Well, Thanksgiving is a week away, and it's become apparent that we are going to have a rather significant deviation from our Usual Routine this year . . . Instead of rallying at our house, at Emil's instigation, the Extended Bauman Clan is going to decamp to Youngstown for the holiday. We figure that this is the only way to ensure that Emil, Sr. will be part of the holiday; left to his own devices, he'll probably decide that it's not worth making the drive.

Although I balked at the idea at first (because to make the turkey we'd have to go on Wednesday night, and I teach until 4:00 on Wednesday, which puts us in Y'town at 10:00 at the earliest), I've come around - chiefly because Kathy (who doesn't teach at all on Wednesday) volunteered to go down and make the turkey. So they'll go down on Wednesday, and we'll arrive on Thursday. They have to leave after dinner on Thursday because they have to be back home on Friday. We'll spend Thursday night, and drive back home on Friday (because Emil, believe it or not, has to work on Saturday - they're doing a file conversion over the weekend, since it's going to be Down Time). So Emil, Sr. will get three days of company, and lots of leftovers besides . . . it's all beginning to sound very reasonable. I was immensely cheered that Kathy immediately thought this was a good idea.

Of course, we won't have that wonderful sensation of wandering around in a completely clean house after the festivities have worn down . . . but maybe I'll clean the house this weekend anyway, so we can come home to it. And truth to tell, I'm kinda relieved not to have the whole magilla on my shoulders this year. Last year the holiday was tense . . . and truth to tell, again, it just hasn't ever been the same since my niece hasn't been around to take long, after-dinner walks with . . . that was a lovely phase of life.

And maybe the "Hoo! Ha! Go to Youngstown!" phase will be equally enjoyable . . . I'm hoping! After spending a decade or so developing these holiday traditions, apparently it's now time to scrape the barnacles off and move on to new traditions . . . the early good news seems to be that although the family reconfigures, it's still family, and it's still good . . .