LIFE IS LIKE LEFTOVERS

With all the leftover Thanksgiving turkey and the trimmings, it brought to mind some thoughts on life. So much goes into preparing for a large family feast, the shopping, the cleaning, the cooking, the serving and the cleanup. Like life, we busy ourselves with so many activities like saving for a trip, paying off a mortgage, downsizing- well you get the picture. Lots of work and activity then when all is said and done- time to stop and reap the harvest so to say. Enjoy all the hard work. Enjoy the leftovers- our leftovers. Time to breath after all the preparation. Feeling the muscles in the body from the scrubbing and stretching that comes with cleaning. Eating pie for lunch- especially pumpkin pie with whipped cream. I know there are people that would say retirement feels a lot like that!! The leftovers from a life of hard work. As we all know, leftovers are quite good if prepared the way we like them.

REFLECTIVE THOUGHTS ON THANKGIVING 2014

Having an amazing Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, the real Thanksgiving day, i.e. the Monday is a good day to eat leftovers and putter. A day off from work is always enjoyable. Just being thankful to be home and doing my own stuff at my own pace. Long weekends make for shorter work weeks. So there is the added bonus of being closer to the next weekend. Work is good but time to regroup energy and finish some home projects is good too. Enjoying the family is so high on my list that it is hard to wait for the next time to see my children and families. Thinking about being thankful always conjures up memories. Thanksgiving past with family comes to mind. A different set of family members but the feeling and tradition permeates to this modern time. Do you ever find the smell of turkey cooking to be so pleasurable? Pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Butter tarts or lemon tarts. Sitting around a dining room or kitchen table eating together! Laughing and talking! Along with the eating are the thoughts of missing those no longer with us! So being thankful they were in our lives in the first place. So holidays can bring some melancholy thoughts too. How about you? Do you find yourself thinking of others? Do you miss someone today? Raise a glass and give a toast to life!

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS

The sun rises, we have a day and the sun sets. Sometimes just thinking about all our blessings that occur in a day is enough to last a lifetime. Happy Thanksgiving as we all count our blessings!

A CANADIAN THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving in Canada occurs the second weekend in October. It is a celebration of the harvest. A time to be thankful for the many blessings in one's life. Churches will have a cornucopia of fall vegetables and other symbols. People thinking about what they have in their lives to give thanks. For me- family is the main one!The traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings will be served coast to coast. My festive meal will include the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, 2 types of squash- butternut and acorn, sweet potato, peas, beans, rapini, brussel sprouts, , Italian sausage and of course the favourite of everyone- the bread stuffing handed down through the generations. My appetizers will include prosciutto on bread sticks, cheese slices, cucumber slices, crackers, olives, pickled artichokes and cantaloupe slices. So the great Canadian tradition has incorporated a little Italian flavour! Wine, beer and other beverages of choice will be on the table. Dessert of pumpkin and apple pies with whipped cream or ice cream. Even some lemon  and butter tarts- very Canadian! The best thing is the leftovers the next day! Lots of cooking for one day but worth the effort. So what are you waiting for, get cooking!

THANKSGIVING ABOUNDS WITH GOOD FOOD

Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest and giving thanks for the bounty.  In Canada it really does honour the history of the country. the traditional foods of turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes and squash along with some sweet potato and any vegetable of choice, it is a time to eat well.

Corn on the cob is a reminder of the First Nations people who populated the various areas of Canada. Here in York Region, just above Toronto, the Huron Nation was once a proud people who used many crops but mostly corn as their staple to survive the winter. It can be added to the holiday meal. Of course, pumpkin pie is a must.

 



Pumpkins large and small can be found in markets, coast to coast.
Oh Thanksgiving! The thought of all the good food just makes me hungry.

LIFE IS LIKE THE CN TOWER

 

The CN Tower can be seen from most locations in Toronto- east and west. From the northern regions it stands out as a beacon. It gives us a sense of direction. South on Lake Ontario. A landmark! A place to visit! Pride for those workers that helped to build it! Life has many landmarks for us. In our lives, most of us have something that helps to give us direction- family, faith, profession, friendship- alone or together as a whole. We need a beacon. A reference point to keep going! So no matter which way we look there is a symbol to anchor us. Belonging to a social group, a culture, blending with other cultures or standing alone! Knowing who we are! And feeling good about it! As the CN Tower can be a structure in the GTA, what anchors you? What is your landmark or beacon? What keeps you grounded? Is it a symbolic landmark or real?

PINE CONES-A VERSATILE CRAFT RESOURCE

Fall is a great time to gather natural craft supplies for those winter and Christmas projects. Pine cones! A great resource for wreaths, corsages and any idea that comes to mind. I have 3 large bags in the garage waiting to be turned into viable crafts. If not used, they are great in a natural fireplace helping to get a roaring fire started. Children love making crafts from them. In Ontario with our variety of pine trees, well there are a variety of pine cones to be found and used. How about you- do you like to use them in your holiday and craft ideas?