First Thanksgiving at Shorthorse

Just picture it: good friends gathered at the mountain ranch, frost on the ground, broken clouds and sun, deer in the yard, horse-and-buggy rides, fires in the fireplaces, and a turkey in the oven. On our first Thanksgiving at Shorthorse, we were blessed to have good people here to make memories, help prepare, and share one of the best turkey dinners we've ever had.

Our good friends Will and Teresa Bron came from Granger, Wash., along with Teresa's utterly charming 23-year-old son Nick who's going to school at WSU. Already here was Maurice, who arrived on Nov. 26 and has been treating us to gastronomic delights he's cooked up for breakfast and dinner almost every night.

The Brons have Friesian horses and are big enthusiasts of driving. So while they were here, Will and Teresa hitched up our little Icelandic (the short horse of "Shorthorse") to a cart my sister in Yakima had entrusted to me. Brimir, the Icelandic, is now a certified "driving horse." He took to it in no time at all. Don and I both took turns driving him around the property and up and down the roads. At age 21, this little guy now has a new career awaiting him next spring...and maybe sooner, if we can find a sleigh for him to pull!

For dinner we pulled out all the stops. Teresa and I brined a turkey, then roasted it to perfection, thanks to an oven bag (my first time!) IT WAS PERFECT!!! That, along with all the other usual yummy once-a-year stuff, and we had a feast fit for Montanans. Joining the Brons and Mannings were our neighbors Jim and Cathy Hill, and Charlotte Beaudry/Lee Ziegler, our other Yakima refugee friends.

Now our company is almost gone. Maurice will leave tomorrow morning, and the house will be quiet and cavernous again. Time for Don and me to snuggle up with a winter's supply of books as the snow falls. And, coincidentally, the snow has just begun.