Desert Messenger

November 19, 2014 www.DesertMessenger.com 27 First locally-owned and operated music station in Quartzsite, Arizona. Proudly serving the communities of Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Rainbow Acres, La Paz Valley and beyond, since 1988. Quartzsite Radio • Quartzsite's Favorite "CLASSIC HITS" • Local Information • Weather • 24 Hours Day / 7 Days Week! KBUX 94.3 FM 928-927-5111 http://kbuxradio.com by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) The Thanksgiving TV Dinner (not!) ... San Francisco, CA I don't know a soul in San Francisco, so I spent Thanksgiving by myself. Holidays are hard when you're on the road; everything is closed, even McDonald's some places. Finding a bathroom can be a real challenge. Holidays are good for me though, in a way, because I am forced to take a day off -- from writing, from errands, from working out -- the usual drill. I made myself a special Thanksgiv- ing breakfast overlooking beautiful Lake Merced near San Francisco State University campus, where I usually hang out. Then at 11:00 a.m., I drove into the city and attended the joint church service between the huge Uni- tarian Church and a Jewish synagogue. The music alone was worth it -- an outstanding cantor. I sat on the aisle about halfway down the row of pews, and two fellows sat down behind me. I couldn't help overhearing their conversation. They were talking about their Thanksgiving plans. One of them mentioned that he went to several places looking for a frozen TV turkey dinner, but they were all sold out. I smiled to myself, thinking that no matter how bad things got for me on Thanksgiving, I would NEVER resort to a TV dinner -- besides I have no microwave in my camper. Then when I heard "Tommy's Joynt," I couldn't help turning around. Loving coincidences and laughing, I said, "I just ate there yesterday; it's one of my favorite places." Immediately I received an invitation to go, which I immediately accepted. (So that is the reason, I thought, that I happened to choose this particular seat among hun- dreds in this very large synagogue.) Serendipity AGAIN! Traveling with Gypsy Jane But alas, as the yin/yang of life would have it, we got separated after the service. When I spotted the fellow who invited me, he was chat- ting intensely with a small group of people. I didn't feel like interrupting. I thought Tommy's Joynt was a good idea anyway; so off I went to treat myself to Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant at Geary & Van Ness, which I remembered from living here many years ago. They have real turkeys here, and I watched as he carved big slices and placed them on a plate, adding potatoes and gravy, stuffi ng, cranberry sauce, a salad, and a roll for $6.25 + tax. (It was good, but wasn't as good as the Thanksgiving dinners I make -- the best stuffi ng, gravy, and mashed pota- toes in the world -- she said modestly.) When I had an oven (!) I used to cook a whole turkey dinner, even if I was invited out to eat, celebrating Thanks- giving for days to come with those wonderful leftovers and awesome turkey sandwiches! After dinner while the turkey was still warm, I would take it all off the bone, carefully separating the light and dark meat. I put the tur- key breast in the frig for sandwiches. I diced up the dark meat, mixed it with the gravy, and placed it in little cartons in the freezer. Then I would put all the bones, skin, and everything not edible into a big pot of water and boil it on low for about a half hour. When it cooled, I put the pan in the refrigera- tor overnight. The next day I skimmed off the fat, put it in meal-size cartons, and froze those also. You can get a lot of mileage out of a turkey, and doing it this way, I never got tired of it. I always enjoyed having a Thanksgiving dinner weeks later. P.S. I guess the gods were looking out for me once more because I spotted the fellow I'd met earlier at the bar reading a book. I went over to him and said, "I'm much more interesting than the book you're reading." Then he joined me at my table, and we enjoyed conversation and a Thanksgiving meal together. DENTURES $350 Full Set (replacement) • US Military trained w/ 30 plus years experience • Implant Dentures Available • Partials starting at $175 QUARTZSITE SNOWBIRD SPECIAL: Same Day Dentures and 1 Hour Reline/Repairs!! Dental Laboratory Service Call: 623-444-4013 • Goodyear, AZ http://www.DLSAZ.com Mexico Prices...USA Made!! Thanksgiving 8000 Calorie Poem: May your stuffi ng be tasty. May your turkey be plump. May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious and your pies take the prize, and may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs! ~Unknown Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Stories from the Road). This column consists of stories from the book. (email: janefi nley@yahoo.com, website: janefi nley.com) RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER thank you!

• Cover