We've already had our Thanksgiving up here in our little slice of North America. Ours is on the second Monday in October (US Columbus Day). The date has something to do with harvest times here in the North.

I didn't manage to get hold of a turkey this year. I'm so looking forward to Christmas to make up for that lost opportunity. I'm dreaming of gravy and cranberry sauce these days.

I'm imagining you all enjoying your celebrations, in whatever form they take for you and yours.

It's a dreary rainy day today and seems more like dusk than early afternoon. We're expecting a deluge later on and for the next few days. I used to really like rain. Not quite in these quantities though.

For now, endless china cups full of English tea are doing a fine job of keeping me content. That and my new mystery novel. :)

Here's a little blurb from Britannica about the origin and meaning of Canadian Thanksgiving:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thanksgiving-Day

"Days of thanksgiving in Canada also [as well as U.S.] originated in the colonial period, arising from the same European traditions, in gratitude for safe journeys, peace, and bountiful harvests. The earliest celebration was held in 1578, when an expedition led by Martin Frobisher held a ceremony in present-day Nunavut to give thanks for the safety of its fleet. In 1879 Parliament established a national Thanksgiving Day on November 6; the date has varied over the years. Since 1957 Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated in Canada on the second Monday in October."

From the same article re American Thanksgiving:

"The holiday associated with Pilgrims and Native Americans has come to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family."

Would that could be 100% achieved.

I hope everybody's having a happy day. Anybody want to share? Turkey, whiskey, stories of home...?

I'm making myself hungry.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2021 04:27PM by Nightingale.

Thank you, Nightingale!

Muchly appreciated good wishes from you (especially given what you and your surrounding neighbors have been--and still are I assume--dealing with).

It makes sense that Canadian Thanksgiving would occur earlier than Thanksgiving down here, but I don't think I ever thought of this before you pointed it out.

I, personally, have an enormous amount to be thankful for--and I AM very, very thankful.

I hope things in your area (and all of the affected areas) are clearing up as quickly as is possible. I have been thinking of you every day, and hoping that each day brings even more improvement(s).

:)

Thanks so much, Tevai, for thinking of us.

I'm physically as safe as it's possible to be - not in the epicentre of any danger zones. I'm not too close to any mountains or bodies of water. Family and friends around and about are all safe and not too nearby any potential major weather alerts.

Due to our climate we're well used to major precipitation. I quite like rain, how it looks and the music of it plopping onto pavements and pinging off windows. The next few days will be a symphony as we're expecting a deluge starting tonight, lasting several days. Today I'm stocking up with whatever I will possibly need to get through until next week. A very small issue for me, much more so for folks still coping with the fallout from the original event and still in the danger areas.

My heart is with those lost in the initial slides and their loved ones. Absolutely tragic. And terribly bad luck to be in the wrong place at that exact moment in all of time.

Our PM is visiting BC today. He grew up here so knows us well. All the levels of government are working together to get us beyond this. They're talking about building back better and that is definitely the lesson here. We need different engineering of highways and more attention to modernizing the many dikes and other measures to deal better with our regular weather as well as these occasional catastrophic events.

We've definitely got to always learn the lessons from any tragedy. It's the only way to get beyond what is so unbearably sad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2021 02:15PM by Nightingale.

My German American Thanksgiving kind of blew chunks. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but my family is in America and the pandemic rages on… and the ham my husband cooked was kind of weird.

I have little to complain about… but I must admit, I am a bit cranky. Maybe we will do better at Christmas.

I am sorry, knotheadusc.

I have been told by others (such as my Uncle Bob, who once lived for several years in Germany, and then--for a few more years--in Iceland) that being away from home on Thanksgiving can feel especially "not right" for Americans.

We're thinking of you!

Cranky is allowed, knotty. :)

Sorry about your Thanksgiving. Here's hoping for a great Christmas.

Why did it suck knotheadusc :(

Our dinner out at the steakhouse was GREAT! I think it will be the new tradition. With food that good it is easy to tamp down the guilt. Three of us had plenty of left-overs. Kid made a pig of himself lol. I have enough to last me through Sunday. The pie I got was great as always. No dishes. No pans. No cleaning out the fridge to make room. I am a Happy Camper!

NG you need to get your things for Christmas ordered and go to your English candy store early so you have a good selection. Instead of Islay get some Glenlivet :)

I'm going to sleep until I'm hungry and then eat until I'm sleepy.

I have been quite sick for a week now. A friend called this morning to see how I was doing. He recommended some whiskey in tea with honey to feel better. I told him I did not have any whiskey at home. He said, "Hang up and I will be right over." He brought me a nice bottle of Irish Whiskey. It does work well with hot tea and a bit of honey.

Eric K Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have been quite sick for a week now. A friend
> called this morning to see how I was doing. He
> recommended some whiskey in tea with honey to feel
> better.

I am sorry you've been sick, Eric. Being sick is never fun, but it's particularly hard to accept during major holiday times.

I am glad the whiskey/tea/honey mixture is helping, and I hope you get over whatever-it-is very, very soon.

I am thinking of you, and wishing you all the best in every way.

Eric K Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> He brought me a nice bottle of Irish
> Whiskey. It does work well with hot tea and a bit
> of honey.

It does work well, indeed. :)

Maybe Sus could knit you a Jameson Irish Whiskey ugly Christmas sweater!

Islay/Islands Scotch Whisky is one that's on my list to try too.

I was deathly ill in Scotland once after a long train trip. I caught some strange bug that nearly wiped me out. I never want to feel that sick again. Even though I could barely move I went straight from the check-in desk at the hotel to their little bar and asked for some whisky. I have no clue why I did that - just a determination perhaps not to miss a minute of our short trip. I ended up drinking two large ones (likely ill-advised in most cases) and amazingly it cured me almost immediately. Or at least I felt better very soon afterwards. Either that or I was so intoxicated I couldn't tell that I was still sick, haha.

Anyway, hoping for a quick resolution for you, Eric. Take care!

Hot milk, a shot of whiskey or brandy, and three Aspirin will sweat a cold out in no time. My mother's remedy when I was in my early teens.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of y'all south of the 49th parallel, Alaska and Hawaii. Be safe.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. The story we were told about its historical origins is highly misleading. Hopefully that’s less important now, and the focus is squarely on thanking the people in our lives who make such a difference.

As the governor said to Sergeant Givens who brought two wild turkeys back to the starving pilgrims:" Thanks Givens."

Thank you, Nightingale! And sorry about replying the next day.

Turkey with pan-dripping gravy*, stuffing, and cranberry sauce for dinner last night. I spent it alone, but with good food and Mystery Science Theater 3000 it wasn't so bad.


*I can post a recipe before Christmas if requested.

The thing I'm most grateful for this Thanksgiving is that I am not a turkey.

I haven't cooked a turkey since my wife passed. Just not as much of a fan as she was. Will probably do a ham again for Christmas.

Didn't hardly notice a thing.

Made sure I had the best turkey and gravy dinner possible a day early. Then went to a friendship gathering with a live band Wednesday evening and that was very nice.

Thursday, only min family contact for correct amount of proper bonding and assured love toward one another.

Saturday I'm going to follow up with a visit of a dear friend in the hospital getting some tests done.

Sunday, the usual yard work and then one more social gathering before week gets going again.

Plenty of leftovers, in fridge waiting. Yumm..

We had ours by ourselves. It wasn't too bad: we skipped out on traditional food except cranberry sauce and ate paella instead.

Tyson