As I was working away in the kitchen yesterday getting as much advance preparation done on the food for the Thanksgiving meal today, it struck me that out of the forty-six years we've been married, I'm pretty sure I've fixed a turkey with all the trimmings every year except maybe five, at the most. (Boy, that's a lot of tryptophan.) Even during our years of vegetarianism, we had a turkey for Thanksgiving. We never had ham for Easter or goose for Christmas; but we had turkey for Thanksgiving. (I should spend some time analyzing that.)
Roy and I have both read a lot of writing by Scott and Helen Nearing. They were back-to-the-land, self-sufficient homesteaders who believed in living the simplest of lives. Scott also was a social activist in his earlier years and wrote a lot of social philosophy later in life.
They were not afraid to buck the norm and each year on Thanksgiving Day to demonstrate against gluttony for gluttony's sake, went on an all-day apple fast. Apples were all they ate on Turkey Day.
Hmmm. There are times when that sounds like a darn good idea.Whether you are dining on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner or much simpler fare, I hope you have a very pleasant, relaxing day. I'm grateful to be spending the day with friends and the people I love most. All in all, I know I'm one lucky lady. For which I'm very thankful.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, as well! The Nearings have been an important influence in our household/farmstead, too. One of my first adventures with The Piper was a pilgrimage to the Nearing homestead (now known as "The Good Life Center.) I remember being especially taken with the quotes Helen had painted on the walls, the books in Scott's serious little study, the range of hand-built structures, and the railings constructed so that their negative spaces formed a row of fiddles. Yet, at the same time, I knew that they were able to create this place thanks to inherited money and the free labour of their admirers and friends. With that combination, we could ALL do great things!
ReplyDeleteNeat post, Mom!
ReplyDeleteMaineCelt - Yes, YES, Y-E-S! You hit the nail right on the head in regards to the fact that Nearings were able to do all the (great) things they did because they had the money to give them the freedom in which to follow their dreams! And (in my own humble opinion) to chuck the affluent life and live simplistically would be soooo much easier if you had grown up and lived your young adulthood having had all your needs met because of family money and support. Being able to say, "Okay, I've lived this type of life. Now I want to channel my efforts toward another type of life that will perhaps be of more benefit to mankind," and do it with sufficient financial funds so that you could work very hard and accomplish some real goals (no doubt about that) but without suffering. Without suffering. There's the defining phrase. As you so wisely stated, " . . . we could ALL do great things!"
ReplyDeleteChicken Mama - Thank you, my daughter dear!
ReplyDelete