Our Thanksgiving Feast

∞

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours
May Your Harvest be Complete with Family, Friends, and Feast
❤  OmaEagle

Our Family’s Traditional Feast

Thanksgiving Menu

Roasted Turkey
Cornbread Chestnut Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Yams, Mashed or Candied with Nuts
Succotash (corn and lima beans)
Mama’s Creamed Pearl Onions
Mixed Squashes, baked, maybe w Tomatoes
Poppy’s Cranberry Pineapple Relish
Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
Relish dish of Radishes, Scallions, and Olives
Fresh Baked Bread / Rolls and Butter
Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie
Ice Cream or Whipped Cream
Eggnog and Mulled Spiced Wine

∞

Read about Our Mayflower Ancestors and the 1st Feast here:
The First ‘Harvest’ Thanksgiving and Our Family

∞

Our Family Mealtime Prayer for Seven decades

∞

Thank you for stopping by,

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past, and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle

❤ I would love to hear back from you.

What are you Thankful for?
What are some of your Traditional Thanksgiving foods?

Please Share.

The First ‘Harvest’ Thanksgiving and Our Family

The First ‘Harvest Thanksgiving’

1620 The Mayflower
Separatist ‘Saints’ & Strangers

Our 9^th great-grandfather George SOULE Sr., was a printer apprentice under Edward Winslow, as such, he was involved with the printing of Calderwood’s book ‘Perth Assembly’ by Brewster and his associates in Leyden. King James I was very irate after this publication, causing all involved to go into hiding or flee. They fled to the New World.

George SOULE arrived at Plymouth Rock among the Separatist ‘Saints‘, aboard The Mayflower. He was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, It was the first legal social contract composed and signed in the New World, The “Mayflower Compact” was signed on 11 November 1620 aboard the Mayflower, shortly after she came to anchor in Provincetown Harbor.

As we have our Thanksgiving Feast we are reminded of him and the hardships he had endured. The Religious persecutions from which he fled, and the hardships of the first Winter here in the New World.

∞

As we gave thanks for all our Blessings,
and the multitude of foods available to us, 
We, would reflect on the foods available
for the 'First Thanksgiving'. 

• Turkey, they hunted wild fowl
• They foraged woodlands for plentiful Nuts.
• They grew corn/maize, beans, squash, pumpkins.
• Thus our Menu: Turkey; Cornmeal & Chestnut Stuffing, they did have Nuts.  -they would have made cornmeal porridge or a pottage with cornmeal in it.
• They would not have had potatoes, mashed or otherwise, nor yams.
• They did have Succotash (Narragansett sohquttahhash)
• They had onions, they grew them and foraged wild onions,                                 but they would not have been creamed.
• They would have had squashes, but not the tomatoes.
• They did not have cranberries, pineapples, radishes, and olives.
• They did not have wheat, so they did not have bread, rolls or pie crusts.       They could have had a flat cornbread. They had no butter or cream.
• They did not have Pumpkin pie, but stewed pumpkin.

Our Family's Traditional Feast:

Roasted Turkey with Cornbread Chestnut Stuffing;
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy; Yams, Mashed or Candied with Nuts; 
Succotash; Mixed Squashes, baked, maybe w Tomatoes;
Creamed Pearl Onions; 
Poppy's Cranberry-Pineapple Relish; Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce;
Relish dish of Radishes, Scallions, and Olives;
Fresh Baked Bread / Rolls and Butter;
Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie; Ice Cream or Whipped Cream;
Eggnog and Mulled Spiced Wine

 

Thank you for stopping by,

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past, and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle

❤ I would love to hear back from you.

What are you Thankful for?

Please Share.

 

Despicable Disposables & Sky Litter

The Lone Balloon

SAD… SKY LITTER and plastic waste,
Destroys Wildlife and our Open Space.

Let’s picnic and camp on debris piles,
some places that’s all there is for miles and miles,

The 1st Earth Day, was nearly 50 years ago,
we did get the clean air and clean water act though,
But solid waste has grown even more,
You see piles on the roadsides, forest, and at the shore,
what the Hell was the environmental movement for?

No one it seems really cares,
they do not see their mess land elsewhere,
Out of sight, out of mind,
just leave your inconvenient trash behind.

