Pumpkin Pie Phase I

Today began my Thanksgiving break. I arrived in NJ last night and was promptly put to good use, driving my father to drop off his truck at the service station (since they can use my car while I'm here). That meant that this morning I was left at my parents house with no car and no distractions, the perfect set-up for getting work done. Hence, getting work done I did. (Hooray! I have nothing against work, I just get easily distracted by life...)

Then, this evening began the Thanksgiving Day preparations. My grandmother arrived, the pumpkins were brought in and the cutting for the traditional Van Grouw pumpkin pie began. I went to work, but was quickly vetoed off the stage. (I have a tendency toward clumsiness, and a tendency toward piano playing, and it turns out that my family is apprehensive that these two things do not go hand-in-hand when a large knife is also involved....)

(Check out my attire however--today I basically rolled out of the shower and into my lounge-wear, and spent the rest of the day curled on the guest room bed with my laptop and books. This is a pretty nice way to spend a day, I have to say, and a luxury I rarely take...)

My dear father took over the cutting while Grandma directed. She was made to be a director, and directed the rest of us in the cutting up of a thousand small chunks. I fear that my pumpkin cutting was not up to her standards, and may have even offended her, but she didn't say (presumably because she loves me). Although, she did make a point of saying "You have to be an old hand at this" to us, and did not seem willing to concede that any of us had reached that point in our pumpkin career...


I may not have a future in pumpkin cutting, but I have to tell you--

my pumpkin seed toasting skills are to die for.

(We'll see how my pumpkin-cooking skills are, as I'm in charge of putting it on the stove and cooking it up tomorrow...:-/)