Mayor Alvin Thrashborn gave his annual Thanksgiving speech almost no one attends. He stood on the steps of the town hall, which is also the public library, and read from his notes he prepared last year. He mentioned his thankfulness for volunteers, business owners, neighbors and friends of Maple Valley. The mayor also mentioned Sylvia Meisner and thanked everyone who is still searching for her. Six people shook the mayor’s hand and thanked him for his inspiring recitation.

Quintin O’Dillmotte’s three brothers and their families are visiting from out of town. Sage O’Dillmotte runs the Colson County Landfill in Kwinhaven. He is very proud of the landfill’s notoriety as the largest of its kind across five states. Carlton O’Dillmotte is the curator of the village museum in Shilhauer. Harvest O’Dillmotte is the youngest brother in the family and has overcome a great deal of ridicule. Gordon O’Dilmotte, the boys’ father, farmed eighty-seven acres throughout his life and named his youngest son Harvest in thankfulness for his family’s greatest year on the farm.

Salvene O’Dillmotte, Quintin’s wife, prepared a beautiful meal of turkey liver soup, jello salad, homemade sausage, turnip greens, squash, and fresh fruit with whipped cream for dessert. The families do their best not to use the word “harvest” when they express thankfulness for the season.

Ver and Vee Burthrap make fig-prune-walnut crunch cookies every year to share with their neighbors. And every year when they discover no one is home, they walk over to Sheriff Pete Terkinberry’s house and give all of the cookies to him. Sheriff Pete expresses his appreciation to the sisters for their generosity and the next day he buries the cookies in the flower garden.

Shorty and Hannah Cloverton open the Y’all Sit Cafe on Thanksgiving Day from 7 until noon. In gratitude for the many years of business they have enjoyed in Maple Valley, they reduce prices on breakfasts by twenty percent. There are several people who eat free at the cafe on Thanksgiving morning. Shorty and Hannah never charge them because they know how they struggle at home.

Most families in Maple Valley stick to the familiar turkey dinner with all their favorite side dishes. Arguments always arise over whether the stuffing should be baked in the turkey or separately. The older of Maple Valley residents insist the stuffing must be loosely stuffed into the turkey. Others demand the stuffing be truly stuffed until it bulges from every possible turkey spot. The fight over whether turkey giblets should be included in the stuffing almost caused Gladys Kuerhing to stomp out of the house dragging Henry behind her. Luckily, Grandma Kuerhing won and the stuffing was delicious.

The Kafflen clan almost came to blows when Uncle Klem said Eliverna’s pie crust tasted like tennis ball fuzz. Able put his fork down and stared at his uncle, then said, “You sit in my house, at my table, under my roof, eating my food, and you say something like that about my Eliverna’s pie?! Apologize now!”

“Well, I can’t apologize for saying what’s true,” Klem said.

Standing up now, Abel loudly said, “I said, apologize, Klem, or you can get out of my house, now!”

Then Uncle Klem stood up and was about to speak when red-faced Aunt Wiletta, staring at her husband, spoke first. “Klem!! You apologize this instant and sit your butt in the chair!”

Klem Kafflen looked like a saggy balloon. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he deflated into his chair. The remainder of the Kafflen dinner was quiet.

Holiday meal time with extended family at the Shermer home is always interesting, and tense. The Reverend Shermer of Maple Valley Church eats while holding his breath. Although he’s not one to argue, it would be better if he was. His dear grandmother believes she is a blood and spiritual descendant of King David. She refers to herself as a princess and it’s always in third person.

The reverend can always tell when it’s about to start because Grandma asks some crazy question out of the blue.

“Grandma, will you pass the potatoes, please?” the reverend asks.
“Did you ever think about Melchizedek!?” Grandma shrieks.

“Mel who?” he says, knowing exactly what she’s doing as he scrambles for something to throw her off track.

“You’ve got gravy on your chin, Grandma.”

“When Princess Shermer comes into the kingdom, you will all be priests in the court of Kind David, and…” Grandma says as she gets that all-too-familiar dazed look on her face.

“Grandma! Stop!!” the reverend yells, embarrassing himself and his family. For now, the conversation has ended.

It’s been a good Thanksgiving Day in Maple Valley. Nothing has happened that wasn’t, at least in some way, expected. The meals were good. Most of the conversation was normal. Everyone thought of the things they are thankful for.