It all started like every other Thanksgiving for the past 20 years: finding the perfect bird.

I ordered a fresh turkey to be picked up Wednesday. When I arrived at the store, someone had accidentally sold my 20-pound turkey. Being kind, the butcher substituted a huge 28-pound organic one.

It was a tight fit in Grandma's cast iron roaster, but into the oven it went, with the lid slightly askew. The bird came out looking beautiful.

Due to bad weather, our out-of-town guests had to cancel, leaving five adults and two children to eat 28 pounds of turkey.

We barely made a dent in the huge bird, but every agreed it was the best turkey we had ever eaten.

As usual, we set the roaster and turkey outside, on a table on the deck (it was very cold). I planned to cut the rest off the bone after dinner, but feeling very tired and very full, I decided to move the roaster and leftover turkey to the downstairs fridge until the next day.

When our youngest son Rob came over for a turkey sandwich, we hauled the roaster upstairs. I proceeded to cut off some of the breast meat. Rob ate his lunch with all the leftover trimmings. I sent him on his way with a promise to divide up the bird and bring some to his house later.

I pulled the turkey out to carve the rest and make soup from the carcass.

That's when I discovered the disaster: slugs attached to the bottom of the turkey!

After jumping around the kitchen screaming, I settled down. My husband and I decided to never, ever tell Rob. After all, he had already eaten the sandwich. However, by entering this contest, our secret, so well kept, for so long, is out (sorry Rob!).

I have to assume the slugs decided, since we put the roaster outside, it was for them to partake in a feast of their own.

Needless to say, the rest of our beautiful turkey went in the garbage and we never again put leftovers outside for even a minute!

Being invited to my in-laws for turkey day, I offered to make the pumpkin and cherry pies, so my mother-in-law gave me a couple containers of frozen pie cherries that she had put up.

After a wonderful turkey dinner with all the trimmings, I offered up servings of my pies. Hubby said he would have a slice of pumpkin pie and my father-in-law followed suit. Hubby took his first bite and called me over to tell me there was something wrong with it. I took a bite and realized what the problem was. I forgot to put the sugar in. Being very embarrassed, I grabbed my father-in-law's pie and apologized, confessing what I had done.

Bless this dear man, he said, "That's OK, I'll just have a piece of the cherry pie," and hubby said he would do the same.

Back to the kitchen to dish up the cherry pie. Hubby laughingly said he would take the first bite and suddenly bellowed, "You have to be kidding." I asked what the problem was now and he announced that there was a pit in every cherry. I thought he was kidding so I took a bite ‹ sure enough.

That was when I learned the difference between our mothers. My mother froze cherries after pitting them and my dear mother-in-law pitted them before she used them.

The best part was they asked me to bring the pumpkin and cherry pies for the next Thanksgiving. What a wonderful act of courage and forgiveness from my wonderful late in-laws.

It happened 21 years ago, in 1987. My husband, Kevin, and I had been married just one short month and we were determined to establish our own holiday traditions. It was, after all, the 1980's and we'd read books about the importance of such things. And we thought we were really smart.

Well, we did not invite either of our families to our house for Thanksgiving, but instead, two other couples, friends of ours. Other DINKS (Double Income No Kids ‹ remember that one?) Since we were doing it "our way," we decided to barbecue the 20-pound turkey on the Weber, have spaghetti squash from our garden, homemade bread, stuffing green beans and blueberry pie.

Everything turned out pretty tasty. And it wasn't until later that the disaster set in. We had served the stuffing inside the turkey, because that's how we thought we were supposed to do it, just like Martha Stewart.

After a few hours of fun, everyone went home. It was getting to be dinner time so Kevin and I decided to eat some leftovers. But we hadn't refrigerated anything the entire time our friends were over, and the stuffing stayed inside the turkey. Now, if either of our families had been invited, they would have been smarter than us and immediately helped us put the leftovers in the frig.

Needless to say, at exactly the same moment (midnight, I think) we were simultaneously awakened by the worst illness I believe I've ever had! This went on for several hours, and the next day, Kevin called our bosses to let them know we couldn't make it, while I made myself drive to the nearest video store for movies: We had no satellite or cable and couldn't do anything else to get our minds off our misery. The drive also wasn't good, as we lived in the country several miles from the nearest video store. I had to pull over three times! We have never eaten barbecued turkey again.

This experience taught us two things: Always spend Thanksgiving with your family, and get out of your chair after the meal and ‹ put the leftovers in the frig!

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving is the opposite of a disaster.

Thanksgiving Day Disaster 1981. Our large, noisy family had dwindled to one small, six-year-old girl left in the nest as all of the older children were off to college. My husband and I (both working parents) decided it would be a nice change of pace if we went out to dinner and avoid the loneliness of only three at the table and the work of cooking a huge meal. Meanwhile, at Coos River School, Mrs. Sally Garboden's first- and second-grade classes were learning all about the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims, and how families would be celebrating the holiday in their own homes. As we drove to Lord Bennett's in Bandon for dinner our darling daughter wept copious tears and wailed the entire drive and throughout dinner, inconsolable. "You," she said to me, "are supposed to be home, cooking a turkey!" That is the last time we decided to try something "different" for a family holiday dinner.