| Grab
the Turkey by the Horns |
| I made a big deal in this column in September about how
I was trying to figure out how to entertain and feed about
27 people at Thanksgiving. It was starting to sound more like
a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C., than Thanksgiving
dinner at the Greins. |
| I had reported in that column that my wife's family, along
with our own, "with all the sisters, brothers, cousins,
nieces, nephews, sons and daughters manage to meet in one
place over the holiday. We have hosted the event here in Herndon
several times because Washington is an easy place to get to
and there are so many things to do here. |
| "Added to this mix of new babies-on-the-bottle are
five other children aged two to seven, and 19 adults. That
adds up to 27 people, and don't think babies take up less
room than an adult. I've seen the new baby carriages (little
VWs) and all the necessary equipment that goes along with
a modern baby." |
| Our house just isn't big enough for such a large group.
So we e-mailed all of them asking for suggestions, including
eating Thanksgiving at a restaurant. You would have thought
I had asked them to eat tofu instead of turkey. They would
have nothing of it. Too much tradition. Too many little children
for a restaurant. |
| Then, during a moment of being rather overwhelmed by the
prospect of 27 people in my home, I suggested we all volunteer
at a homeless shelter and serve turkey to the less fortunate.
I received no response on that one. |
| I even asked readers for suggestions. The word was: Restaurant.
I heard from a couple who used to live in Herndon and now
runs a bed and breakfast in the Carolinas who suggested we
come on down there. Fat chance for that, although the invitation
was tempting and thoughtful. |
| A woman from Maryland, who reads my column online, said
that whenever her family gathers for a large Thanksgiving
dinner they rent the Elk's Lodge (or was it the American Legion
Hall?), plug in the television sets for the football games,
set up the bar, cook the Holiday Beast, and have a grand time. |
| However, I couldn't find a building to rent in Herndon that
didn't cost me a year's salary. Anyway, all these nieces and
nephews still wanted the tradition of Thanksgiving when everyone
sits down in Uncle Tom's and Aunt Betsy's house and eats dinner. |
| I even wrote The Washington Post, whose editors had suggested
in the Wednesday Food Section that they wanted to hear from
readers who had a Thanksgiving dilemma to solve. I wrote to
them and told them my problem, but I never heard back. Surprise,
surprise! |
| Not having many options here, I decided to grab the turkey
by the horns¤OK. OK. By the wishbone. |
| Having three children living in the area was the beginning
of the solution. Three houses, three ovens, five cooks. So
we had everyone prepare part of the meal and bring it over
to our house at the appointed time. My single son, whose cooking
talents encompass microwaving burritos and chicken nuggets,
took care of the bar. |
| I don't mean he actually PAID for it, but he did pick up
the stuff and ice it all down on the back porch. |
| A quick trip to the rental store (two nine-foot tables and
12 soft- cushion chairs were $38 for one day¤a real bargain
I thought) and Thanksgiving at the Greins went off without
a hitch. |
| We had set up a "nursing room" for the brand-new
infants and their moms and a play room for the other children,
plus two television sets took care of the football games.
(The Lions lost again, if anyone out there really cares except
me.) |
| Thanksgiving at the Greins in 2003? It might happen if all
these daughters, nieces and nephews stop having babies! |
| And that's Our Town this week. |
| |
| Power
Knocked Out on Elden |
| We had several calls from readers wondering about the noontime
power outage this week that shut down several traffic signals
on Elden Street. |
| After phone calls to the Town of Herndon Public Works Department,
other town officials and police departments in the area, no
one knew about the outage. |
| Finally a call to Le-ha Anderson, spokeswoman for Virginia
Dominion Power, brought this response: |
| "There was a power outage that affected 3,500 customers
and lasted about 14 minutes. The cause was salt that got into
an insulator causing it to fail. One circuit line dropped
into another circuit. The crossarm caught on fire. We had
to de-energize one of the lines for 14 minutes." |
| Maybe too much information, but indeed, there was a power
outage. |
| |
| One
Man's Mishap is Another's Fortune |
| The sign on the door at the empty Downtown Mart said it
all: "Coffee Next Door at Joe's Dog House." |
| The Downtown Mart has been empty since mid-November. The
owners reportedly had sub-leased the business earlier to another
party who then suddenly closed the business. Landlord Arthur
Nachman declined comments, citing pending litigation. Nachman
said the store may open soon. |
| Meanwhile, Joe Eiginger, owner of Joe's Dog House, took
the closure as an opportunity to advertise his new business
and sell coffee. |
| |
| The
'Not Quite Ready Prime Time Players' |
| |
| The Observer received a press release Dec. 9 from the Town
of Herndon advertising "The First Annual Winter Readiness
Parade" on Dec. 16. It was going to be held on Lynn Street
in front of the Herndon Municipal Center. |
| The press release continued: "The Winter Readiness
Parade will feature a variety of ice and snow removal equipment
with operators from Public Works, Community Development, Parks
and Recreation, and the Golf Course, the Emergency Operations
Center, the Water and Sewer Section, the Equipment Mechanics
that keep things moving in any kind of weather, the Refuse
Section, and Santa Claus!" |
| The next day we received another press release with the
cryptic message: "The Readiness Parade" has been
canceled. |
| I guess they just weren't ready. |
