Thanksgiving

Hi, Jo here doing a brief post at this time, when many Americans are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. It's a pleasant idea for us all to be thankful for blessings great and small, no matter where we live. I'm a believer in noticing things that make us smile day by day, because it's easy to begin to take them for granted. We might smile at a neighbour, the light reflecting on a window, a cute display in  shop, a very satisfying cup of tea -- or some days we might enjoy a delightful surprise.

So please, share something that made you smile in the last 24 hours, ordinary or unexpected.

I'll share two things. (I wrote this on Tuesday evening.) One is my salt lamp. It's a cold day here for Devon and the night comes early and I switched it on for its warm, golden glow. They're supposed to give off negative ions, which are the good ones, and perhaps they do, but I love that glow. 

The other pleasure is a book called Mrs. Hurst Dancing, which is a collection of pictures drawn in the early 19th century by a young lady showing the everyday life of a gentry family in the countryside. I pulled it off the shelf because I remembered it had an illustration of the family enjoying an electricy machine and I wanted to remind myself of how they were doing it.

 

 You'll see that they're holding hands while a man fiddles with the machine. It says, "Henry Van electrifying Mrs. Van, Diana, Henry, and Isabella -- Mum and HGS." It doesn't matter about the full names, but I note that electrifying is already in use, and she calls her mother Mum, as many do today.

 

 Then, of course, I spent a pleasant hour going through the pictures. There are days out, walking or riding -- and the ladies ride on donkeys, not horses; alarming moments when out in a carriage; and a rather precarious clearing of flies off a window. 

"Mrs. Sperling murdering flies, assisted by her maid, who receives the dead and wounded." It doesn't say how they stayed up there! 

You can find more pictures on the web, and the book is available, used at least.

So now,  please share "a smile of the day", and if you're celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I hope it involves many smiles.

And always remember that the simple act of smiling sends makes us feel happier (it's true!), and creates happiness around us, so whatever's around you at the moment, smile. :)

Jo

Comments

[Shannon]

I was smiling yesterday at everyone at work talking all about the snow storm, whether it would be one inch or 14. They consulted various websites and them went to links for the various models. Snow can totally can shut down our city, but it's just fun to watch the "preparation." To think that Regency characters depended on someone's achy knee.

The other thing that came up during chit-chat was not having a car. Mike had been enlisted overseas, and the Air Force wouldn't ship his car. I recalled being in Saudi Arabia, unable to drive. So for yesterday, I was again very grateful to have a car and to be able to be mobile.

[Gail]

After a snowstorm on Monday, I had to smile when the man came to plow our drive. I was thankful not to have to do it myself!

[HJ]

Seeing the squirrels leaping like deer rather than just running made me smile today. They are so busy burying things for the winter that they don't have time to move slowly.

[Lillian Marek]

You just made me smile by mentioning Mrs. Hurst Dancing. It's such a delightful book that even the thought of it always makes me happy.

[Jobev]

Yes, Shannon, sometimes we only value things when we're without them for a while. The mere thought of significant snow and having to deal with it wouldn't have me smiling, though. Many years in the colder parts of Canada turned me right off!

[Jobev]

Yes, indeed, Gail. But then there's the street plow that blocks up the drive just after it's been cleared. :/

See above for my attitude to snow. I'm smiling and grateful that I rarely encounter it any more! :)

[Jobev]

That sounds like fun, HJ

[Jobev]

Isn't it a lovely book, Lillian. It gives a lovely picture of everyday Regency life.

[Patricia Rice]

I smiled just reading this blog, but I smile every day when I get up and see the sun rising over our palm tree and know I don't need gloves and scarf anymore!

[Mary Jo Putney]

MRS. HURST DANCING! Indeed that's worth a smile. I love Diana Sperling's wit.

Yesterday I smiled when I received a phone call from the airport from a dear semi-sister who'd managed to change flights to avoid bad weather so she could reach my house for the holiday. (And she did this while recovering from knee surgery.) Happy, happy to know that she made it safely!

