Canadian Thanksgiving!
This weekend is our Thanksgiving! To me, it is the perfect time of year to celebrate this holiday. We have just had a bountiful harvest so thoughts of thankfulness for our horn of plenty is at the forefront of our minds. Farmers have recently finished the bulk of their hard work and need the break. The children have been in school six weeks and can use a short pause before they gear up again for the next long haul. There are no thoughts of Christmas to detract from the focus that this celebration deserves. Finally, the leaves are at their peak of colour change so it is absolutely and undeniably the most gorgeous season to appreciate all that we have.
For me and most others I know, it means a gathering of family for a traditional turkey dinner on Sunday or Monday, complete with dressing, cranberry sauce, whipped potatoes, gravy, whipped squash, cabbage salad, buns, and pumpkin and apple pies. I am having 14 people here on Sunday and the weather is supposed to be totally sunny and fairly warm (22 degrees Celsius). Just right!
My family will enjoy the drive up from the city to view the fabulous leaves. Upon their arrival, they will wander down to the river in our back yard to see if the salmon are still running up to spawn. They will comment on how beautiful our flowers and fall decorations are and take pictures.
After the busy summers and the beginning of hectic fall routines, Thanksgiving is just what we need now to connect with special people and reflect upon all the reasons we have to be thankful. And believe me, we have many!
Mother of Invention, salivating already in anticipation of that succulent turkey with all the trimmings!
posted by Mother of Invention at 10:51 AM
26 Comments:
I had no idea your Thanksgiving was so similar to the US version. Enjoy!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, October 06, 2006
And have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Stephen: Yep, the Americans who wanted to remain loyal to England during the American Revolution, The United Empire Loyalists, brought your traditions to us! So we stole them and the turkeys who are now running for their lives can blame you! HA! HA!
Old Lady and Meno: Thanks! I'm going to feast like never before and I'm not even going to feel guilty! Isn't menopause liberating?!!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Our Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas. I too didn't know Canada's Thanksgiving was so similiar to ours. Does yours have anything to do with Indians like ours does?
Friday, October 06, 2006
This is much better spacing than our Thanksgiving is from Christmas. I hope you enjoy your company and your holiday. We have Columbus Day to excuse us from work on Monday, but it's not the same.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Colleen: Ours is linked to the Native People in a minimal way in that when our pioneers came to settle, they were met with friendly people who shared food and showed them how to survive the harsh winters by growing corn, beans and squash. The first Thanksgiving according to most sources, was long before that in the 1500's when the explorer Martin Frobisher to what is now Frobisher Bay, came and gave thanks for the safe arrival. Later, some sources say we celebrated the recovery of ill health of Edward,an English Monarch. But by far, the outstanding reason is for the bountiful harvest and honouring the farmers who were, and still are to a degree, the backbone of our country and the foundation on which it was built. It is considered a Harvest Festival. In the area in which I live, we grow potatoes and had a Potato festival in August.
Barbara: Yes, I think you would enjoy it better now, too. My neice has been in school for the past 5 years in Madison, Wisconsin (Hockey), and then Ohio, and now U. of Texas, and says there is a much bigger deal made the next day to kick off the Christmas Commercial season. It seemed to over-ride any lingering calm reflections of Thanksgiving in her opinion and seemed to be a bit too consumerish for her. I can understand this. She is a farm kid!
Thanks! Lots of work to do today!
Enjoy your day off work, too!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are going to our Son, Alex's.
It is his first time making a Thanksgiving feast.
He is doing a slow cooker roast. The Turkey is too much food for our small gathering this year.
He asked me to make a cake with a horn of plendy iced on it.
I will try but I can't make promises on how it will be decorated.
I smell the coloured leaves on the ground, and the smoke from fireplaces in the neighbourhood
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks also for personally providing me with information about your tradition. My Fall Harvest Festival post - the Nordic traditional way - is up:-)
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Lynn: have a Happy Thanksgiving too! Don't you just love smelling the air near houses who have a fire on?! I love it! I remember when you were allowed to burn leaves and our neighbourhood smelled so great in the fall!
Renny: Thanks! And you're welcome! I'll check your harvest Blog out!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
I'll be heading out to my sister's place in Kingston fo rThanksgiving dinner.
Not sure if my mom will be there, since her condition is deteriorating (maybe it is a simple setback, or perhaps it is a sign of more to come).
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Richard: I'm not aware or remembering what your mom's condition is but I hope it's not going to decline from here. Have a nice Thanksgiving celebration today. It will be a gorgeous drive for you today! I love that area and have been along that route hundreds of times between Ottawa and Toronto.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Hey Mother!
I betcha you guys are disappointed you closed the summer bedroom! This is a summer bedroom weekend!
