Thanksgiving Memories

November 21, 2007 — 

On this special day we share with family and friends, I'd like to take an opportunity to share a cherished memory of mine with all of you.

Our group of swine vets had just arrived at the Johnson's fabulous cabin by the lake in the Minnesota woods. An early season snow had dusted the grass and we could see the smoke rising from the chimney. We gathered our belongings and went inside to find Jean hard at work on a Thanksgiving feast of turkey and a lovely Clifty Farms cured ham supplied by Tosh Farms. I noticed she was wearing a beautiful set of handcrafted earrings in the shape of mountain dulcimers carved by Karen Scates.

The folks at Ralco Nutrition were sponsoring a radio show and holiday tunes wafted from the Bose Wave Radio filling the room with the joyous sounds of the season. We threw on our nice warm jackets from MVP Labs and rushed outside. As luck would have it, the neighbor, a fishing guide, showed up just as I reached the dock with the Johnson's new Loomis rod and Shimano reel. He showed me exactly were the fish were hiding.

My fishing was interrupted when Warren Wilson hit me in the back of the head with his Brett Favre autographed football. The rest of the group had begun a pick-up game in the backyard. Just at that moment, Jean called us in for dinner.

We all gathered around the table for a fantastic meal. The room was filled with talk of family, friendship and the important role the AASV Foundation plays in supporting research projects and student endeavors. We remembered how proud we were when our fellow members achieved their goal and raised over $50,000 at the auction during the 2008 AASV Annual meeting.

With dinner over and the dishes washed and packed away the group dispersed to their assigned bedrooms. I was still too wrapped up in the joy of the day to retire just yet. So, I sat back in the recliner in front of the slowly dying fire and put on the Bose QuietComfort 2 Noise Cancelling Headphones one of the guys from Swine Veterinary Services had brought along so I wouldn't disturb the rest of the household.

After an hour reliving the life and times of Dr. Plummer, which I had downloaded from the AASV website, my eyes began to droop and I realized it was time for bed. As I headed down the hall to my bedroom overlooking the lake with the whimsical pig in a blanket intarsia wall hanging hand-carved out of cedar by Sandy Amass, I paused for a moment to reflect over the day's events. It had been a magical day. I straightened the Marvin Espe "Pigs and Kids" print hanging by the door and turned out the lights dreading tomorrow's 4am shopping spree at Walmart.

Yeah, I know - shameless. You can view all of these memories online on the AASVF Auction web page. And, these could be your memories if you'll join us for a little fun to support a good cause during the AASV Foundation Auction in San Diego. We still need your donations, so please visit the Auction website, donate an item and support your Foundation!

Happy Thanksgiving!!