I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday with family, friends or both. I enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal complete with all the trimmings at Linden Manor with my friend, Lou and the other residents of the facility. The staff did an excellent job in the meal preparation and serving. And the best part was — I didn’t have to cook or clean up. It was an enjoyable day.

I was speaking with a friend the other day, who told me about her Thanksgiving dinner that she prepared for her  and her brother. I swear, it was really similar to some of my experiences in the kitchen. Her name is being withheld to protect her reputation.

She planned to make mashed potatoes and cooked them the day before, and then put them in the fridge. Well, of course, they were cold on Thursday. So she heated them in the microwave. She also adds butter and cream cheese, which were also cold and hard.

But anyway, she mixed the stuff all together and was beating it with her electric mixer, when the cord pulled out of the wall. So she set the mixer down, and went over to plug it back in. However, she forgot to turn it off.

And you can guess what happened when she plugged it back in. The beaters, which were set on high, sprayed butter, cream cheese and potatoes all over her kitchen, walls, floor, etc., creating another job – cleaning up the mess.

She did manage to finish the dinner without further problems. If that had happened to me, I probably would have quit right there and headed to the nearest tavern. That story really made me thankful I didn’t have to cook.

I had a call the other day from Laura Wotachek, with the Kewaunee Young People’s Theater group that puts on the “Hooray for Hollywood” production in February. Tickets, $18 each, will go on sale at 8 am. Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Lakeshore Lighthouse, formerly Center Court.

The show is Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19 and 20, and Sunday Feb. 21, 2016, at Heritage Farm, on Wisconsin 42, south of Kewaunee. The 2016 theme is “Keep on moving, tic toc, tic toc.”

So don’t forget to get your tickets early.

We usually go on Sunday afternoon. Several of the cast regulars have retired, but I’m sure the younger generation will carry on the tradition and produce another excellent show.

And one more thing. The Townsends have again lit up their property, in the 1200 block of Fourth Street in Kewaunee. Stop down some night and take in the sight. The lights dance to music available on your vehicle’s radio. Every year it gets better.

Have a great week, everyone.

Barb Ludlow is a former Kewaunee County reporter. Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press Gazette: Ludlow: Thanksgiving kicks off holiday season