Release your Celebratory balloons and lanterns into the air.
OH, they’re just fine, they’ll ‘biodegrade’ somewhere…

So that’s what we get and deserve in the end,
It’s only about ‘Global Warming’ / ‘Climate Change’ my friend,
Forget Solid Waste piling up at our front door,
becoming islands in the Oceans and the forest floors. -DRD 6/2018

Let’s not even talk about our Toxic waters and seas,
you know the food and water for you and me – DRD

Please Share to Make Others Aware

Our Trash and Plastics Legacy will not go away anytime Soon,                              We’ve run out of Space, we’ve run out of Room.                                                    Become Aware and Care for the land we all Share, for Our Earth all around.          Our Solid Waste is growing in Leaps and Bounds,                                                      It is causing Our Creatures to ‘Drown’. SAD

.

Thanks for stopping by.

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past,            and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle

I Love Geneology

.

I have been doing it for over 50 years.

.

In the Beginning…

I started along side my Grandfather when I was just about 13.
Back in the Day it was long days pouring over dusty Tomes,
Eye Blinded hours going through Microfishe films… Groan
Days on end of sorting and cataloging collected information.
But it was Great Fun in the early years when it came to the
interviews of the Elders, listening to their stories and recollections.
Taking notes while viewing old photos, letters, and mementos 😉

Then…

I owned over 200 Genealogical Research Books:

• Published Family Genealogies
• New England Historical and Biographical Tomes.
• New York Counties’ Historical and Biographical Tomes.
• Pennsylvania Counties’ Historical and Biographical Tomes.
• Volumes on First American Families; Early Settlers; & Colonial Ancestors.
• The Histories & Families of:
  • The Dutch Quaker Migration;
  • The Germantown settlement;
  • The New Netherlands Dutch
  • The Saints and Strangers of the Mayflower.
• Military rosters, Fort court records, ancient directories, etc.

All this history in books from the late 1800’s up to the turn of the century.        I LOVE reading them…

Enter the Internet…

I no longer had to leave my home to do research in Historical Societies and Libraries. I could remotely sign in to Uni Libraries to pull up historical and biographical books. I would remotely sign in to the local library to research records, census, vitals, cemeteries, and old newspaper articles using their Heritage Quest on-line.  WOW

It was my sanity…

while I was connected to a dialysis machine 10 hours a night for near 5 year.

Funny thing is… 😀 During this time I found out that…
I am related to our 2 Son-in-Laws going back to the early 1600’s

One Son-in-Law I am related to on 3 different Quaker /
Mennonite lines from the early Germantown settlement..
The other, I am related to from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The only thing is where my tree use to say
‘Mother of the Husband of your Daughter’, Etc…
It now says… 11th cousin 5x removed…

Does this make Me a History Geek? Nerd?

Stay tuned, I will be sharing some of my Family discoveries in future Blogs.

.

Reach out and touch your Elders,

talk to them and take many notes, even if what they say doesn’t make sense to you. Where did they, their parent, grandparents live, work, etc. Ask about customs, foods, trades, don’t forget to include the hearsay (it might come in handy). Write everything they say down, it may come into play later.

Have Fun -OmaEagle

 

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past,             and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle

.

Thank You Social Media?

                                                          Follow Your Path

.

Staying Connected. Can You Hear Me Now?

Back in the ‘old days’, when I traveled by horse… No, not really.

.

Way Back… 

When our ancestors were emigrating, they left behind everything, homes, family, decades of history and friendships. They would try to stay connected through written correspondence. Keeping their loved ones apprised of the trials and tribulation of their new adventures. It would sometimes take months via ships, stagecoaches, carriages, and horses. Letters of Importance would often cross in transit. There was such time and distance between people and important communiqué. Most were never to meet again. (I can’t imagine that)

Back In The ‘Old Days’…

When we lived in smaller settlements, communities and /or neighborhoods, we could walk up and down the streets, and just pop in on friends or family for a cup of coffee or a spot of tea. We would sit together in the kitchen or on the porch and share what is going on in our lives. Making personal contact we could Laugh & Cry together. Best of all we could get a big HUG.

Today…

We are even more transient, we live all around the country and globe. It is not feasible to make personal contact, especially because we are All so busy now-a-days. Phone calls do not quite fill in the whole picture, the true colors and textures of our lives, also, No big HUG.

TA-DAH…

Enters Social Media… I can pop in on friends and family, to see how they are doing, to celebrate their beautiful good times and to be with them in their rough times. It may not be in person, but through a window to their world, I feel as if I am there… I hope they can also feel my joys and concerns for them and their lives.

