from beautiful Bozeman

We arrived on Monday night to be greeted by a beautiful snow-covered city. This is what the back meadow looked like when I got up on Tuesday morning.

It's not as cold as it has been; in fact, this morning it's hovering around 45º. We could have stayed home for that kind of weather. So perhaps a picnic is in order?

Perhaps not. No more snow is expected until perhaps tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day.

We spent most of yesterday shopping, laying in the stores for our Thanksgiving feast. Cait had already bought a turkey from the Hutterite community nearby. It is now sitting in the kitchen defrosting. Everything else we gathered from one store or another. We actually made pretty good time; got the whole thing done in about 2 hours. After lunch Cait brought out a jigsaw puzzle she bought for our group enjoyment. 2000 pieces. Devilish. After three people worked for two hours, this is what we had to show for our efforts.


Jigsaws were a traditional part of our Thanksgiving gatherings so it's nice to be reminded once again of those bygone celebrations. We even talked about not going out to Ted's for dinner last night. Instead, we'd just stay in, eat leftovers and work on the puzzle. But the thought of bison short ribs (Mike and I), bison pot roast (Cait), and bison meatloaf (Mr. C) won out.

Today begins the great pre-feast cook off. Mr. C's pumpkin pie is in the oven as I write this. Next will be my cranberry walnut tart and Mike's bourbon pecan pie. Then Mr. C will start on his onion soup to be served for dinner tonight. We want to get as much done before the rest of the crowd arrives this afternoon: Alex, Peter, Emily, Andrew, and Cara. It will be a full house with all my loved ones around the table. I couldn't possibly be more thankful.

The granddogs are thankful, too. More walks, more ear scratching, more laps to try to climb into. Each of these dogs now tips the scales at 80 lbs. This is Zeke, the more "Golden Retriever" of the two; calm, sweet natured, long haired. He has the most soulful eyes and beautiful facial markings.


His brother, Huck, is more Blue Heeler; a bit less sociable, shorter hair, more wiry body, with a true herding instinct.



The beautiful new kitchen is a-bustle with cooks and dogs. I think I'll go join in the fun. I wish all of you a beautiful Thanksgiving celebration.