Thanksgiving Greetings from the Southwest

As I have noted in other posts, I’m in the Southwest. I’m about to head out to Colorado Springs to visit various of my offspring and their burgeoning families. I’m taking my aged mother with me, and unfortunately I don’t think she’ll manage to be away from her beloved cats for long. So we’ll likely head back to her home on Saturday, which is a great pity, because one of the things I love to do when visiting the Springs is to watch Steelers games at Donna’s house.

Donna is the lady pictured at left. Although a native Pittsburgher, she has lived in Colorado for some years now. My son met her when he showed up at an independent coffee house near his home to try it out. As Donna (or her daughter, I forget which) served him coffee she noted “Nice T-shirt.”

Since it was a Steelers t-shirt that wasn’t the response he would have expected in Broncos country. And for that matter it wasn’t actually a nice t-shirt, as it was already getting a bit threadbare at that point. (His wife later begged me to give him a new one for Christmas.) But a few questions revealed the Pittsburgh roots, and Adrian has been watching games with Donna ever since. Because, you see, Donna is a devoted enough fan to buy the whole Sunday ticket package or whatever it’s called, as otherwise she would essentially never get to watch the Steelers.

When I am visiting during football season it is one of the great pleasures to head over to her house, sit down in front of her enormous TV, and listen to Donna’s commentary. A few years ago I was visiting just after Donna had a bout with a nasty health issue. Fortunately she was on the mend. The Steelers that day were in the process of trying to give a game away to someone everyone thought they should beat, and at one point Donna said “C’mon, guys, I don’t have that much time left.”

And speaking of not having much time, I fear the posts are going to be a bit sparse this week. I will have mom to look after and four grandchildren to play with and daughters-in-law to catch up with and cooking and clearing up. I think I will manage to squeeze in some more of JuJu’s adventures, suitable for reading to any children or grandchildren who may be at loose ends. Lots is happening in JuJu’s life. And hopefully I will manage an opponent preview. But I don’t promise too much else.

In the meantime, I wish all of you and yours a very wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving, replete with turkey, all the trimmings, and, of course, football : ) Oh, and Go Stillers!*

*One of the ironies of my mom’s condition is what she does and doesn’t remember. My older daughter and her two children visited for a couple of days in late summer, and mom never did quite figure out who they were. But she has noted each time I’ve worn my Steelers shirt that in Pittsburgh it is pronounced “Stillers.” This is a woman who never cared a straw for football. Or Pittsburgh, for that matter. Odd… 

9 comments

  • Donna sounds amazing…love those lifer fans across the country. i once received free admission to an art museum in new york city (an art museum!) because i was about to pay with a steelers credit card. the cashier saw the card and said, “steeler fans get in free…enjoy your visit!” love it.

    have a wonderfully blessed thanksgiving with your family. peace.

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  • cold_old_steelers_fan

    My only bone to pick is that she has a Steelers doormat. Unless she bought it in the 1960s, it should be a Cleveland Browns doormat.

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  • I had a concussion once and had trouble remembering things for a several hours and my poor wife had to tell me many times that the Steelers had lost to Green Bay in the Super Bowl…and endure my ever fresh disappointment…

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  • Happy Thanksgiving to All and May the Stillers have a good Night! I will unfortunately have to miss the game, but for fun reasons of being at Disney World for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which goes until Midnight.

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  • A late night thanksgiving thanks. Thank you Rebecca for creating and maintaining a blog that I have to guess is in your own image: smart, funny, generous, welcoming to all. Thank you again and again for what you make seem so natural and yet is somehow not an Internet commonplace.

    And I’m sorry about your mother’s condition. You have my deepest sympathy. It’s hard to lose people before we really lose them.

    Don’t worry about us on your travels. We will be here when you get back!

    Earthling

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