Cheers to the day!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
We don't actually close it until it's too cold to be there even with the electric heater. Most nights now the windows are closed and a few nights we've had the heater on. Tonight might be a 1 window open night! Amazing and tomorrow will be nice too! We'll hang on until our usual Hallowe'en night!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Stephen: Thanks! We did! It was record high temperatures and for the first time ever, we all sat outside for the pre-dinner visit/snacks etc.!! Have a good Columbus Day Off!
Monday, October 09, 2006
My mother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in January 2005. The initial chemo was unsuccessful and she underwent a second more drastic one in 2006 which destroyed her marrow and then was rebuilt using autologous stem cell transfer. Unfortunately this failed as well and there are no more options for her. A consequence of having had her bone marrow destroyed, is that her body has lost all remembered immune response to disease. At the moment, she is suffering from an outbreak of shingles - the result of latent varicella virus from a childhood bout with chicken pox.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Richard: How rough for everyone in your family. That sounds uncommon to have had neither round of chemo work. I guess the major worry is trying to prevent exposure to viruses and infections. Is there not anything they can give or do to provide any immunity? Sending a prayer and positive thoughts her way.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Thar form of cancer is not very successfully treated. Only 30% survive more than 3 years.
She is on a lot of medications, basically to reliev eher symptoms. Not much you can do with viruses. While undergoing chemo, we did stay away from her, when someone was sick, to avoid infecting her. Of course, it is hard on the kids who only know that grandma is sick and we can't go visit.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Richard: Sorry it's not a brighter picture for you and your kids. You are doing all you can do already but this naturally must seem like not enough. No matter what age we are, it always seems too young for this to happen to our parents.
Is she still able to be at home?
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving! (Sorry I'm late.) Sounds like a wonderful time to be with family and appreciate all you have. I bet you are a great host and everyone had a lovely time.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
One of the problems I have with dealing with bad news, is knowing how to react. I think everyone does.
In the case of my mother, I am not disturbed by it. It was unexpected (all bets were on my dad dying first). Only my sister took it very hard (and was told by my mother to get on with her life because she wasn’t dead yet).
My mother lives at home and my dad takes care of her. She is not an invalid, but she has problems, pains, weakness, tiredness. Let’s face, she is not going out dancing jigs anytime soon – but she does go out shopping, to church, for a lunch or dinner, and of course, doctor appointments.
There have been some very bad days and some not so bad days. Some days she feels she could live another 20 years, others are not so optimistic. Prior to the shingles outbreak, she was feeling quite well. So we will see what transpires.
Sorry if I sound cold or too matter of fact, but the truth is I had a good life with my mother and I have no unsaid things, no regrets. She will continue to be my mother and I will continue to treat her as such, I will not be marking a solemn watch for her death.
How long does my mom have? I don’t know, she doesn’t know and the doctors won’t speculate, they simply tell her to take it one day at a time.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Brooksba: Thanks, belated! HA! You're right...people do have a great time at my place but mostly because everyone is casual and all help me host. They all bring some food so it's like a pot luck!
Richard:I think you have the right approach to your mom's sickness and you don't sound too cold, just sensible and having already accepted the fact that whatever will be, will be, so enjoy the now. People who are sick (and I have been in some pretty tight spots that way a few times) just want to carry on as normally as possible apart from clinical updates etc. Last year, in the hospital, my husband would be going out skiing for 3 hours and then come to see me. Others thought this was insensitive, I realized he needed to do this and it was a normal way of carrying on. If people start getting emotional, it makes them so too and thus increases fear etc. It's better to get on with life such as it is and savour the good moments....mine them actually....and depend on the support of others when you have to lean on something. It's hard not to have that in the back of your mind, "What if I die soon?" when you're first sick, but then you know, it doesn't really matter because you've lived a good life and had more than some people. I'm sure your mom feels this too.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
There is no question that knowing you have somethign terminal is a bit of a downer, but it has not affected my mother's spirits too much. In general, she just wants to get on with and continue with life. After all, none of us really knows when we are ging to die - just some of us are told we have somethign that may hasten it along.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Richard: Your mom has a lot of inner strength which allows her to have the absolute best attitude possible for herself and all her family. I'm glad she can still get out and do the things you mentioned because it lends some normalcy to the whole situation, and as I mentioned before, that is what people who have major health problems want the most for as long as possible.
Isn't that what totally healthy people should do as well? Live life to the fullest in your capacity every day? As you said, no one knows when they might die. Live as if it's your last day might be a good thing to remember as we rise each morning, even if it is in the dark this time of year!
You have a good perspective on many things. Thanks for sharing all this, Richard.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Yum! Happy Thanksgiving! I could go for a turkey dinner today...
Sunday, November 05, 2006
That sounds so idealic... a lovely kind of celebration!
Monday, October 08, 2007
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