5 on Friday -- Set 244 -- The Thanksgiving Edition

Photo courtesy of the Graphics Fairy

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

This weekend is all about giving thanks here in The Great White North.

To all of my readers, friends and family -- I wish you many blessings on this Thanksgiving.

1 - The Green, Green Grass of Home -- Tom Jones

2 - Thank You -- Led Zeppelin

3 - Thank You For the Music  -- ABBA

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4 - Counting My Blessings  -- Bing Crosby

5 - How Great Thou Art  -- Elvis Presley

I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to my American friends and family.

Join me at The Popculturedivas for my reasons to be thankful this year.

Wordless Wednesday - 121

Susan Helen Gottfried says The table looked great!

Sukhmandir Kaur says That is an awesome looking slice of pie.

Shelly says Beautiful table setting...and the pie looks great too!

Through the Opera Glasses - 32 - Pryvit, the Ukrainian Bread Dance

For this Thanksgiving, I'd like to share my deep feelings of gratitude to you all through this piece of dance, known as Pryvit.

Pryvit is a Ukrainian dance of welcome, where the honored guests are offered bread, salt and wheat.

Canada has a large Ukrainian population, mainly settled in the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with other large populations on the west coast in British Columbia, and in central Canada in Ontario.

When I worked as an usher at the live theatre in Toronto, we had a Ukrainian dance troupe who performed there, and I was so touched by this dance I welled up with tears. If you recall my story of the summer adventure with Russian sailors my sister and I had in 1984, you'll no doubt guess why.

While we were on board the ship, the sailors brought us several loaves of bread from below decks. This was their own food that they were sharing with my sister and me, who could have bought any number of loaves at the store anytime we wanted. I'm certain the stores of a Soviet ship were not quite as plentiful as all that.

So on this Thanksgiving, I'll let these dancers say for me what I hold deep in my heart for you.



The Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble, performing at the Vesna Festival in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Travis says Hey...thanks for putting your Peace Globe front and center in your sidebar!

Poetry Monday - 70 - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

It's Thanksgiving here in the Great White North (referring to snow, of course, which actually fell in southern Saskatchewan this weekend. A lot of it! Yikes. We've got a gentle rain falling today here in the Maritimes. The grey sky only makes the fall colours more intense for me. They're absolutely heart-achingly beautiful. I took the picture above in my woodland garden yesterday.


Here's one taken in the side yard.




This one's looking into the woodland garden from my apartment entrance at the back of the house.




Which brings us to my Thanksgiving Poetry Monday. This is Sly and The Family Stone in all their autumn funk finery. They're a groovy fave of mine, and I particularly love this song and its sentiments. This band featured black and white musicians in the late 60's, which was almost like a racially mixed marriage. Not only that, but their drummer was white - proving white men do have rhythm, baby - and their trumpet player was a woman. Definitely not the norm. And their choice of apparel - what could be better than leopard print widelegs and matching vest? Or as you'll see in the clip, shiny fringed pants to make the bass player's gettin' down even groovier?

In my world, I cherish acceptance and tolerance above most other things. This song and this group says this with exuberant joy and gratitude.

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)


Looking at the devil
Grinning at his gun
Fingers start shaking
I begin to run
Bullets start chasing
I begin to stop
We begin to wrestle
I was on the top

I want to thank you for letting me be myself again
I want to thank you for letting me be myself again

Step off'n the collar
Slugged me in the face
Chit chat chatter trying
Shoved me in the place
Thank you for the party
But I could never stay
Many things are on my mind
The way

I want to thank you for letting me be myself again
I want to thank you for letting me be myself again

Dance to the music
All night long
Everyday people
Sing their simple song
Mama's so happy
Mama starts to cry
Papa's still singing
You can make it if you try

I want to thank you for letting me be myself again
I want to thank you for letting me be myself again

- Sly Stone, 1969

And here it is, in all its trippy, funky glory. Get down. And have a glorious Thanksgiving.

Thursday Thirteen - 26 - 13 Things For Which I Am Grateful

This weekend is Thanksgiving here in the Great White North. This is a perfect time to reflect on everything I'm most thankful for:

1 - Brad, my magnificent husband













2 - Connie, my best friend for the past 34 years


















3 - Giggling with my sister, Michelle
















4 - Living at the Mini Walton's, with my Mom, Gram, Brad and Xena


















5 - Fiorinal, though my version is called Tecnal C, and is two tones of blue. It's my cavalry-over-the-hill when my migraines rage.














6 - My asthma puffers. I remember life before puffers. When I was a kid, the only thing I could take for wheezing was a syrup. It didn't work very quickly or very well. Life is much better now.













7 - Family dinners - this is a family dinner this past summer at my sister's boyfriend's place. That's me with my cousin Charlie and our visiting Uncle Warren in the background.











(Below) My sister's boyfriend, Newt, and my Uncle Charlie

At left, my cousin Julianne, her mom (my Aunt Noel) and our visiting Aunt Louise







Out on the deck, my cousin Charlie, Uncle Warren, Charlie & Heather's daughter Emily, Charlie's wife Heather and Aunt Louise












8 - My writers' group

Mary Louise, me, Kelly Boyce, Cathryn Fox
















Deborah Hale, Julianne MacLean, Lily Cain














Lorraine, Paula, Annie Mac, Kelly Boyce, Lori













9 - The writers' retreat

At Heather's cottage near Lunenburg, 2005

Ruth and me















Clockwise from left: Kelly Boyce, Nikki, Lori, Elaine, Heidi, me (back turned)














At the cottage next to White Point Beach, 2006














Nikki, Lori, Kelly Boyce and Heidi watching a movie














Clockwise from rocking chair: Deborah Hale giving a craft-of-writing session, Kelly Boyce, Lori, Nikki, Elaine, Heidi, Stella MacLean















Dinner at White Point Beach Lodge
L - R: Elaine, Heidi, me, Lori, Kelly Boyce, Stella MacLean, Nikki















Retreat, 2007

Renee Field and Christine d'Abo collage their story ideas















Annette















Heading to the Lodge for dinner: L - R, Elaine, Annette, Pam, Nikki, John, Heidi, Christine d'Abo, Renee Field, me














Brainstorming session with Elaine, Annette and me















10 - My new computer and internet service - my pathway to all of you.











11 - My roses

It seems that I may have run out of image file space within this blog post. At any rate, I'll leave the pictures up that I've done already, as I'm sure you can imagine the beauty of a rose. I have eight different rose varieties in the garden so far. I love them all!

12 - Starting up my blog this past February. It's made me reconnect with so much of my creative spirit.

13 - The peaceful, surrounded-by-family beauty in which my dad passed away this March. We were lucky to have an extra year together after his initial diagnosis. My grandmother (his mother) was able to drive here in time from Michigan, along with my aunt and two cousins. We spent a lot of wonderful hours together in the hospital, where the staff were beyond kind and who took spectacular care of Dad. My mom (his ex-wife) was included by my step-mom in Dad's last days, confusing the attending physician at first to find two Mrs. Phillips! My step-mom and I slept in his room for the final few nights, and my sister joined us for the last night. He was surrounded my his mother, sister, two daughters and his wife when he took that step into the next world. It really was a beautiful and awe-inspiring experience. I'm most thankful of all for that, and will be for always.