Thank you social media for allowing me Wings to Fly to the windows of the ones I Love!

However, it will never replace the hugs and kisses

So, In the New Year, Reach-out and Hug someone.

.

Staying Connected. Can You Hug Me Now?

-Oma Eagle

.

One of my favorite, since I was a child…

.

Around The Corner

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.

And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.

And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.

“Tomorrow” I say! “I will call on Jim
Just to show that I’m thinking of him”,
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner, yet miles away,
“Here’s a telegram sir,” “Jim died today.”
And that’s what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

—Charles Hanson Towne

 

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past,           and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle

The Christmas Stocking

Tiny Treasures

Christmas morning we would come down the stairs, and gaze in awe and excitement at all the beautiful packages under the tree. However, we were not allowed to open them. Before the opening of the presents, our parents would take care of the ‘important’ adult stuff, coffee, breakfast, and the camera.

To occupy us, we were allowed to sit and go through our stockings. They would be hanging there right under our noses, on the stair rail, enticing us, overflowing with hidden tiny treasures. So for me, the stocking was the real treat, the hunt for buried treasure. What mysterious mini marvels would I find stuffed into it this year?

There was no just dumping it out to glance at the bounty for me… NO.                     I dug out every item one by one, enjoying carefully unwrapping, inspecting, smelling, tasting, playing with, and laying out each tiny gift as I went along… A candy cane (even though Santa hung them all over the tree); an orange and walnuts (they were also sitting in a dish on the coffee table); Neccos; barley sugar candy, in a Christmas or animal shape; Chapstick; Dentine; travel size toothpaste; toothbrush; travel size hand cream; comb and brush; toilet water / perfume; barrettes, hair bands or ties; silly putty; chocolate gold coins…

Then, at the bottom of the stocking, stuffed in the very tip of the toe, there would be the special Treasure. Right there under the gold coins, all wrapped up in pretty paper, was the treasure, a beautiful mini box holding: a tiny piece of jewelry, a charm or pin; or a crystal ornament; or a crystal knick-knack. YES, the real Teeny Tiny Treasure, to me was that beautiful forever keepsake, because for the rest of my life, every time I would see it, I would remember the Warmth and Love of this Blessed day with my family.

Other items occasionally found:

Hershey Minis or Kisses, M&M’s, Lifesavers, Cracker Jacks, yo yo, marbles, ball & jacks, crayons, card games, finger sparkler, small finger games…

What do you remember getting in your stocking as a child? -OmaEagle

Oh Christmas sock, Oh Christmas sock,
How lovely are thy tiny treasures,
Oh Christmas sock, Oh Christmas sock,
Opening them brings such pleasures,

Every year at Christmas sees,
You bringing such joy and glee.
Oh Christmas sock, Oh Christmas sock,
Such tiny treasure within thee!

Oh Christmas sock, Oh Christmas sock,            What pleasure do you bring me!
Oh Christmas sock, Oh Christmas sock,             Such pleasure do you bring me!

 

 

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past,              and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, is my favorite holiday,
where I truly appreciate having food to eat,
a place to sleep, and family to warm my heart.
I will always remember the year or two as a Child,
when we had no heat and we had no food.
I recall the smell of Turkeys cooking all around me,
but for us a ‘feast’ was not a reality, we ate chicken
noodle soup and crackers. It seems so hollow to me.
It will always be ever so poignant to me.

That is why, once I grew up, I tried to save at least
one family from the same hollow-hearted feelings…
I would make up a Thanksgiving basket or two.
Filled with fruits, nuts, cake, candy, and all the trimmings
for a Wonderful feast, along with a store card for a Turkey.
I would contact the local school nurse, because if anyone
knew which Kid’s family were truly hungry, it would be her.
I would deliver them to the families, saying…
I am delivering this for someone who is…
“Wishing you and yours, many Blessings now and in the future.”
There would be a card attached with that sentiment, signed…
“From someone who has been there. God Bless.”

It was my way of giving thanks to God for all my blessings.
I held so tight to this Holiday as the Holiday of Love and Warmth,
that I would drive over 900 miles, for 20 hours, in holiday traffic,
to and from, to gather everyone up so we could all be together.
I would prep the house, pick up the family, Cook the feast, then…
drive them all back home. The day was always magical for me.

What are some of the ways you and yours share the Warmth on Thanksgiving?

I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past,        and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle