THANKSGIVING

It's about Thanksgiving and first and foremost I am thankful for computers that have large fonts.  I had my eyes dilated today and can't see much yet, but I can read this font!!  And that makes me happy.
When I was a child, my Dad had built a rock smoker in the back yard.  We didn't barbq on it, but Dad smoked turkeys in it.  It could smoke a couple dozen turkeys at a time.  First he would put them in the garage in big pickle barrels with salt and sugar and I don't know what all, but it seems to me there was salt peter in it, too.  Why would I remember that?  I can just remember the smell.  Anyway, when they were properly cured, he would hang them in the smoker and we would have to be up all night to keep water on the wood to keep it smoking and I remember that being a wonderful time of the year, because I had a chance to sit out in the backyard with Dad all night.  Well, of course I am sure I slept.  In fact, I think he did too, just set an alarm clock.  And it was probably cold so we did not stay outside all night.  But that is what I remember.  It took 2 or 3 days to smoke.  Maybe longer, but he made more than one run at it and did a lot of turkeys, so it may have seemed longer. 
When they were finished, they were not done, they still had to be cooked in the over for a few hours.  But my, did they taste good.  The meat was sort of red, kind of like ham.  I had a cousin that hated turkey and we always told him we put ham on a plate for him and he must have been 40 before he realized it was turkey.  Dad did this for Christmas, too.  Some people had taffy pulls and some make pies, but Dad did turkeys and he did them until a year or two before he died.  I did not know what a roasted turkey tasted like until I was married and made my first turkey in my house.  I still would like a taste of smoked turkey and I have purchased them in the past, but they don't taste anything like Dads.