Day 184 – 11/24/11 – Thanksgiving on the Farm

Pomona Lake to Idaho Road; Distance = 9 Miles; People Met = 16

Many towns in Kansas host a Thanksgiving community meal and our initial plan for this holiday was to partake in one of those meals.  I called ahead to Ottawa, the town we would be near on Thanksgiving and found out they offered such an event … up until this year.  None of the area towns had one either.  I had a feeling something unexpected would crop up for this day; that unexpected something was the Talbert family.

This started out the same way as so many other upcoming events, through meeting Gretchen Davis in Frisco, Colorado.  Gretchen and her husband Ardie liked what we were doing and kept in touch.  Great!  We had a place to stay when we came through Kansas City.  Then Gretchen arranged for some presentations in the area.  Then she became the point person for errands we wanted to run in the Kansas City area.

One of those errands was to repair Ky’s van, from the time she was rear-ended in eastern Colorado.  Gretchen put Ky in contact with Kip Sailor to repair her bumper.  The day before Thanksgiving Kip asked Ky what we were doing for the holiday.  Ky did not know.  Kip said he would call back in an hour and, when he did, had arranged for us to spend Thanksgiving with one of his employees that lived near Ottawa.

As it turned out we had the shortest distance to travel for the gathering of family David and Arlene Talbert hosted.  Both hail from Missouri, where the families of David’s two sisters and Arlene’s parents traveled from for Thanksgiving.  Besides being a mechanic, David and Arlene own a farm, making this the first Thanksgiving Cindy and I actually spent on the farm.  How delightful!  I even helped load 75 bales of hay onto the trailer of Ed and Donna, Arlene’s parents.  Loading and stacking hay was my favorite job when I worked on a small farm in Norfolk.

Gathering at the Talbert farm

We found out why it occurred to Kip to contact his employee David on our behalf.  The Talbert’s are not new to hosting large gatherings.  Once a year they host a big communal gathering in October.  This outreach is an extension of their faith; they are devoted Christians.  Hay rides, bonfires and good food are common ingredients.

Daniel, David, Arlene, Jonathan, Nathan and Benjamin Talbert

Because their family had so far to travel, we were actually the last ones to leave the Talbert home, providing us a chance for a little time to chat.  Arlene shared the story of when their house in Missouri burned down.  Through that tragedy they learned of what the Red Cross does in providing emergency funds for anyone who gets displaced from their homes, and they now volunteer with the Red Cross to provide this service to others.

They also work with Harvesters to distribute produce that would otherwise be thrown away by large chains.  Arlene is well aware that many of those struggling with food also struggle to be available when opportunities like Harvesters come around; she often serves as a middle person to distribute this food.

Because of having experienced their own tragedy, the Talberts are keenly aware that many people who need help would like to receive that help in the context of community rather than simply an anonymous hand-out by someone fulfilling a service requirement or need.  People respond to the expectations, or lack of, that are laid before them.

Other Photos

Too much turkey?

Abby and the chickens

This one got a reprieve .... for now