry it off.
Grandma hoped it would break and she would get a prettier one.

One without a creepy turkey that stared at her.
One that matched her china.
It never broke.

Over the years, the word ugly was lost.
It really wasn't that ugly and I think Grandma secretly loved it.

When Grandma died, Grandpa got rid of most of the dishes.
He ate out almost every meal and said they were dust collectors.
But he kept the turkey plate.

He gave it to my mom one year.
I didn't understand why it made her cry then, but I do now.

It is worn and and chipped.
Some of the glaze is gone of on the raised parts of turkey's body.
Years of scrapping and carving.

Now it is mine.

When I sent Michael out to the car to bring it in yesterday he said,
"You aren't really going to use that ugly plate, are you?"

He knew it was my grandma's and now my mom's....
but didn't know the whole story of the turkey plate.

It was perfect. 


friday favorite things | finding joy

11 comments:

Adrienne said...

Such a great post ~ I LOVE things that tie us to our roots...to generations of people who loved us and wished the best for us. To be cherished...and made fun of! Congrats on the success of your meal!

Anonymous said...

Aw love this.. good for you for sticking with your tradition :)

Marti said...

Traditions are so important. Thankfully it's not how things look, but what they mean that are important. Enjoyed the visit. Drop by and see me.

Kelly said...

That plate is absolutely amazing. I hope you never let the kids carry it ;) I'm glad things went well and everything was delicious. Congrats!!

Erin Wallace said...

What a beautiful post. I miss my grandparents so much; when I pull out something as simple as one of their old glasses and use it the moment feels more special. To have something as cherished as the turkey platter is a wonderful thing, indeed.

jmt said...

What a perfect, perfect story. Now I want to buy my mom an ugly plate for the holidays just so we can start a story...but alas, that wouldn't hold any meaning. I'll have to think of something to break first....

I'm blog hopping and found a comment you left somewhere along the way. It brought me here. :) Happy weekend.

Rachel said...

That is so funny.. what a cute tradition :) Good for you for cooking all that.. brave!! I just bought beer to my in-laws and ate.. easy peasy. I helped with the dishes though ;)

grey rose (they/them) said...

this is lovely. thanks for sharing these beautiful thoughts!! happy your day was wonderful, hooray for your turkey!

xo

Unknown said...

My granny had the same plate! My mother has it now- but it will be mine someday!
Thanks for popping by my place!
Kerry at HouseTalkn

Carol said...

The "ugly turkey plate" just got me all teary eyed. The plate and your family have a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing this, Nessa.

Meredith said...

I love the ugly turkey plate story. That's perfect. And, I hope that kids and grandkids still get to carry it for years to come!