Sunday, November 18, 2007

A Little Vintage Thanksgiving

With Steve gone all week hunting, I seem to be busier than usual. Everything he would normally be doing I have to do. So there doesn't seem to be much free time for wandering around the gardens finding small precious things to photograph.
********************
This week we had a very cold snap and most of the leaves fell from the trees in one night. That evening, when I took out the pugs, the air was still but the leaves were falling as if they were great big snowflakes. I stood and could hear them falling from the trees all around me and into the woods. The big Virginia Creeper leaves on the house would drop from the very top and bring others down with them, creating tiny avalances. It was all quite beautiful.
********************
And the next night the first show flakes fell for a short time - something I always look forward to. It gets me in the holiday mood.
*******************************
I've decided to get back into some kind of shape and drop some pounds so I've purchased a rebounder (trampoline) over the internet. I have a treadmill but the past few years my knees have bothered me a lot so, after some investigation, I found that rebounders are easy on the joints and body. (I know swimming is actually the best thing for joint problem and exercise, but I can't swim so that's out!) It's an Urban Rebounder and came with 5 DVDs with 4 different workouts on each. The contraption also has a removable stabilizer bar for us old timers who have crappy balance too. It's temporarily in the breezeway but will be in the basement when Steve comes back. I bought a cheap DVD player and will hook it up to the tv in the basement. Now I just play the workout on my laptop. I began with the Senior (as in old person) workout and was surprised how hard it is just bouncing an inch or so - the idea is not to jump high. There is lots of arm movement and legs in and out and back and forth. It is only twenty minutes long, but you really work up a sweat and it will be a while until I 'm able to do the workout well. There is also a nice "Stretch Workout" that I really like. It's 20 minutes of gentle stretches that cover the entire body. That one I'll do after work - the other in the morning.
*******************************
I bought a dog tooth brush and dog toothpaste today to see if I can get Thea's breath under control. Her teeth are all crooked and has problems with food stuck in them (Uck, I know.) so she has bad doggie breath all the time. She loves to kiss and be very close to us so it's really getting to be unpleasant especially since she sleeps right up next to my head! The toothpaste is beef flavored so I'm sure she'll like the taste but she gets so silly and goofy with some things that I don't know how she'll take to teeth brushing. I can't imagine it's going to be easy. The directions say "go slowly and praise a lot". OK, we'll see. Maybe some of you would have suggestions . . .
************************
I also bought some more dog toys today. Yes, I bought all those last week too, but they were Walmart-cheap and Garm had all but one torn up in 3 days. The new dog toys are from the pet store and I made sure they had no tiny noses, ears, or tails that Garm could "work" on until that white stuffing comes out. I also cut off the tufts of "hair" that seem to be on the heads of lots of dog toys. He pulls and pulls on it until he rips it out. He's very thorough.
********************
I have some neat vintage Thanksgiving pictures that I found and put them up as screensavers . I change them every few days and it makes the holidays more fun for me. So, since I've no photos of my own this week, I'll show you these.








Aren't these little gems? They are like tiny works of art. ( Oh, and look how happy the native Americans are to see that ship sailing to their country. If they only knew what was in store for them, they sure wouldn't be waving!!)
********************
I will be celebrating Thanksgiving at Cindy's house, so I'll be snapping lots of pictures then. And on Friday, Sierra will be staying overnight for the first time. I asked Adeena what Sierra likes to eat and she said shrimp, bacon and chips! Obviously, she doesn't get that stuff regularly! At the store I found a little bag of frozen shrimp and ofcourse chips. I don't eat anything that comes from pigs because of the inhumane way they are raised and slaughtered so I tried to find soy bacon. Well, they are rearranging Pick 'N Save just in time for the holidays! so Sierra will have to do without bacon. Or maybe I'll run up to the natural food store and get some there. You know, the taste is nearly the same as real bacon so I'll bet I could slip it by her.
*********************
At work we have both Thursday and Friday off so this will be a nice week. It is so quiet in the shop at this time because of lots of people are hunting and other people use 3 days vacation and have the entire week off. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and after just reading a book on women living under Muslim rule in Iran, I'm very grateful that I live in our country (even thought it's somewhat confused now).
***********************
My country . . . gave me schooling, independence of
action and opportunity for service . . . .I am indebted
to my country beyond any human power to repay.
Herbert Hoover
******************
Bye for now and Happy Thanksgiving,
Alyssa

10 comments:

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

I enjoyed your post full of interests bits.
My two sows live the good life here at "Club Porker". But they are pets. Pigs are usually raised in industrial confinement barns. Although in some places in the US pigs are raised on pasture.(more humane)

I am glad you liked the latin music on my blog. The singer and I share a name. Who would think Phil Robinson was a latino name. I love latin music and I am trying to learn some Spanish these days.

I think bilingualism is in the future for the US. Did you notice Garcia and Rodriquez made it into the ten most common US names for the first time. I find all this very interesting. I am sure some Americans find this frightening. Perhaps, Canada has advice to offer on being a bilingual Nation.

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving
I will be dusting off my copy of Bradford's Journal to read again about the early Thanksgivings.

Pam said...

Before I became ill, my husband used to go away for two weeks hunting every November. I always enjoyed the time to myself, a chance to listen to music and read books and play in my studio in a house that stayed clean, with no concerns for dinner. Don't get me wrong, I missed him and was glad to see him come home, but for that short time, aside from work, my time was my own and I wallowed in it.

Tom said...

What a great post this is.. I love al the old cards.
I hope you have a great time the Thanks Giving..

Alyssa said...

Tossing - I'm glad your two pigs are pets and not destined for the table. Unfortunately, very few pigs now are allowed the luxury of a pasture. I agree with you about the future of bilingualism here in the US. Where I live there is a very large Hispanic population and some people get all upset because some things are in two languages. But, life isn't static, so they will have to get used to it.

Pam - I know exactly what you mean. I try to cram all sorts of laziness into these two weeks!

Tom - Yes, those old cards are like a trip into the past. I'll have some pictures on my next blog to show you how our celebration was. We always have lots of fun.

kate said...

Hi Alyssa,

I loved seeing your old Thanksgiving cards. They are really cool ... I immediately thought of their collage possibilities!!

It will be great having Sierra there with you. I bet she'll have the time of her life and won't notice if she isn't eating real bacon.

Good luck with Thea and brushing her teeth. I have attempted brushing Lytton's teeth several times and I've given up. He loved the toothpaste and had to eat that up before I could get any brushing done. I started when he was little and that didn't seem to make much difference.

I am a promoter of bilingualism, although it not exactly a popular thing in Western Canada. Learning French was one of the most fun things I have ever done.

Please let us know how the rebounder works - if you find it helps get you in better shape! Good luck with this!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

kate said...

Hi Alyssa,

I loved seeing your old Thanksgiving cards. They are really cool ... I immediately thought of their collage possibilities!!

It will be great having Sierra there with you. I bet she'll have the time of her life and won't notice if she isn't eating real bacon.

Good luck with Thea and brushing her teeth. I have attempted brushing Lytton's teeth several times and I've given up. He loved the toothpaste and had to eat that up before I could get any brushing done. I started when he was little and that didn't seem to make much difference.

I am a promoter of bilingualism, although it not exactly a popular thing in Western Canada. Learning French was one of the most fun things I have ever done.

Please let us know how the rebounder works - if you find it helps get you in better shape! Good luck with this!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary said...

Alyssa, when life is so busy, I crave the "alone time". There are days when my husband is gone for a night or two and I find it to be delicious... Enjoy it - the solitude.

Your vintage Thanksgiving cards are beautiful and a reminder of holidays passed. Thanks for a great display of nostalgia.

Happy Thanksgiving, Alyssa. I hope you and your daughter and the rest of the family find time to enjoy each other WITH THE TURKEY EATING PUGS!

Hugs,
Mary

Alyssa said...

Kate - I'll let you know how Sierra likes her soy bacon - Adeena is sure she'll know the difference. I haven't tried the teethbrushing yet, just for the reasons you've given. Thea is a bit "excitable" as it is, so I'm sure this will really set her off. I'll keep you posted. We have a few inches of snow on the ground now, and things look beautiful! A White Thanksgiving!!

Mary - I'm really enjoying the solitude and realizing how many small things Steve does for me. He surely has me spoiled!
I'll bring some turkey home from my sisters house and I know the pugs will love it! (They love any food.) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Mary, and give those Boston girls some turkey too!

Kerri Farley said...

Beautiful post - love those vintage cards.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

Cheap Burberry Handbags These furnishings certainly are a good choice.

When it comes to one of the most styling infant, dress your child
in uggs. Nevertheless, with super delicate
ease and convenience, increased desire, and
winter weather season approaching, it is possible to still discover some terrific provides.



My web-site - www.ninnkibaggukochi.com