A book I never knew existed, illustrated by a favorite artist... no one else out there like Stephen Gammell. Thanks for the heads up on this, Wren! Currently on my bookshelf next to my copy of Halloween Poems. Gammell is a magician, making things mysterious and beautiful. And the colors are perfection.
The artwork really captures that feeling from the landscape in late November in these parts. And that brought back some memories. Thanksgivings from my youth were initially spent at my grandparents' tiny brick home in an urban block of the city. We'd show up early and the day always seemed to be sunny, breezy, and cold. It always felt like a holiday - different than a normal day. Halloween was a month behind us, and Christmas was coming. The Gimbles parade was on their TV, and we waited for Santa to arrive at noon (the official start of the Christmas Season, you know).
And the house smelled amazing. My grandmother was an exquisite cook and everything she made felt like we were in on some wonderful culinary secret. Cooking and hosting duties eventually were turned over to my mother. An assignment that no one was pleased with, including (and especially with) my mother. My mother would be a great cook at a penitentiary. Growing up, we were served the same particular meal on the same day of each week (e.g. Thursdays were chicken soup, Fridays were fish sticks). Every. Single. Week.
The turkey seemed to be my mother's nemesis. She battled with that thing for an entire day. And you'd think the oven broke or the turkey refused to thaw, as we always ended up watching her check and poke and essentially ruin the classic shape of a turkey as we all braced for some form of salmonella (though that part never happened). I recall the first time I cooked a turkey on my own. I was filled with anxiety and fear. But it turns out when you follow cooking instructions, a beautiful turkey can be made. I'm wondering if my mother was trying to get someone else to volunteer for cooking duties... playing the long game for sure (no one ever did).
So you look back on holidays from the past and you realize magic was there and it was a finite resource, all around you. But you didn't realize that at the time. As I get older, I find myself wishing I would have complimented my grandmother's meals more. Or stayed longer. Or visited more often. I'm hoping she knew we were all excited to be a part of her talents and her generosity. I'm certain she could tell (I'm hoping she could tell).
Anyways, going into this Thanksgiving, I'm feeling a mountain of gratitude. For those memories. For the good stuff. Grateful for the people in my life. Extremely grateful to be able to spend a peaceful Thanksgiving with music, a nice fire going, and plenty of wine and great food.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for following this blog and my Instagram account. All the emails, nice comments, and all the "likes" and follows mean the world to me.
Happy Thanksgiving!
21 comments:
Your poor mother - I feel for someone who loathes cooking being stuck with the responsibility of the family feast on Thanksgiving. While she may have never said she loathed it, her lack of enthusiasm around the whole ordeal, even everyday family meals, speaks volumes. So glad woman today have options.
Yup...we definitely were aware of her disdain! She once suggested cooking the turkey the day before thanksgiving...so Thanksgiving would be "easier"... we rejected the notion, as the prospect of having leftovers on the big day seemed ludicrous. I'm certain she doesn't miss those days at all.
Those illustrations are indeed magical, and may serve as a great teaser introduction for anyone that may yet to have been captured by the illustrations in ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’...hopefully, it will inspire some folks to discover the incredible imagination and work of Stephen Gammell.
The nostalgic description of the holiday alchemy that is a young person’s Thanksgiving in a grandmother’s kitchen is equally magical and poignant, as are the general musings of the magic of holidays, and the passage of time.
This post is certainly not the first time I’ve thought this, but I think it is the first time mentioning it...magic is consistently the throughline here, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that is grateful for that.
The blog itself is a magical oasis in a humdrum reality where the works of a variety of incredible conjurers are consistently and reliably served up for consumption.
It might be a bit on the nose (while also undeniably seasonally appropriate), but the blog is a veritable cornucopia of the weird and wondrous, and a seemingly endless source of magical abundance. Images, music, stories, and all manner of otherworldly artworks curated and presented as portals to those other places; it acts as a gateway to enchantment and a source of fresh nourishment for the imagination that is just not readily available elsewhere.
And much like the cook / magician in the kitchen who is busily assembling / conjuring the Thanksgiving feast while everyone else idly watches the parade, you definitely deserve some appreciation for that effort that we all sit down to consume.
So, thanks for creating, assembling, and / or channeling it all for everyone else to enjoy, and please enjoy the food, music, fire, and wine, as well as everything else the season has to offer…it is well-deserved.
You, sir, are a man amongst men. I really appreciate that comment. And I'm SO glad you've been such a significant part of this blog since my return. Thanks a TON for that.
you captured the essence of my youth here. thank you for such beautiful memories
Sure thing!
plus I just bought this!
Wonderful!
Agree with you, RM - can’t say it better!
Hope everyone has a relaxing Thanksgiving!
Thanks! And thanks again for letting me know about that book.
Great post! Happy Thanksgiving Rot, and thank you for a special autumn season.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Your recounting of your mom reluctantly "accepting the torch" of Thanksgiving Feast Maker
sounds so familiar to me. My mom was an amazing cook but she came to hate the ritual of cooking for two days and then having the turkey carcass left over to deal with. And then sprinkle that with family drama...The movie "Home for the Holidays"s comes to mind...haha.
Happy Thanksgiving, Rot! And I agree with Revenant Manor....very grateful for you and for being a part of this community!
Forgot to mention how much I like Steven Gammell's work. I had never heard of the guy until I found his "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" for my son who loved ghost stories. I instantly fell in love with the beautiful black and white illustrations and even borrowed one of the illustrations to head the flyers we sent out to the elementary schools for the Haunted Slough.
It was an image of some scary looking woods off in the distance with these little devil creatures sitting in the trees which became the inspiration for the devil looking couple I had in the display for several years. I am always amazed by artists that are able to create such amazing images with such a difficult/unforgiving medium as ink or watercolor.
Thanks for sharing that, Marianne! I love that you made those creatures based off of his work. Happy Thanksgiving!
Great post! You deserve all the wonderful Thanksgivings to come and I’m glad that you can look back fondly and appreciate the magic that was there despite not knowing it at the time. Cheers to gratitude and happy Thanksgiving!
Cheers, Sar! Happy Thanksgiving!
Cheers! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Thanks! I did, and it's still going. haha
Wonderful post in every way! Memories, reflections, Gammell, cool poems.
Absolutely love the line "So you look back on holidays from the past and you realize magic was there and it was a finite resource, all around you. But you didn't realize that at the time." That is so poignant and so true. Perfectly describes the way I feel during the holiday season.
Also agree with Revenant M. We are all grateful for you and your blog. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks, KO. : )
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