Thanksgiving

Wide receiver Torrey Smith, kicker Justin Tucker and punter Sam Koch were three of several Ravens players summoned to coach John Harbaugh's office Wednesday morning, but they weren't in trouble. Eight players and Harbaugh convened in the coach's office to wish a happy Thanksgiving via Skype to an Army National Guard unit currently serving in Afghanistan. Harbaugh, Smith, Tucker, Koch, linebackers Josh Bynes and Nigel Carr, long snapper Morgan Cox, safety Omar Brown and guard Antoine McClain spoke to the unit, which is based in Laurel, for about nine minutes on Harbaugh's iPad and listened to the soldiers recount their experiences in Afghanistan.

These restaurants are open for Thanksgiving service. In most cases, reservations are either required or advised. On Tuesday morning, a few restaurants were booked solid or close to it. Prices and times are subject to change. Always call. Boston Market (6336 York Road, 410-372-0220; 1317 Reisterstown Road, 410-484-2400; other locations; bostonmarket.com): Boston Market  is offering a special $10.99 Thanksgiving Day Meal, which includes roasted turkey breast with two home style sides, freshly baked cornbread and a slice of apple or pumpkin pie. Hours vary.

With each passing year, the connection between Lardarius Webb and the Webster Kendrick Boys & Girls Club strengthens. For the fourth consecutive year, the Ravens cornerback and the Lardarius Webb Foundation sponsored a Thanksgiving event for the club Tuesday evening, and the event gets larger each November. After distributing more than 300 turkeys and side dishes in 2011, the drive delivered more than 500 turkeys to families who stood in a line that snaked from just outside of the gymnasium at Callaway Elementary School - which shares the same building as the Boys & Girls Club - to a paved section outside of an entrance.

Handing out turkeys and pumpkin pies Tuesday night at Booker T. Washington Middle School in Baltimore, Ravens free safety Ed Reed said he never forgets his humble roots growing up in Louisiana. "I'm from neighborhoods like this one in the inner city," Reed said. "I had mentors who helped me to get to where I am today. That speaks volumes for me and my life. We just want to make sure as many families as we can have a great Thanksgiving.  "It's just awesome man. This is what Thanksgiving is about: the people and families that you remember, seeing those smiles knowing that you're helping someone be happy.

In the first two weeks after Hurricane Sandy battered the Mid-Atlantic region, leaving millions without power, relief agencies provided an estimated 4.9 million meals to the victims - the equivalent of 150 tractor-trailer loads of food. That was a Herculean task for which those workers should be congratulated, but it was also a drop in the proverbial bucket. Had Sandy never hit the region, there would still be hunger of shocking proportions. In Maryland alone, the latest estimates are that at least 460,000 people are "food insecure," meaning they are not certain to have adequate nutrition on a day-to-day basis.

Fears of another nor'easter type storm that could have dampened Thanksgiving week have dissipated, with warmth and sunny skies in the forecast, instead. Temperatures are expected to approach 60 degrees Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with lows around 40 degrees. Mostly clear skies are expected. That is several degrees above the normal daily range from 34 to 53 degrees this time of year, a change from the rest of the month. The average temperature at BWI Marshall Airport so far in November is 44.2 degrees, 4 degrees below normal.

I cannot believe retailers are now taking away another holiday by opening on Thanksgiving! It started years ago when they opened on Sundays and took away our family time. Then you took away New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July , and Labor Day. Do they not make enough on Black Friday that they want to drag more people away from their families? Please stop opening on Thanksgiving and don't plan on ruining our Christmas and Easter. They should all be ashamed of themselves for taking family time away from their employees and those stupid shoppers.

Keep your pet happy during the holidays, Maryland SPCA experts say, by following some basic tips when it comes to holiday feasting: *Let them eat turkey: Only give pets well cooked and boneless portions of the bird though. *Don't let them overdo it: Too much feasting can upset pets' stomachs or lead to pancreatitis. *Skip the herbs: Sage and other herbs can also upset pets' stomachs and even cause central nervous system depression. *Instead of offering pets people food, give them Nylabones or chew bones.

Organizers of the annual Thanksgiving dinner for guests from the Westside Emergency Men's Shelter, Mosaic Community Services and Spring Grove Hospital decided to change things a bit this year. And as a result, it looks like they are going to have a bigger crowd for the holiday event. Usually held on Thanksgiving afternoon in the Rice Auditorium on the campus of Spring Grove State Hospital, this year's dinner will be served in the homier Cafe on the Grove, a short distance from the auditorium on the hospital campus, the evening before Thanksgiving.

With his recent re-election, President Barack Obama has won the power to pardon more turkeys on Thanksgiving. But so does every one of us by choosing a nonviolent Thanksgiving observance that gives thanks for our good fortune, health, and happiness with a life-affirming, cruelty-free feast of vegetables, fruits, and grains. And here are more terrific reasons: You will stay alert through the entire football game. You are what you eat. Who wants to be a "butterball"? Your vegetarian kid won't have to boycott the family dinner.