Plot summary
Maggie receives a double dose of trauma when her visiting mother ( Bibi Besch ) announces she is divorcing Maggie's father and accidentally burns down Maggie's house. Meanwhile, Chris searches for just the "right" cow to fling with the trebuchet he is building for his performance art. He becomes depressed when Ed mentions that it has already been done (in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail ). In the end, he finds a replacement in Maggie's burnt piano.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, List of Northern Exposure episodes. HTML formatting and reference markers removed.