Nobody Asked Us, But ...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! We hope you are spending it with family and friends and that the turkey gave it's life in a good cause.

Lucy Adams and John Nikakis both sent us that old favorite recipe off the Internet ... "One fifteen pound turkey, 1 cup melted butter, 1 cup stuffing (Pepperage Farm is good), 1 cup Orville Redenbacher's unpopped popcorn, salt and pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, brush the turkey with the butter, salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with the stuffing and popcorn and put the bird in the oven. Listen for popping sounds, and when the turkey's butt blows the oven door open and it flies across the room, it's done." [Writer's warning: don't try this at home. Do it at your neighbors or at your most unfavorite relatives]

Retraction: We passed along the message about sending cards to "A Recovering American Soldier," etc., but got a host of notes saying that the military won't deliver them without a name. Both Snopes.com and Truthorfiction.com have alternatives, so please check them out. We were also told that the American Red Cross, along with Pitney Bowes, has an address: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456. You might want to try that, but please send them before December 10th (this checks out as valid on truthorfiction.com). By the way, the NDOT drive to send 10 boxes of goodies to troops overseas was a smashing success ... they got enough stuff and postage to send 30 boxes. Many congrats.

A true Thanksgiving tale: A man and a woman we know were getting ready to fly to the east coast for Thanksgiving. In order not to have to have their driver get up at 2 a.m. Saturday morning to get them to the airport, they decided to stay at a motel Friday night and take the shuttle early the next day. Everything was packed, the husband stowed all the bags in the car, shut the door, and off they went. The women chattered all the way in from Carson, and, when they got to the motel, the wife asked her husband to get the bags from the trunk. There was no answer ... there was also no husband. He had closed the cargo door and had gone to make sure his truck was locked. The "girls," thinking he'd gotten in, had taken off. There he was, no keys, no coat, no cell phone, no nothing. When they finally realized they had left one of their party, they called her sister, who went over to the house and found him sitting on the stoop, freezing to death. They returned to Carson, picked him up, and he talked all the way to Reno ... guess he wanted to make sure they knew he was there. Fortunately, all's well that ends well. They are having Thanksgiving dinner across the country, and all is forgiven. Moral of the story? Check the back seat before you drive all the way to Reno.

Lots of things to do coming up: Pinkerton's 20th anniversary of "The Nutcracker" at the Community Center this weekend. Then on next Friday, Wild Horse Children's Theater presents "Seussical, Jr." with all your favorite Dr. Seuss characters. It will be at the Children's Museum and features songs and dances by a very talented local cast. For tickets and information, please call 887-0438. The Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare Auxiliary will have it's Holiday Open House on Friday, Dec. 5 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Refreshments, prizes, and 25 percent off ... quite a deal (their jewelry show starts the day before, on the 4th, so you can indulge a day early). Call the Gift Shop at 445-5142 for details. The Mackena Bell Motorsports Coat & Toy Drive will be held at the Carson Mall/Gottchalks parking lot by Little Caesar's Pizza on Saturday the 6th. They will be collecting coats and toys for local children ... so bring 'em down. "Slightly used" coats will be accepted (as well as new ones, of course), and all toys will go to Toy's for Tots. Mackena will have autographed pictures on hand, too. A wonderful show, "Babes in Toyland" will open Friday, Dec. 5 at the Brewery Arts Center (883-1976). It's a great show for kids, and will be presented by Carson High School Performing Arts, the BAC Stage Kids and Capitol Stars. Last of all (but not least), those same Capitol Stars will perform Thursday, Dec.11, from 6-8 p.m. at the BAC Performance Hall with their silent auction and holiday songs. There is a $5 donation, and dessert and beverage are included. This is always a fun evening, so put it on your list (and check it twice).

Happy Birthdays to Father Chuck Durante, Ethan Gray, Tom DeRosa, April Lincoln and Jason Fuller. Tom's mother, Diann Law says she had Tom on the day Kennedy was shot, and that the doctor told her that was what made her go into labor (guess we don't have to ask how old Tom is). May you all have a great year.

Pertinent question: What good will Universal Health Care be if doctors won't even take current Medicare and Medicaid patients? Seems to us that the Feds should up their payments to the doctors, so that they can be fairly reimbursed. Then maybe, things will change. Think about it and say something to your legislators, or it's going to be a hellish mess.

And speaking of things political ... we've loaned money to people ... so why can't we be "bailed out?" We're awaiting our checks ... HA.

One last story, related to the "missing husband" one ... some people we know were living in Tuba City, Ariz., a few years ago, and went to Flagstaff to get their groceries. They left the store, piled the groceries in the car and left for home. About half way there, the husband says to his wife ... "Er, honey ... I think we should go back." "Why?" she asks. "Because," said the husband, "this isn't our car." Sure enough ... there were no scratches in the interior where there had been before, and no kid's stuff in the back seat. They turned around immediately, went back to the store and found their "real" car (same make, model and color) ... quickly transferred the groceries to their car and made a speedy getaway. They never found out if the other owners wondered why their gas had gotten lower or their mileage had risen. Some things are better left undone.

Have a great week.

- Carolyn Tate and Maizie Harris Jesse are longtime Carson City residents. They can be reached by e-mail at editor@nevadaappeal.com.