The Glorious Popping Sound

So I was raised on a farm...

Well, kind of! I was raised on three acres of land that was mostly covered with crops, animals and barns, and I was occaisionally caught doing farm-like tasks: feeding chickens and pigs, milking goats or cows, weeding large gardens etc...

One year, we raised some turkeys from egg to platter and an unfortunate piece of their story involved the removal of their heads. (in case you were wondering - when a turkey's head is removed it reacts very similar to a chicken with it's head cut off...)

After chasing down the headless fowl and restraining it we would begin an arduous process of de-feathering and "cleaning" them. When you "clean" your first turkey you are usually revolted by the process and every item that is removed is a new excuse to run to the restroom, but by the fifth turkey things begin to seem more mundane. It is at this point that you notice the little green sack at one end of the intestines. It is filled with toxic fluid and should not be popped anywhere near the edible portion of the fowl, and is thus to be removed with care. Once it is finally extracted, however, bored eight year old boys have discovered that it makes a glorious popping sound when it is whacked up against a block wall. I'm just saying...

The moral of this story is:

As you are heading toward this season of Thanksgiving don't forget that there are others who have not had it as good as you; the turkey provides a great example in this case.

- OR -

remember that no matter what you're stuck doing there is always something to be thankful for; during turkey "cleaning" there is at least the glorious popping sound...