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 |   Norma's Wanderings around a small section of Montana |
Well folks, we are in Big Timber for Thanksgiving. We had an excellent meal, and now are staying for our second night. But the biggest event is the WIND! Merciful heavens. There was a high wind warning, since expired. The wind was a steady 25-35 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH.  So here are the guidelines as set forth by the CDC for those gatherings yesterday: (illustration of friends gathering outdoors wearing masks and six feet apart) Celebrating virtually or with the people you live with is the safest choice this Thanksgiving. Yeah, well whatever. If having guests to your home, be sure that people follow the steps that everyone can take to make Thanksgiving safer. These steps include: Have a small outdoor meal with family and friends who live in your community. Ha! Evidently they don't live in Montana. My meal would have ended up in Billings. Limit the number of guests. They usually have 600 reservations here, this year 100. Have conversations with guests ahead of time to set expectations for celebrating together. Non-existent Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items between use. Any good restaurant does this. If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. You can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows. What? It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere people, and in my area that means cold. The wind is blowing 25 MPH, no need for a fan. Who is going to pay the bill for extra heat? Limit the number of people in food preparation areas. Again, this was a restaurant. I'm sure there were a dozen or more in the kitchen. But all employees I saw were masked. Have guests bring their own food and drink. Ha! They could just stay home. I'm at a restaurant. I'll not bring my own, thank you. I'm paying for a good meal. If sharing food, have one person serve food and use single-use options, like plastic utensils. Nope, we used real silverware on real plates with real napkins. Kind of civilized. We had the best meal. It started with a charcuterie plate: cure meats, cheese cubes, crackers, quick breads, fruits, pickled vegetables. Then we had a Caesar salad, then the main plate with turkey and prime rib, mashed potatoes (real, not instant), fried Brussel sprouts, glazed carrots, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Our dessert was chocolate mousse. Oh my...wonderful food. Of course we ate too much. So a little after all that, we took a walk in the dark, under the full moon. The wind was howling, but what the H. If you're dressed warm enough, no problem. This hotel has been around since 1890. It is worth a stop if you are ever in the area. https://thegrand-hotel.com Just hang on to your hat, your scarf, your small dog. This area in Montana is like a wind tunnel. Queen Norma Jean    |
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