Tag Archives: Pedernales chili. LBJ

It is September 18, a Wednesday. My husband called from work at 9:45 this morning to schedule something. I had the dishwasher and washing machine running at the same time so ran for my desk for some peace and quiet next to the window on a high floor, well for here, anyway.

Sometimes nature has to give a person a wake-up call. It was pouring down rain and all of a sudden for about 15 seconds there were tiny snowflakes floating by and two big birds, and one little one across our major street.

They were trying to cross the road. There are wild turkeys out here in the near-town suburbs! After six months of my hard work and a couple of nasty (human) fatalities in the neighborhood, the city finally started curb cuts and crosswalks. Now for the past few weeks we’ve had one but now cars speed up with me and our little hipless dog out there, don’t slow or stop.

The three made it across the road and all of a sudden a fourth, another little one, must have yelled “Mom! Dad! Don’t leave me!” and he/she parted traffic as if were the Red Sea and made it back to the family.

What nature reminds me of is that this weekend we need to get flights to Nanny’s for Thanksgiving. The dog will be taken care of. Just think of snow and turkeys and Thanksgiving. Do not fret, the wild turkeys here are safe, from us anyway.

Last year we drove for three days to get to Thanksgiving, with said dog. We call it the dog-cation because my husband insisted on staying inside major cities en route and I’d rather stay in a 2.5 star off the highway where I can actually take her for walks and it’s cool enough to park the car right outside the windows of a burger place so we can keep an eye on her. Now hotels make dog owners sign complicated papers that prohibit ever leaving your dog in the room. Not that we would as she’d rather be in the car or with her pack.

It was a good visit (we left her with my in-laws shortly after arriving and went out for pizza, alone). The road to and from was not easy and so we’ll leave her with someone she loves and fly this time. Depending upon flights, that will leave me plenty of time to cook up some great dishes with my mother-in-law, which we only get to do once a year now.

Said m-i-l was disappointed that our dog would not be there this year because she’s great at picking up the occasional crumb from the kitchen floor! Cheers and make your arrangements soon to see family for the holidays. Dee

ps My dishes this year are expected to include: boursin and crackers; spinach balls if B isn’t making them from the recipe I gave her when she married into the family; mincemeat tarts, a staple in my family; [Oh, heavens, it’s snowing again!] brussels sprout and cauliflower gratin (a big hit last year); and perhaps a corn pudding that has done well with folks around here but hasn’t made it yet south of the Red River.

pps After Thanksgiving it may be time to cook up a big batch of chili with some homemade cornbread. Where better to grind and cook beef than a cattle ranch! Oh, as an honorary Texan I’ll tell you that LBJ and Lady Bird served a version of this chili to JFK and 5,000 guests at their ranch outside Austin in summer 1962. Of COURSE there are no beans in my chili. I know I’d be drummed out of the family if I went and did that!