Happy Thanksgiving Day!

First Thanksgiving



The bleak wind writhes and whistles as it spits
White flakes against the corncrib's bugling slits,
And sifts them underneath the cabin door.
But firelight leaps and flickers on the floor
Inside, from the wide chimney place. Its gleams
Fall on a spinning wheel; and rosy beams
Glint the two candlesticks of quaint old brass,
The copper kettle, and an Old-World glass.

A rude log cabin in a hostile land,
The frugal fare upon the rough-hewn board,
Crude furnishings, wrought patiently by hand,
And homespun garments! Yet, for this small hoard,
Our brave forefathers still could gladly raise
Their grateful songs of thankfulness and praise.

- Jessie Wilmore Murton


I would like to wish our American relatives and friends a wonderful Thanksgiving Day in all their homes wherever they happen to be today. Our Canadian Thanksgiving Day has already come and gone; having been celebrated last month, yet we in our home here in Nova Scotia are very aware of the American celebrations. Some of our ancestors were there during those first celebration years, both Pilgrim and Wampanoag, and as we consider how blessed we are today in comparison to what little they had we should indeed be very Thankful.

Pressing on . . .

. . . maybe that should have read 'paddling on' . . . . cuz if the water keeps rising we'll be heading for the boats or the hills! The weather report early this morning said '30% chance of rain.' HA! I think he was off a percentage point or two!! It's been pouring since I rose from my slumber at 3:45AM. I'm expecting the drops any minute now to start showing a resemblance to either dogs or cats . . . . maybe even both! And big ones! Like Great Danes and Mountain Lions!! Okay, that was a gross exaggeration, but it really has rained a lot and everything was already full to the brim. We could use a break.

As you can see from the picture on the right I have been knitting. Pretty little pair of sockies. Jane has been kind enough to give me some pointers on knitting them. Thank You Jane! And for my friends who are lovers of embroidery, this is a dresser scarf that had belonged to my DH's Nana. There are more lovelies to share with you later.

Seeing as how I have failed miserably at training my dryer how to fold clothes and put them away, I'll say 'So long' for now . . . . .

Changes . . . .

. . . . All part of life aren't they? . . . . Looking at this picture takes me back in time. This was my childhood village as it was approximately fifty years ago. A photo taken of this exact spot now would show an entirely different scene. Some of these buildings would be gone . . . new ones would pop up in places where there are none in this photo. A silent testimony to the fact that things have changed; and they are still changing . . . . even as I type this. Few of the houses are home to people who I knew when I lived there. Most are strangers, as even rural villages lose that personal touch and become as smaller versions of big cities where no one knows their next door neighbour. To me that is so sad. I felt secure in that place, as it seemed to be an extension of my own smaller family unit. As society 'progesses' we are losing that . . . . at lightning speed. What do we lose as we 'progess?' Is the cost far higher than we realize?

Accepting change has been difficult for me, and a part of me will probably always want to try and fight it, while I give in to the inevitable fact. I wrote the following back in January 2004.

Changes

It's not a big word when you consider that it only has seven letters yet it's been one of the largest ones that I've ever had to deal with in my 50 years on this old earth. Some changes are good, some changes aren't so good, and some aren't worth another thought . . . . yet we can't get away from change . . . . . . it is continually happening. It happens to us directly and indirectly and it flows around us like the air flows around us each day . . . . . . and we can't stop it. There's no little button on the wall over there that we can run and press to hold life at a place where we're comfortable.

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So what must we do? Don't quit! Press on! Though we may not see it all clearly or understand why, we must continue on.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8, 9

Good Morning!

No, I haven't been lost . . . . . just wandering . . . . again . . . . and today I thought that I'd take you back in time with me. Dawn's version of 'Time Travel' maybe. {g} On one of my lists lately there's been talk about goat's milk and oatmeal and such, and so my thoughts have been turning back to my childhood and the times when we had goats. Here we are . . . . this is Crystal and I . . . .





Later on Crystal had a baby and what a cute kid she was! . . . . and lively! You know any kids that like to climb on top of cars and eat the leaves off the top of lilac bushes?! Babe sure did!!
If you observe closely, you will see that Babe was balancing there, on top of the car, on just one tiny goat hoof. All of her other three legs are up in the tree! She was one very determined kid! Never worried about damaging the paint job on my parent's car either. That was minor when it came to filling her tummy full of tasty lilac leaves. If Babe had been a two legger I'm certain she would have been diagnosed as hyperactive. In her book, no doubt, she felt that she was just doing what goats should do.








Babe's favourite playmate was Sport, the Pointer and they spent many happy hours together. My Mom caught them on camera here after they'd flattened out a haystack. After all that hard work they were both exhausted and had decided to go no further 'til their energy reserves were restored.

Having goats as pets can be a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it to most anyone . . . . except perhaps someone who lives in an apartment house of course. However, if you have even a small acerage and your zoning laws allow it, a goat or two can be an enjoyable experience for both children and their parents.