Thanksgiving 2010

I've never hosted Thanksgiving before. In my old age I've become less interested in the work that goes into entertaining, plus I'm not excited about exposing other people that I like to my unpredictable cooking skills. I usually like to wait for an invitation, volunteer Ephraim to make rolls, and just show up for the feast. But this year was different, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Our good friend Mike Jackson moved down here from Hawaii this week. Guest #1. I figured if I was cooking I might as well invite our great neighbors (we totally owe them). Guests #2-7. And then Ephraim and Mike went surfing in the morning and brought home a Canadian guy named George. Guest #8.

I decided not to be nervous about my usual issues (cooking, cleaning the house, seating everyone), but to just do what I could and not worry about whatever didn't get done. That worked great. Thank you to Martha for her Maple-Glazed Cornish Game Hen recipe. Thank you to Ephraim to and his famous "Two-Bite Dinner Rolls"

Ella and her baby Keesha helped in the kitchen by setting the table and making the food.

Isaac helped by staying out of the kitchen and entertaining himself in the yard.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Burning

Our neighbors in the village behind our house have been burning piles of bush everyday for over a month. Everyday. Not constantly, but at least once a day. My bed smells like a campfire. Our family has been sick. And I'm getting irate.

We talked to them, and they said, No, it's not poisonous, it's only plants. So yeah, thanks for not burning tires, but any smoke is still carbon and doesn't make breathing pleasant. Our other neighbor drove back into the village to talk to them, but to no avail. We've tried calling EPA, and have yet to hear back. Sometimes we flee the house because the smoke is unbearable.

Why must we burn shrubbery? Why can't we just toss it in the jungle 100 yards away and wait for it to decay? What more can we do? My next step is to post signs along our road saying "Fa'amolemole, Aua le susunu afi. Ua ma'i fanau." Please stop burning fires. Kids are getting sick. What should we do?