A Late-Evening Snack
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Wonder of Christmas
By Rita Durrett

A dog can't think that much about what he is doing; he just does what feels right.
~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

My oldest brother, Dwayne, was a welder. His claim to fame as a welder came from creating an extremely large pie pan. Our community held a Pecan Festival every year. They asked my brother to weld together a pan large enough for their pie to win a spot in the Guinness World Records for the largest pecan pie. They won the title and, to my knowledge, it still holds.

Years before welding the pie pan, Dwayne welded a very large smoker. Once finished, he volunteered to smoke the Thanksgiving turkey. "This is going to become a new family tradition," he said. For weeks before the special day, he talked about the perfect temperature, the exact time needed, his use of pecan wood, and his special technique for basting the fowl. We didn't exactly avoid him, but we knew if we were in the same room with him for any length of time, we would have to listen to his "turkey talk." (Keep reading)