[Susan]

Thanks for the smiles, what a lovely post, Jo!
I love my salt lamp too. In fact, you've reminded me to switch it on, and that golden glow is especially welcome today, with snow falling outside and apple pies baking inside .... :)

[Karenmc]

My biggest smile this week: Yesterday my niece posted on Facebook that her 3-year-old twins had a knock-down, drag-out, hair-pulling, head-butting fight. It was over Henry trying to take a piece of Lauren’s imaginary cake.

I smiled because this has happened before, and I smiled because they’re not my kids.

[jana]

I smiled over Karenmc's comment😄 I also smiled when I got to school today after a conference yesterday and found out my kids had won the spell-a-thon contest. It was my first time in 10 years to have the winning class!

[Jean M.]

You are so right about smiling. I have always found that a
smile on my face goes up to the eyes & I immediately feel
better. Then, I find it is so easy to share that smile with
the people who cross my path. A shared smile changes the air between strangers & friends. Grumpiness, depression,
stress, are washed away if only for a short time,but I like to think that that shared smile lasts as a glow the rest of the day.
I have a wonderful 11 year old Great-granddaughter who loves to read & it delights me when she suddenly smiles & out & out laughs over something she is reading. Mrs. Hurst Dancing sounds like one of those books. Happy Thanksgiving!

[Jean M.]

Jo,
Jean M. again. I meant to tell you that your new picture is lovely. I love your new "hair do"!

[Jackie]

I smiled yesterday walking my dog when a cardinal gave me a glint of his beauty.

[Jobev]

I can imagine!

[Jobev]

I hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving gathering.

[Jobev]

Apple pies. Yum!

[Jobev]

LOL, Karen!

[Jobev]

Congratulations, Jana. I'm sure that was largely your great work.

[Jobev]

Jean, children's smiles can be so special. It's as if they're reminding us how lovely a smile is.

[Jobev]

Thanks, Jean! I need to go to the hairdresser again. My trouble is that I don't like it much and I only get desperate when it's a shaggy mess.

[Jobev]

Birds can be so great. Being here in England I do miss hummingbirds. They easily made me smile. But we get great birdsong sometimes, and that's lovely, too.

[Diane Sallans]

I've wondered about those salt lamps

[Becky]

Two things made me smile today- it is Thanksgiving and I am grateful to have all of my children and husband together to enjoy the day. The second thing that made me smile is that since I cooked dinner, I got to rest and relax to a great book while everyone cleaned up :). I am reading an intriguing book about Thomas Edison "Inventing Madness" by J.G. Schwartz http://www.inventingmadness.com/.

[Mary M.]

Fighting over _imaginary_ cake? Sounds like a great plot device for one of you wenches!

[Mary M.]

I second Jean's comment. You look happy with life, Jo.

[Mary M.]

I'm grateful to be reading this post on my iPad, on my couch, with my two Siamese kitties stacked up on me (purring of course), with mellow Christmas jazz playing in the background. In fact, I'm purring myself! Mmmrrrrrrr.

(I love the Regency, but with no iPads then, I don't want to go there, lol.)

[Jobev]

They're wonderful, Diane. When I first saw them I thought they must be very expensive, but they're not. Put one on your Christmas list. The electric ones are best, though I do have a couple that hold tea lights.

[Jobev]

Harmonious family is definitely something to celebrate, Becky. :)

[Jobev]

LOL, Mary! So true. Having difficulty finding books, having to cut the pages, and then not having the greatest light for evening reading...

We are blessed!

[Karin]

The picture of "Mrs. Sperling murdering flies" just made me smile. I think she's standing on the windowsill, and the maid is balancing on the edge of the wainscoting. It does seem rather precarious!
I am thankful for central heat, electricity, and the internet that brings the whole world into my house. And I am thankful for my extended family, we shared a sumptuous feast yesterday and had a lot of laughs.