The weather has been relatively calm since the bomb cyclone, and this makes the farm chores easier.  Last Sunday the beagle managed to chase two peahens onto the very top of the barn roof.

On Friday the cows looked almost shimmering with the autumn clouds in the background.

On Tuesday I ran across this photo in my facebook feed.  And I learned, I believe for the first time, the name of the tribe that lived in this area- Nuwhaha.

I read the Wikipedia page about them.  I always thought it was the Upper Skagit tribe here, so happy to be educated about this.  I did know that the women would go to harvest roots on our prairie.  I also knew about the smallpox outbreaks and the heartbreaking story of the man saving his baby niece when the rest of the village on our prairie perished.  But now I have a couple of book references to research more about this tribe, and potentially locate the fort above Jarman Prairie.  One book I already believe I have, Indians of Skagit County.  But the other, Valley of the Spirits: The Upper Skagit Indians of Western Washington, I will have to try to find.  It was nice to learn more about local indigenous history on this controversial holiday week.

For Thanksgiving, we joined Tom’s family for dinner.  First I prepared with getting supplies ready to make Cranberry Martinis.

And I also prepared Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole to be baked there to accompany the meal. I picked this recipe since Tom doesn’t like mushrooms.   I used my home canned green beans.  Here it is ready for the oven.

Tom had recently purchased a 1979 Nooksack Valley High School letterman jacket.  He brought it to the gathering as his deceased brother Jody was in this class.  We are not sure who this jacket belonged to, though.

Here is some of the gathering of family.  It was quite fun.

And here is my plate.  Definitely overloaded but all great.

It was a great, fun holiday.  The green bean casserole was a big hit.  The martinis, not so much, although I liked mine.

The other big news is that Roscoe went missing.  We last saw him on Tuesday morning.  He was still hunting then though.

But then there was no sign of him.  The food we were leaving out was not being eaten.  I was hoping maybe he found a better place to hang out but worrying that maybe he had been killed.  There are plenty of predators out there.  We had been trying to move the food slightly closer to the barn hoping that he would move that way into safer territory.  But he never really did other than an occasional sighting in the donkey pen.

But then yesterday, he almost magically reappeared.

This is him (we are not sure actually if it is a “him”) returning to his abode after hunting.

And Tom calling to him with his food.  He actually got within 20 feet of Roscoe, which is the closest we have ever been.

So I have some hope that he will gradually become more comfortable with us and hopefully move closer and away from the coyotes, bobcats and eagles.  I am so glad he came back though.  I was deeply concerned.

Yesterday I was working and managed to hurt my ribs badly. Can you believe that?  I made it home this morning, but almost any movement is incredibly painful.  Please send healing wishes/prayers/thoughts for my recovery.