The Rural Voice, 1990-10, Page 8AUSTREES
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1-800-265-7080
4 THE RURAL VOICE
A TIME OF THANKS
Gisele Ireland is from Bruce County.
Her most recent book, Brace Yourself,
is available for $7 from Bumps Books,
Teeswater, Ontario, NOG 2S0.
There's a feeling of change in the
air these crisp mornings when the sun
rises. I don't just mean the new
government taking over the reins of
power in this province, although that
change could provide us with some
stimulating excitement; I mean the
change in the land. The green
lushness has given way to riotous
colours. Fields are bare here and
there and colourful pumpkins lie like
beacons among their withered vines.
It's the season to take stock and give
thanks.
Anyone who put corn or grain
seed in the ground has to be gratified
at the yields they produced. Combines
choked and sputtered as they wound
the rows through the header into
waiting bins. The prices this year are
something else again, too. Makes me
thankful we kept our day jobs so we
can pay the difference.
Around here the pig barn is a
good barometer of prices. When they
are on the high scale, the pigs don't
seem to squeal as much nor smell as
strong. When they slide into oblivion,
the aroma from the fans in the barns
is definitely more noticeable.
Anyone who had a garden
wallowed in ecstasy. Rumours floated
around of pie plate sized tomatoes and
potatoes the size of footballs. We set
a record around here as to how many
bushels of green beans one could get
from two packages of seeds. The
loaded freezer downstairs is still in
shock. The shelves in the cellar are
groaning under a load of preserves.
It sure kept our family from being lazy
and bored after sunset when we
processed the seemingly endless
bushels of goodies from the garden.
The lawn also grew at
phenomenal rates. We drew straws to
determine who would get the pleasure
of pushing the mower on a regular
basis. There was some talk about a
herd of goats, but that was squashed
by the flower lovers in the family.
At our house, we are in a
situation where there's two down,
and two to go. I don't mean football
either. Two of the offspring have
finished their post secondary
education for the time being, and two
are waiting in the wings. This is the
breather year when we might have
some money left over for luxuries like
towels and sheets that aren't worn
through at the centre. There'll be no
raiding of the household goods this
year to set up another residence for a
college kid. I'm still missing my best
fry pan, a hair dryer, and two hot
water bottles from several years back.
Those are the material thanks.
There are others more important.
The kind of thanks we give for having
what we have and being a little
ashamed for wanting more all the
time. The thanks we give for health
and happiness. Without either of these
qualities in our lives, the others are
worthless. A new car couldn't give
Super Wrench more pleasure than
stumbling upon a rich patch of wild
elderberries. Visions of endless pies
and gallons of burgundy -coloured
wine immediately put him into a
picking mode.
The greatest measure of thanks
goes to the Master Planner who has
blessed us with loving families and
friends to enrich our lives and make
living a challenge and a satisfying
experience. Thankfully, we have
no control over the destiny of birth
and death, although both cause us
momentary anguish at times. It is
as it should be, and for that, we
give thanks.°