thanksgiving turkey (a tidbit)

Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather Hall bought a turkey to raise and then to roast. From day one the turkey followed great-grandfather everywhere. When he went out to milk the cows, there was the turkey. Out in the fields? The turkey was there by his side. Like a dog that turkey followed great-grandfather around
.
Thanksgiving week arrived and great-grandmother told great-grandfather that the time had come, he had to go out and ax that turkey. So he picked up the ax and headed to where the turkey lay resting. Not much later he walked back into the house, "I just couldn't do it", he said.
"Oh for goodness sake!" great-grandmother exclaimed, grabbing the ax. She went to where the turkey lay and whop! chopped off its head, plucked it, cleaned it, dressed it and brought it back to the house in preparation for roasting.

On Thanksgiving day the table was ready, laid out splendidly. It was stretched  to full extent with all its leaves in place, sitting as a centerpiece in the middle of the dining room. It shimmered with linen, china and wedding silver. The feast was spectacular that year and the family gathered round and said grace. In the middle of it all, sat the expertly roasted bird.

No one ate any turkey that day.
Great-grandmother threw it away and every Thanksgiving after that, the family ate ham.