Whether you are still enjoying lovely autumn colors 
or hunkering down to shorter days and more snow as my northern blogger friends, want to wish a very Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving, and indeed in all our lives there is much for which to be thankful. 
Edmonton has plunged in less than two weeks from summer to winter, but not with out some oxymorons of this transition such as trees with green leaves on snowy streets.
Thought would share a few photos of this process including bike adventures with the dogs and gatherings this weekend.
St. Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and Italy, and it is customary for many churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his feast day of 4 October.
At Holy Trinity we celebrated yesterday afternoon at 2 PM in the Blessing of the Animals with two clergy 
more than 15 dogs and one caged cat!
Found it interesting how one legend reports that Francis convinced a wolf not to attack the townsfolk of Gubbio and even got the dogs to agree…as follows:
A wolf "terrifying and ferocious, who devoured men as well as animals". Francis had compassion upon the townsfolk, and went up into the hills to find the wolf. Soon, fear of the animal had caused all his companions to flee, though the saint pressed on. When he found the wolf, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the feet of St. Francis. "Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil...", said Francis. "All these people accuse you and curse you... But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people". Then Francis led the wolf into the town, and surrounded by startled citizens made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger”, the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly, and in return, the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flocks. In this manner Gubbio was freed from the menace of the predator. Francis, ever the lover of animals, even made a pact on behalf of the town dogs, that they would not bother the wolf again. It is also said that Francis, to show the townspeople that they would not be harmed, blessed the wolf.
Well our animals were in various ages and breeds, with the occasional bark and tugs on the leashes, but very evident of the bond with owners here with an out stretched hand, 
or sitting quietly 
and mine hiding under the pews. 
Luke 12: 23-26 “ Life is more than food and body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, they neither sow nor reap, have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds, and can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life? If then if you are not able to do so small a thing why do you worry about the rest? “ 
Biked there and back 
with both dogs attached together, 
which over ravine and city streets with a mild dusting of snow proves interesting. 
The dogs had great runs and is probably as close as they will ever get to their in-bred husky dog sled callings.
My life is a mixture of solitary and social and thus the process of getting ready for a dinner is as much fun as the actual gathering. Great motivator for house cleaning and sorting those lower cupboards with all the corning ware cooking dishes, salad bowls and plastic storage lids.
Jeffrey is a grad student boarding at the house and when I told him I was going to put some of my cherries in the dryer he stopped dead, with this look of confusion on this face, and said “Well my mother cleans carrots in the washing machine!” Of course I meant the Gusto food dehydrator not clothes dryer! 
I picked this up at a garage sale a few weeks ago and have been experimenting with drying different items 
from oranges 
to cherries to tomatoes and carrots.
Anyone out there with other ideas on uses?
We did a smaller just four of us Thanksgiving dinner here at the house, Jeffrey, his mom up from BC 
and another grad student visiting from Brazil. 
In preparation I baked two pies, 
one apple and one cherry/peach using:
Granny's “No Fail” Pastry
Put one egg, 3T lemon juice and enough water to make one cup...mix and set aside in fridge. Sift together 1/2 t. baking soda, 5 cups flour, 2T sugar, 2 t. salt. slowly add 1 lb. of Tender Leaf lard, cutting into a consistency of oatmeal. Add egg mixture, mix lightly, form into a ball. Chill and use as needed. Makes 3 double pie crusts and extra dough can be frozen.
Also used some of the carrots 
and potatoes 
from my yard. 
We were waiting and waiting for the turkey to be done! 
It was a larger one that was to have taken 4 hours unstuffed but here at 8 PM we had to put it back in the oven and had the drumsticks…oh well lots of leftovers and an evening of good conversation.
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