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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Eh?

I've been under the weather, again, this last week but I've also been anxious to share some Thanksgiving scenes around the old farmhouse with you.

I often think our Canadian Thanksgiving is a little early in the season, especially since we've had fairly warm temperatures the last few years. Shorts and air conditioning weather to be exact. However, while fall is late to arrive this year, the sugar maples have only just begun to drop their leaves; we have had cool and crisp sunny days with chilly nights that have allowed us to keep our wood stoves running all night. The scent of autumn is in the air and the sights and sounds of harvest are all around us.

I have thought from time to time what it would be like to celebrate our Thanksgiving later in the season like those of you south of the border. I love staying home to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, I really dig the fact that it's celebrated on Thursday which makes it seem just a little more special than on the weekend and I am intrigued by the biggest shopping day of the year to kick off the Christmas shopping season...is it really all that cracked up to be as I hear?

However, there are two things I keep returning to in my mind. First, it just seems too close to Christmas to celebrate that late in the season. You might as well know right now, I'm a Christmas nut. My husband is too. On our first date, I mentioned that I had always wanted to grow my own Christmas trees. He cocked his head to one side, looked at me as if I had two heads, (I get that a lot, so it wasn't as overly shocking as you might think) and slowly smiled at me and said, "So, have I." I think we both knew right then and there that 'this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.' Anyhow, where was I? Christmas, yes, Christmas is special, very special and so is Thanksgiving for that matter and I would just hate, I mean just plain detest to blur the lines between these two wonderful holidays. Now, I said two things didn't I? Yes, right, the other deciding factor, for me, is that here, right here in this neck of the woods where I live and this farmhouse has kept watch over the fields for 150 years, the second Monday in October is ripe with the most bountiful harvest God could ever provide. That alone is a beautiful reason to celebrate Thanksgiving when we do.

So we celebrated, in the country. We took Callie on her first Thanksgiving hike, really her first hike ever, around the grounds of an old mill (yes I forgot my camera...)we decorated, arranging our first harvest of pumpkins and gourds around the house, cooked a delicious turkey and gave thanks to God for allowing friends and family to join together for a truly bountiful meal and remembered those who are no longer with us that have celebrated Thanksgiving with us in the past and will again someday. I hope whenever it is you celebrate Thanksgiving, your day is just as special.


3 comments:

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

Happy Thanksgiving to the whole family!

As far as shopping the day after our Thanksgiving to kick off the Christmas season, I have no desire to fight crowds like that!! My mom loves it, and always gets awesome deals.
Your mosaic is beautiful!
I hope you start feeling better...I am sending good thoughts your way :)
Misha

Flat Creek Farm said...

There are deals to be had on the 'greatest' shopping day of the year here. But, I'm not an early riser by nature and miss out on the crazy middle of the night (to me) deals. Still, I have found some pretty good bargains.

I do hope you're feeling better. Same here, the bug comes and goes and getting tired of it already. Your pictures are gorgeous, and I'll take some of that Pumpkin Ale, please. I hear it will cure all that ails you? :) Thanks for sharing your beautiful Thanksgiving! -Tammy

The Silver Age Sara said...

Beautiful photos and I hope you are feeling better. I wish Thanksgiving were earlier. It's so close to Christmas and with family traveling from all over and then the mad rush shopping for presents (I don't do that), it's a wonderful harvest holiday that kind of gets lost.