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Thanksgiving at Home

© Bertha Sutliff

When all the leaves are off the boughs,
And nuts and apples gathered in,
And cornstalks waiting for the cows,
And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,
Then Mother says, "My children dear,
The fields are brown and autumn flies;
Thanksgiving Day is very near,
And we must make thanksgiving pies!"

Author Unknown

When all the leaves are off the boughs... This brings to my mind the colorful leaves that dance in the wind on my Arkansas Ridge. Colors of oranges, browns, greens and yellows all play an important role in letting us know that fall has arrived in all her splendor. Thanksgiving at home is soon to come.

And nuts and apples gathered in... Mama would have us crack walnuts and hickory nuts for her and she would use them in the holiday cooking. She used walnuts to make a pecan pie only it wasn't pecan it was walnut. It was also very delicious. We always had apples. Mama canned apples and made applesauce and apple butter. In those days you preserved everything you got your hands on to feed your family. Mama was the best at doing just that.

And cornstalks waiting for the cows... As a child I loved gathering the corn. Daddy would harness the horses to the wagon and as they walked up and down the rows of brown stalks and dry tassels, we would pull and twist to free the ears of corn and throw them into the wagon. The stalks were always gathered for fodder. The cows loved it.

And pumpkins safe in barn and bin... Daddy would harvest the pumpkins and store them in a cellar that was also used when the storms came in the spring. Those pumpkins stayed as fresh as they were before they had been plucked from the vine. We always had plenty of pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread for the holidays. Mama even put walnuts or hickory nuts in the pumpkin bread to make it extra special.

Then Mother says, "My children dear... There are five of us kids. We all have our homes on the acre of ground Daddy gave each of us when we married. Our little country lane sings with the laughter of the children and adults playing late into the summer nights. In the fall you will see them gather around fires outside just to talk about hunting trips or the weather yet to come. At the end of the lane sits the master of all houses...home. Mama and Daddy have lived there for 57 years. It's like our own kingdom and home is the castle where the king and queen live.