HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Monday is back. With its six siblings lined up orderly in front of her. I have not even opened the front door although I have been up since 3:30. "I" lays sleeping in the chair here in the dining room. Ever faithful, she follows me where ever I go. She hasn't done her jumping to go out yet. I haven't even been curious to see what may lay await for me. So as I drank my coffee and wrestle with these few words that I try to lay as orderly as the days that lies ahead this week. It seems there are always twists and turns mingled with the days. Enough at least to keep me on my toes. So as I drink my coffee. I take a deep breath. I think I will be up for it. So once again I will say, "Let the week began."

Today families will be gathering together. They will have a big meal. Probably Turkey and all the trimmings. They will enjoy their three day weekend. A time of Thanksgiving . Because it is Thanksgiving. No I haven't been smoking the wacky weed. It is Thanksgiving, in Canada. I wish I was rich. I would hop a plane and fly to somewhere in Canada just to have Thanksgiving dinner.

I can see myself taking a cab. I'm sure they call them cabs up there I would get a cab and just ask the driver to cruise around until I spotted a friendly looking house. I'd get out and stroll to the door. After I knocked and a friendly soul opened the door I would ask to come in. I'm sure they would let me. After all its Thanksgiving.

But alas the Lottery ever elusive has not happened yet. So there will be no plane rides or Turkey for me today.I was quite pleased to find out that the 2nd. Monday of October is Thanksgiving in Canada. I am not sure why it thrilled me so. It does seem as I have gotten older it takes so little to make me happy. I love Thanksgiving. I m happy the Canadians celebrate it too. They were a little slower than us in having Thanksgiving. They didn't start offically celebrating it on the 2nd Monday of October until 1957. Better late than ever is my philosophy.

So as they all gather together today. Myself here in Missouri will be thanking of them. I hope they have a wonderful fall day. I bet their trees are beautiful up there this time of year.

So I know this little Blog has probably not been very entertaining today. Quite possibly you don't care if its Thanksgiving in Canada. But I do. So I will kind of jog out of here this morning. I have a Canadian flag I am waving. "Long live the Queen. For now, I'm outta here. As follows is a little information on Canada's Thanksgiving.

CANADA'S THANKSGIVING

TODAY is Canada’s Thanksgiving Day. Since 1957, Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been a holiday on the second Monday of October. On this day, the Canadian people give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in the past year.

Canadians often use the three-day Thanksgiving weekend to visit family or friends who live far away, or to receive them in their own homes. Many people prepare a special meal to eat at some point during the long weekend. Traditionally, this includes roast turkey and seasonal produce, such as pumpkin, corn, and pecan nuts. The meal may consist of other foods, particularly if the family is of non-European descent.

The Thanksgiving weekend is also a popular time to take a short autumn vacation. This may be the last chance in a while for some people to use cottages or holiday homes before winter sets in.

Other popular activities include outdoor breaks to admire the spectacular colors of the Canadian autumn, hiking, and fishing. Fans of the teams in the Canadian Football League may spend part of the weekend watching the Thanksgiving Day Classic matches.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Northern America. In 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey.

This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him – Frobisher Bay.

French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They formed “The Order of Good Cheer” and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbors.

We congratulate the people and government of Canada led by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, H.E., Governor General Michaelle Jean, and H.E., Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and its Embassy in the Philippines headed by H.E., Ambassador Christopher A. Thornley, on the occasion of its Thanksgiving Day.