“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost

Monday, November 19, 2012

By and By the Harvest . . .


I found the image above somewhere on a public domain site and thought it was perfect for my Thanksgiving post. Way back in the olden days, this was what my ancestors did. I have traced them back many generations and quite a few were farmers. Maybe that is why I love the land and my gardens so much. "We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves" ....

Nevertheless, bringing in the sheaves is not something we do by hand much anymore. The harvest has become so mechanized people from the time the song was written would barely recognize it as the same activity. 

I used to watch a show from the BBC called Lark Rise to Candleford. The show was an adaptation of Flora Thompson's memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood, set in the small village of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town, Candleford, at the end of the 19th Century. The last episode was about when they brought in a newly invented "harvesting machine" to harvest the crops.  The town was split on whether this was a good thing or not. Many thought it would mean the end of them. Obviously the amount of laborers needed would be less, so what were the rest of these unskilled people to do? Alas the show was never able to settle this argument because it was canceled. In real life, I guess we do know how it was settled. Time moves on and technology advances. People lose jobs and new jobs are created, and so it goes.



The things that don't change are our need for a home. A place to feel safe and comforted and warm.
A place to enjoy the good things in life. We need a home to share with our loved ones and our pets. Home is where we invite our friends to entertain them and to share a meal. In my own home I try to create a sense of whimsy and fun. I also want my home to feel cozy and warm.

I decorated my old sideboard with faux pumpkin and faux turkey and some cute little pilgrim chipmunk candle holders. This is my way of making my home cute and cozy. 
Music is also a part of my home and I listen to some everyday.



Chipmunks with their Pilgrim outfits. They are headed for my table upstairs. 



This cute squirrel light has an battery operated candle inside  
and looks very nice in a darkened room.

I have had the turkey for years. When I bought him he was plain pale brown. I painted him with watercolors to closer resemble the real thing. I also painted the pumpkin a more rosy tone. 
Warning: I will paint anything that doesn't move.



As time goes on some things lose their importance, fads come and go. Technology brings us more distractions than we can even comprehend.  What we always need is a home. I have always been lucky, I have never been without one. I feel bad for those who have never known one. I feel sad for those who because of hurricanes, fires and bad circumstances are not in their homes right now.

So please join me in a collective prayer, or good thought, or strong vibe and send it out there to anyone you know, or just to a complete stranger. Send a thought of comfort, joy and love to all those who are home-less at this Thanksgiving time. Or better yet, pick up the phone or go on the web and find a charity that will help someone feel a little less sad and alone as we celebrate our own Thanksgiving bounty. I've put my donations in the mail this week and I hope they will do some good.

I also want to Thank all of You, my good bloggy friends who always leave the most wonderful comments and make me smile every day. I'll be taking a few days off from the blogasphere to be 
with family and friends. I will see you all back here soon.
Thank you... I am truly blessed! ~~~ Diane ~~~

Happy Thanksgiving

10 comments:

  1. What a beautiful post! And those decorations are gorgeous! So warm and inviting. You are so right about the need for a home. We all need that more than anything else. Like you, I have always been blessed with a loving home that makes me feel safe and secure. I pray for everyone to have that.

    Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy that special day with your loved ones. And I, too, am grateful for all my blog buddies, including you :)

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  2. Oh Diane, this is such a wonderful post ... especially about all the homeless people in the world right now, and there are so many in our country alone. This makes me so mad and sad at the same time. I do send out positive energy out to the world everyday so that all are safe and sound, have a roof over their heads, good friends and family, good food, healthcare, meaningful jobs where they are treated with dignity ... oh, sound like heaven doesn't it. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family .
    Love and Light,
    Jan

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  3. Lovely post! And such beautiful decorations too. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your time with family and friends!

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  4. A wonderful, thought-provoking post - quite evident that it came straight from the heart. Your decorations are adorable (especially those chipmunk candlesticks :) and I just love that you've given them that personal touch by tweaking them to your liking. Enjoy your Thanksgiving celebration with friends & family!

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  5. I just know your home is delightfully cozy, welcoming and full of whimsy and charm. I love those little chipmunks, so cute. Have a lovely and peaceful Thanksgiving Diane.

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  6. Such a lovely post! Happy Thanksgiving Diane, enjoy your time with family and friends.

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  7. Dear Diane - this post touches my heart and I certainly do join you in thoughtful prayer for the homeless. I too have been so blessed to always have a place that was warm and inviting to call home. This is such a huge thing to be grateful for in this life. God bless you and may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing your lovely decorations...the chipmunks are my favorite.

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  8. Everything looks very nice! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
    SHerry

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  9. Diane, what a beautiful post! Enjoy your family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving. Many Blessings my friend ;o)

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  10. This is such a beautiful post Diane. You always put so much thought in to what you say - I also often think about how whole industries have disappeared - sometimes whole towns have ceased to exist because the reason for them being there has vanished. I watched that whole TV series (and cried through a good deal of it!)

    I loved seeing how you decorated your home for Thanksgiving - hope you have a very happy one!

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