Ten days before Thanksgiving, we took our kids to a local turkey farm.
As we approached the fence, they rushed over to us, crying out in unison, a collective gobble, timed about every 10 seconds.
It is said that the turkey is one of the least intelligent animals. On a rainy day, if they look up to the sky, they will drown.
But I’m not so sure. It seemed like they were calling to us with a purpose, and maybe in search of an escape plan.
A few weeks later, we would be hosting our first extended family Thanksgiving since returning to the east coast, with a cast of (what seemed like) hundreds.
The turkey at the center of the feast did not come from this particular Maryland farm.
But that’s a story for another day.
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Note: Just 3 years after this photo, Schramm Turkey Farm, Pasadena, Md. sold the property to Koch Developers who built 70 homes on the grounds that housed 10,000 turkeys each year.
http://screenshots.firefox.com/znsMh32cYhQlzW7d/kochhomes.com
vanbytheriver 
Agh…a cliffhanger..:)
There is just something about hosting large families, George. Especially when you have lived distant for so long. Thanks.
I don’t do the big traditional feast on T-Day…the last time I tried to roast a full bird, I ended up summoning an Elder God.
There were tentacles EVERYWHERE!
Lucky for us, I’m not that good a kitchen witch, and we managed to beat it back to the ether with the gravy boat.
I don’t mean to laugh at your pain, Peg. But…tentacles !! summoning the Elder, gravy boat maneuvers….all golden. Thanks.
They always seem happy to me. I’m getting excited about the afters of Thanksgiving — those dry turkey sandiwches and turkey and noodle bowls. Yaaaasss.
I hope you will share the story another day.
Oh, we live for those leftovers, Joey. It’s why I roast turkey breast throughout the year, with props to the mayo and white bread.
It is hard to look the animal you are about to eat straight in the face.
No doubt, Bernadette. But my ancestors were farmers, and dealt with the reality all the time. (They were not vegetarians!) Thanks.
This is the first year in many, then, that we are actually having a big family get-together Thanksgiving dinner. I have begun to pray about it now because well let’s just say there are Polar Opposites within this family and heaven forbid if politics comes up into the discussion it will be very nasty. I really pray that these people can keep their political views to themselves and to focus on being thankful for all we do have. As for turkeys I saw some in a park the other day and they seemed far from stupid to me. Just saying… 💕🍁💕
In light of your family circumstances…go gently to that gathering, Amy. I understand. 💕
These are my in-laws that will be at the dinner not my bio family. The atmosphere will be a lot lighter believe me. Thank you for your concern though, Van.
Or at least I pray it will be lighter because there have been serious issues with they as well in the past. Some it seems are realizing how precious life is so I have hope that this get-together will be the start of something new.
There’s always that hope, Amy, the start of something new…wishing that for you.
Happy thanksgiving when it comes. 🌼
We’re on the countdown, Brigid. Thanks so much.
Van, they definitely look like they are plotting something…. Watch your back. 😉
Ha ha..good advice, Teagan. Thanks.
Turkeys look sneaky to me. Like they’re putting on a stupid act while really stealing your wallet. I never feel bad about eating one.
Stealing the wallet, for sure. The fresh killed ones can be more than $4. a pound. Thanks, Ally.
Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving for next week, I bet there are less gobbles about and more turkeys in the freezers right now. 😀
I hope you have a fabulous time. We have much to be thankful for 🙂 Enjoy!!! Gobble GOBBLE..
Thanks so much, Sue. We visited on this day because I’d been told they would start “processing” the birds soon. I drove by the following week to empty fields.
Gobbling makes me giggle. I have had more experience with wild turkeys. They have staged a comeback in Ontario.
As to their intelligence, I have mixed opinions. They do not shy away when you approach them in a car… but are off like a flash if you approach on foot.
I would imagine that last tendency has been bred out of the birds in the flock in your picture.
Good point, on the being bred out. I’m certain the wild turkeys might not have approached us that way. Thanks, Maggie.
Oh my!!
For real. 🦃
A friend of mine once said ‘Turkey is a garbage bird only meant for children and Americans” The inner american child in me disagrees
Oh,my. I never heard that one. And to think, instead of the Eagle, it was once proposed to be our national bird.
I look forward to that other story!
Thanks, Colleen. I think it will focus on the concept of holiday stress that comes with being a hostess.
Ah……the gift that always gives at holiday time. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving, Van. I hope you enjoy having the cast of hundreds! One of our neighbors bought a handful of turkeys to raise and “freeze.” But they fell in love with them and couldn’t do it. The turkeys follow them like puppies. They may be smarter and trickier than we think.
I could totally see that happening, D., which is why you should never name your livestock. So sweet that they followed them around like puppies. I’d have to give up turkey after that…maybe ? Happy T’giving to you as well.
What a great picture! How long ago did this turkey farm visit happen? And they all look nice and plump by the way… (the turkeys, not your kids!)
Pic is from 1990. They were having a good year (the turkeys and the kids). Thanks, AGMA.
Nice story, Van. I prefer to think that turkeys and chickens are not real birds but just appear wrapped in plastic and waiting to be roasted.
Ha ha..That might be the best way to look at them as food, Robbie. Thanks.
Smart enough to tug at the heartstrings, huh, Van?
For sure, Mark. 🦃 🦃
Oh, that’s right. It’s that time of year again. What would I do without your informative posts…they always make me realize how isolated I’ve become from America. 😉 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Van.
Glad to provide the service, Julie. I wonder what I’d miss if I lived overseas ?? Thanks.
You know, I often think that I’m really not missing anything important. 😉
I’ve heard that wild turkey are notoriously difficult to hunt, and yet domesticated ones are dumber than rocks. We had a wild turkey hen in E. Oregon that had taken residence near by. She was constantly laying eggs about and they never hatched because they weren’t fertilized. Then, she laid a clutch of eggs under our canoe that were of two different kinds. They looked like a mix of turkey and chicken eggs. The smaller eggs did hatch, and boy, they looked liked chicks. We figured she must have found a mate in one of the neighbors roosters, and had finally got her babies, little turkens! The little chicks grew big enough to leave the nest, and within two or three days disappeared. I asked our neighbor, the resident animal behavior expert about it, and she explained that the little chicks get lost in the tall grass and the turkey mom can’t find them so they die. Yeah, that is a dumb bird.
Ha ha…I’m trying to picture a chicken-turkey blend. We have had a wild turkey show up in the woods near home…they are leaner, and move really fast, not sure how long they survive here. The breeder from this farm used to say they had to shock the birds, just to get them to eat. Thanks for sharing, Ilona. 🦃
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving Van. 🙂
Thanks so much, Deb. 🦃