Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re reading this, then you’ve made it to Thanksgiving for another year, and, if nothing else, you can be grateful for that.  But of course there is always more than that to be thankful for, and tomorrow most of us will once again be getting together with family somewhere to give those thanks, celebrate, and enjoy the day.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, a question I’ve heard come up in conversations twice this week concerns the dishes we eat on Thanksgiving Day, namely, why must there be turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc., etc., when we could instead be eating barbecue, chile rellenos, or rib-eye steaks? Most, if not all, of these traditional dishes are ones we generally pass over the rest of the year without a second thought, so why are they the ones we insist on for Thanksgiving?

So, I asked Google, who sent me to the Thanksgiving page on Wikipedia, where I didn’t exactly get a complete answer, but I did find out some interesting information. 

The answer for turkey is fairly straightforward. We eat it because that’s what the Pilgrims and Wampanoags ate on the first Thanksgiving back in 1621 at Plymouth. William Bradford, who was there and wrote about the meal, noted that “besides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys.” 

He also mentions that they had venison, ham, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash, which I guess also explains the ham, cranberries (sort of), and pumpkin, but not why the waterfowl, venison, lobsters, and clams failed to make the cut. There is also no word on whether the Wampanoags included dressing or giblet gravy with their turkeys, so how those became part of the tradition also remains a mystery.    

Thanksgiving was already an American tradition when the colonies became the United States, and Alexander Hamilton once declared that no “citizens of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day.” So, eating turkey is not only traditional, but also patriotic. 

Wikipedia also mentions that Americans eat more on Thanksgiving Day than on any other day of the year.

But besides the food, Thanksgiving is also a reminder to give thanks for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. We live in a peaceful, prosperous country in prosperous times, and sometimes we forget just how hard life could be for the ones who came before us.

I was reminded of this the other day while looking through some old newspaper articles and ran across a statement from the Roscoe Times that was reprinted in the Abilene Semi-Weekly Farm Reporter on October 25, 1908:

We will be glad to see the time come when farm products will command a price sufficient to justify a farmer to send all his children to school at least six months in the year, and when no woman or girl in the country is forced to go into the fields to help earn a living for the family.

We’ve come a long way from those times. So, if nothing else, at least be appreciative of that as you polish off that second dessert before heading off to watch the Cowboy-Redskins game. Happy Thanksgiving!

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PLOWGIRLS ON A ROLL, BEAT WINTERS, POST

2018-19 Varsity Plowgirls:

Sitting: Cassandra Jorgensen, Victoria Martinez, Sadie McCambridge, Jovana Peña. Kneeling: Kadie Martinez, Liberty Saenz. Standing: Bonnie Wilkinson, Veronica Cuellar, Riley Sheridan, Shauna McCambridge, Jaci Alexander.

The Plowgirls extended their winning streak to three with victories over Winters on Friday and Post on Monday. They are now 3-1 on the season after losing a close game to Robert Lee in their opener 50-46 and then defeating Ira 40-35, Winters 56-35, and Post 49-38.

The game with the Lady Blizzards in Winters Friday evening was never in doubt as the Plowgirls jumped out to a 21-6 first-quarter lead and then cruised to a 56-35 victory.

Scores by quarters:
                                        1          2           3         4
            Plowgirls          21        37        45        56
            Winters              6        16         23       35

Individual Plowgirl scoring: Bonnie Wilkinson 28, Sadie McCambridge 10, Shauna McCambridge 8, Victoria Martinez 8, Kadee Martinez 2.

Then, after a close first quarter in Post on Monday, they pulled away in the second to down the Antelopes 49-38.

Scores by quarters:
                                        1         2           3          4
            Plowgirls          11        29        34        49
            Post                   10        14        23        38

Individual Plowgirl scoring: Bonnie Wilkinson 27, Sadie McCambridge 8, Victoria Martinez 8, Shauna McCambridge 3, Jovana Peña 3.

The Plowgirls’ next game will be at home against Jayton next Tuesday. The Plowboys will also play as they open their season against Jayton following the Plowgirls’ game.

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TRASH PICKUP ON FRIDAY THIS WEEK

City Hall wants to remind Roscoe residents that trash trucks will not be operating on Thanksgiving Day but will instead pick up trash on Friday.  Please inform those who might not be aware of this change in the normal schedule.

City Hall will also be closed for Thanksgiving both Thursday and Friday. For questions, contact City Hall at 325-766-3871.

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STRIPES GETS UNEXPECTED VISITOR

(Photo by Braxton Vick.)

The Stripes station and convenience store on South Main got a surprise guest at lunch time on Friday when a westbound runaway truck came barreling off Interstate 20, crashing through the guard rail, down the embankment, across the access road, and through the parking lot to finally come to rest up against a FedEx truck parked outside the store. 

Luckily, no one was hurt. The cause of the wreck is under investigation by the Texas DPS.

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WEATHER REPORT: COOL BUT SUNNY AND NICE

Clear skies at dawn this morning.

It’s been a dry week with nice weather. Skies were generally clear with some clouds, but breezes were lighter than usual, and temperatures were what you’d expect for mid-November. Highs were in the mid to high sixties last weekend, but on Sunday a cold front moved through and 41°F was as warm as it got. Lows were in the thirties except for Friday’s 40°. Monday and yesterday were cool with highs of 57° and 55°, but felt warmer with sunshine and only light breezes with periods of calm.

The forecast is for continued highs in the upper fifties, light winds, and partly cloudy skies today and tomorrow. Thanksgiving should be a good day for travel with a high of 60°, mostly cloudy skies, and light winds. Friday and Saturday will be warmer with highs of 70° and 73° but breezier with strong southwest winds. Sunday’s high will reach only 55° as a norther moves through.

Neither rain nor freezes are in the forecast for the upcoming week.

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† DORIS KATHERINE CLEMENTS

Funeral services for Doris Katherine Clements, 87, were held at 11am, Saturday, November 17, at McCoy Funeral Home in Sweetwater. Rev. Daniel Norton officiated, and interment followed at Sweetwater Cemetery. She passed away Sunday, November 11, at her son’s home in Roscoe.

Doris was born July 14, 1931, in Coke County to the late O.L. and Daisy (Best) Henderson. She married Walter Lee “Buddy” Clements, Jr., February 25, 1950, in Sweetwater. She had lived in Roscoe since October 1956. She was a graduate of Blackwell High School, worked for Bell Telephone Company before her marriage, was a homemaker and a member of Lamar Street Baptist Church. 

She is survived by her sons Larry Clements of Roscoe, Jacky Clements and wife Betty of Batesville, Arkansas, Barbara Clements of Gainesville, six grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. 

She is preceded in death by her husband January 7, 2016; her son, Walter Clements III; five brothers, and one sister. 

Pallbearers were Allan Stewart, Greg Gnade, Damian McDonald, John Clements, Daniel Casey and Jimmy Davis.

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