Thanksgiving comes up once – and somewhat peripherally – in A Farewell to Arfs, the most recent Chet and Bernie mystery. (For those who don’t know, Chet, the narrator is a dog – but not a talking dog. In fact, this little passage might be a good intro to the series, suppose you want to share it.)
“Okay, then,” Mr. Parsons said. “Let me just get my ducks lined up.”
Would it be true to say that I was totally on top of things up to this point? No. But no way was I expecting ducks. Where were they? I didn’t have to look around for ducks. They have a very distinctive smell—a sort of combo of down pillows and an oven getting opened on Thanksgiving morning—and there wasn’t a trace of it here in Ms. Mendez’ office. That was the moment I realized we were dealing with a tough case, if this was in fact a case, and who was paying, by the way?
13 Comments on “Thanksgiving (More)”
LOL!
Good day to all.
Greetings!
I am laughing at this excerpt too, especially the part about a duck’s distinctive smell. :^)
Good day before Thanksgiving to all!
Feathers and a cooked turkey. Sounds…..delicious. Cooked feathers would be worse.
I could swear there was an incident about Chet and a cooked turkey, Chet running through a barn or a room with a cooked turkey? Sheinbaums? Something about a divorce?
Today is Turtle Adoption day. Great choice for those allergic to cats and dogs. Had a work colleague that had a tortoise (not the same as a turtle) as a pet. He said he was great. Very low maintenance. When he slowed down in the fall they put him in a shoebox in the closet and when they started to hear rustling in the Spring they got him out and set him loose in the yard. I had no idea tortoises hibernated like bears. Not all of them do but the one he had did. My local nursery has a little pond where there are a lot of turtles, mostly red sliders. People started bringing them to Farmer Bill as rescues. People will get them and not realize that they do grow bigger. For a while they weren’t available because of salmonella.
It also reminds me of scenes in the movie Conclave which I recently saw. First movie I’ve gone to in a theater since before Covid. Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini. It was good and I enjoyed it. I liked the little turtle pond that was in the film twice. There is a turtle pond in the Vatican gardens but I don’t know if it looks like the one in the film.
I like turkey. In fact I like turkey pot pie better than chicken pot pie. While I will not be making a turkey for Thanksgiving I might so a small turkey breast for Christmas. I have already made the cranberry sauce. Right now I have too much to do around the house between Christmas baking, which will be over Dec 17, and some major yard repair, which if all goes well I will complete by next Tuesday. I put in a vacation hold and there is no USPS delivery today so I can start a day early. The yard will not be secure as a gate must be removed and it and posts replaced so the dogs will have free run of the front and back for almost a week. They will be delighted. They have no idea how lucky they are.
Perhaps if I get done with the Christmas cookies I will bake them some dog treats for Christmas if I’m not too burned out. I do have store bought treats for them and just ordered their annual Lambchops.
Since no one has responded to my quiz question from a couple of nights ago (has there ever been an instance in which someone or something in any of the books has been named after a blog participant?), I will try again with a couple of clues. First clue — the answer is neither Wookie, Teddy nor Franklin (although it might have been Wookie if I had won the one naming contest that Peter had on the blog as a prize in one of the silent auctions conducted to raise funds for Snowhook back in the day; someone outbid me for that who I believe may have been a friend of Peter’s but not a regular blog participant). Second clue — TFAT, page 163. Peter may deny that this is actually the case, but I think the evidence speaks for itself.
Well, Pa, you have aroused my curiosity. I cannot think of a C&B book with initials TFAT. Also, I did not know that you were referring to a fait accompli that you knew about, nor that this was a test! I thought your idle curiosity inspired you to merely create a game for us. Now I’m itching to know the answer! My random guess would be ‘Mr. Big’ as it sounds like a character OFA might have introduced.
To Fetch a Thief. One of the early ones.
So is the smell like a raw turkey, since the oven is opened in the morning? Mixed with down feathers. Gracious me! How evocative!
WTAFP! I guessed on the day you posted the question. I guessed Rio at the time, but after reading your clues today, I retract that answer. Wasn’t it someone’s wife’s name?
Reba! To Fetch a Thief.
And I reinstate my answer of Rio!!
Big Tiny. BINGO! You nailed it in one. Rio it is.
So, it wasn’t Rio who outbid you?
WTAFP: Dang it! I knew it was Rio but I got distracted and then forgot to sign in. Getting distracted is a way of life lately, which seems apropos for a Chet fan. Cheeto!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
I was thinking of Rio today because I heard a pug was crowned champion at the Westminster Dog Show! Rio would be proud!