family | The Oasis at Four Queen Palms

Well, here we go again.

May 14 is Mother’s Day. It’s a long-held observation that began as a means to recognize and honor mothers and the motherly roles they play within our families.

Yet somehow, over the past few years, the meaning has been greatly watered down, much to the point of negation and hilarity. Now I see that anybody can be “celebrated” as a mother, and that includes males. How many times I have seen and read tributes to men – males – who helped to raise their children either as a lone parent or part of a married couple, lauded as a grand recipient of the deceptive moniker of “mother!” Yes, it is laughable, yet so very sad, too.

“Happy Mother’s Day, Dad.” Do you see how silly and insulting that is?

Males can never be mothers, just as women can never be fathers. They cannot ever inculcate an opposite gender trait on their children and call it a day. Cannot be done. To believe so is an illusion and a slap to both men and women.

Therefore, to assert that a happy Mother’s Day greeting can equally be applied to a male, actually negates the importance of females and their unique position in raising children and the joy within the traditional family. And it diminishes and emasculates fathers in the process.

As ever,

The day arrived, finally! Today, most of the country is celebrating Thanksgiving, and if you are, I wish you a wonderful and gratitude-filled day.

Best Friend and I already chose a different date to observe our annual day of thanksgiving here at The Oasis of Four Queen Palms. It was a day filled with serenity and balance, good company, excellent wine, and great food. We played old, traditional music (think Sinatra and Bennett) in the background and lit a couple of candles placed snugly in the crystal candle holders. We set the table with our Fiestaware china, in the following colors: Butterscotch, Paprika, Meadow, and Scarlet. These three warm colors and one cool evoked the beauty of the changing of the leaves that is magnificent this time of year. A bouquet of silk autumn leaves in the centerpiece brought it all together.

This year, I veered a bit from our traditional menu fare. Sent away on holiday was the usual fare we have every year and brought in for a premiere showing were several new-to-us foods. But Tom Turkey was still the star of the meal. For reference, I picked up a 15-pound bird for $23.39. that is pretty good, given we will have a lot of leftovers to freeze and bones from which to make turkey soup.

To begin, our first and second courses were a bit quirky; something one wouldn’t think of to serve on Thanksgiving. The cup of Japanese Onion Soup we both had was good, and a suitable choice since it was mostly a light broth. It was simple to make a day ahead. The Apple-Raisin-Walnut Salad with Pumpkin Bread Croutons was crisp and cold, with the fresh Orange-Ginger Dressing being the perfect accompaniment.

The Herb Roasted Tom Turkey was perfectly browned and moist. My Apple-Raisin-Walnut stuffing to go with it turned out moist and crispy, just as we like it. I forgot to buy the raisins, but that did not deter from its mission as a side dish. It still tasted good! Leave it to me to forget to buy the raisins, although my forgetting something is not unheard of.

I prepared the Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine a couple of days in advance, and that was to its advantage, since the flavors melded well. I served this delightful side dish chilled, but I imagine it would taste just as good hot, too.

The Green Bean Gremolata was a new-to-us vegetable recipe. We liked the just-kissed lemony drizzle and the few shavings of Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. For the yellow vegetable, I opted to make Cousin Stanley’s Roasted Squash, just as he made it, roasted to tenderness, and drizzled with a touch of local honey.

For our starch in the potato department, Best Friend had a twice-baked potato, and I opted for one of my own favorites – boiled sweet potatoes. It’s a treat for our dogs, too, sans the butter and pepper!

And what about dessert? This year, instead of my fresh homemade pumpkin pie, I made a small carrot cake, a favorite of Best Friend. I made this just as our own moms did – with fresh grated carrots. Heavenly!

This year’s celebration was successful, and we like the fact that we chose a non-traditional day to observe the annual Thanksgiving Holiday. As I wrote in my previous essay, WELCOME TO THE OASIS, we are not bound to have our annual Thanksgiving on the designated Federal date – every day could and should be one of thankfulness and gratitude.

I hope you had a perfectly marvelous Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it today.

As ever,

✿●▬▬▬▬●✿●✿●▬▬▬▬●✿

The Oasis at Four Queen Palms

Gracious Living at The Oasis.

Tag Archives: family

Mom’s Day and the Erasure.

Thankfulness.