In Canada, this is the Thanksgiving weekend. Today we are celebrating as a smaller family. Often, we get together with my siblings and their children. Many years ago, we would gather at my parents' home, but both my father and mother have passed away, so family traditions change over time. Thanksgiving is a time of food and variable weather. This morning there is a definite bite in the air. I can see frost on my neighbour's dark charcoal coloured shingles.
On the menu today is a frozen pre-stuffed turkey. I bought one accidentally years ago. I took it out of the freezer a couple of days ahead of Thanksgiving to begin defrosting it and read the label more carefully. (You don't thaw pre-stuffed turkeys, you stick them in the oven frozen). It ended up being an absolutely delicious turkey. So some years I buy pre-stuffed (usually for Thanksgiving), and other times I just buy a frozen turkey, thaw it in my big cooler with cold water in it and go through the process of making stuffing and stuff the turkey myself. Honestly, it's much less hassle going the pre-stuffed route.
On the menu as well is mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, cranberry sauce (yup, out of a can, although I have made my own at times), buns, gravy, and a little pot of brussel sprouts for me (I'm the only one in our immediate family who likes them). I baked two pumpkin pies yesterday so the oven would be free for the turkey today. I have also, in the past, gotten up early and baked my pies in the morning, so I could put the turkey in around noon so it would be ready for supper.
However, due to the time of year, the Thanksgiving weekend is often a time of getting things done. For example, the farmer who owns the land around our property has been busy combining soy beans. He just drove past in his large truck that they dump the beans in. I still have to clean out flower pots and urns, rip out my vegetable garden (or at the very least take in my tomato cages and other support structures), put mouse poison in my shed, and get started on cutting back my perennials. Tomorrow is a holiday Monday, so that should give me some good time to get things done. My husband was busy cutting and putting up trim pieces to create the moulding around the ceiling of our kitchen which was renovated this past year. My daughter arrived home from University and celebrated Commencement on Friday night, receiving numerous awards (so proud!), and is now going to study for the remainder of her mid-terms.
I will post Thanksgiving, autumn-type photos later when I am able too use a different computer. I tried Google Chrome on this one, but it messed up other necessary things, so I deleted it. Without it, I am unable to put photos in my blog. I also tried Firefox with similar annoyances, so that too went away. So, for now, imagine pictures of beautifully coloured leaves, shiny brown roasted turkeys, and steaming pumpkin pies... Can you smell them?
I will sit on my porch in a moment with my coffee, but might need a blanket to wrap around myself!