Ok, I give up: it's autumn, and we need to do that cold-weather prep stuff...

We have yet to have a frost, a real, vine-shrivelling cold night. I don't mind-- we still have not had to resort to turning on the oil furnace *yay* and we have been using the pellet stove only sparingly. I'd not even turn it on, except the damp with the chillier temps tends to seep into the house, and that's uncomfortable. 

We are a blankets family. There are so many of them! And I buy more! There are blankets per season, some large, others more lap-sized. I have storage of blankets readily available for the chill. Every piece of furniture has a blanket draped on it. It's borderline comical. The house is an older one, not exactly tightly insulated, and I hate to be cold. That said, I also hate to waste fuel. So, blankets. 

I'm also putting off hanging the winter curtains as long as I can. I don't like the grey-gloom that is the result. We do need to consider putting away the deck furniture quite soon-- that makes me sad. I've hardly used the deck, due to the incessant rain this summer. I had grand plans to sit in the sun, eat my breakfast outside, read for hours-- nope. Didn't happen. We've had lovely weather lately, but alas, I've been at work. There's always next year, I guess. 

Buttoning up for cold weather is both necessary and sad. Paradoxically, I love the holiday season, with all the light and sparkle and greenery. It's this in-between, heading from high foliage color to "stick season"-- Shakespeare's "bare, ruin'd choirs" from yesterday's sonnet comes to mind. I sure hope Mother Nature rights herself; while we are scuffing through fallen leaves, the lilacs are still budding and blooming. Not good for the plants, and too weird for us. 

I think we'll bake a season-collision this week: I want to make gingerbread ghost cookies. That'll be a fun thing to do with Holly. Why don't we make gingerbread at other times of the year? Same with tourtiere---why don't I make that more than Christmas Eve? No one roasts a turkey in July. Why are some foods so seasonal? I mean, we love corned beef--why just St. Patrick's Day? 

A lot to ponder. 

Have a good day,

C