Autumn has arrived! We have had our first frost, and the temperatures are dipping below t-shirt comfort, well below. For days a cold rain has come down to be driven by wind. Dampness seeps through the invisible open lines between the outdoors and the indoors. Mist Cottage is slowly cooling. This morning the thermostat read 21C, which is a little on the chilly side for sitting, and barely comfortable for being up and about. It will soon be time to fire up the heating system, we are right on the tipping point. It won’t be long now. Part of me wants to tough it out until November 1st, just to see if I can tolerate it, a bit of meaningless foolishness. Maybe, if the sun shines, and I bake every day, Mist Cottage will stay cozy without turning on the heating system.
This morning my hip ached. It does this when it is chilly in the house, no layers of fat on my hips to keep the bones cozy. It is time to remove the summer bedding, wash it, dry it on the clothesline on a the back porch, neatly fold it, and store it away until next April. It is time to make up the bed with flannel sheets, and a warmer blanket. The summer pajamas will be switched out today for a pair of flannel pajamas. Step by step the household moves towards winter weather.
Being a morning person, my day usually begins by setting the kitchen to rights, in preparation for the days cooking and baking. This morning, by 10:30 a.m., freshly baked bread was cooling on the rack, four litres of Switchel were sitting on the shelf in the refrigerator for Attila’s lunches, the bed sheets had been stripped from the bed, washed, and hung to dry, and then finally it was time to sit down with my feet up to enjoy a morning coffee and a breakfast of hot 7-grain cereal with cinnamon and raisins and milk. Lunch consisted of Sweet Potato fries, and refreshing beverage of plain sparkling water with 1/4 cup of cranberry juice. I usually ask Attila what he would like for dinner as he leaves for work, today he chose Hamburger Gravy, with potatoes and carrots. I always add Rosemary to red meat dishes, as it reduces the effects of free radicals in the meat. I don’t like Rosemary, but have become accustomed to the taste, and now I would miss it were it to be omitted from a red meat dish. This old dog’s taste buds have learned something new.
As I was hanging out the laundry this morning, an enterprising rabbit was running around in the back yard. He/she even approached me as I stood on the porch, only to bolt and disappear into the Lemon Balm when I moved. Bunnies aren’t cute when they are eating your food. We are saving for fine fencing material that will keep the bunnies out of the garden, then I can watch them with pleasure, from a distance!
Worldly
Weather
Updated on Wed, Oct 27, 7:45 AM
7 °C
FEELS LIKE 5
A few clouds
Wind 10 N km/h
Humidity 87 %
Visibility 22 km
Sunrise 7:37 AM
Wind gust 14 km/h
Pressure 101.2 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 6:04 PM
Quote
“There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”
Douglas Adams
1952 – 2001
Mmmm, flannel sheets sound so cozy! Getting a bit chilly here today and lots of wind. Most of the trees are still pretty green with bits of orange, red and yellow popping out in spots. Love hearing about your days, Maggie. Stay healthy and safe. 🙂
Eileen, I love flannel sheets, in the colder months of course. They really do enhance warmth, capturing and retaining more body heat than percale sheets. The leaves here are mostly green, some have turned brown, a few sport yellow leaves, no red so far The leaves where you sound beautiful, I’ll be they flutter down in the wind too. Thank you for sharing my days with me!
Stay safe dear friend!
Rabbits = feral pests. Yes domesticated ones are pretty and fluffy but wild ones cause lots of damage to crops. Not to be encouraged at all. In some states here it is still illegal to keep a pet rabbit.
Here there is just one month of spring to go…….the winter sheets are still on the bed. The days are pleasant yet overnight temps are up and down so it’s easier to toss the blankets back than be cold underneath. Tonight’s forecast is 12c (Thurs) then 6c (Fri) then 5c (Sat) then up to 15c (Sun). as I said it’s easier to roll down one of the blankets. I shouldn’t grumble because it won’t be long before we’ll be sleeping with just a sheet covering us
Cathy, I agree with your assessment of rabbits! There are quite a few here, and they are very hard on our garden. They can walk right through the fence, it is a 2″ mesh – we need a finer mesh around the perimeter of the garden. The nieghbour’s dog keeps them out of their yard, but no such luck for us.
Ah yes, we are at opposite ends of the glove and weather, both experiencing similar temperatures as we transition from one season to the next. You are right about just rolling down a blanket if it isn’t needed. I haven’t needed a blanket until last night, so tonight I’ll grab a cozy blanket for the bed!
Stay safe dear friend!
After a whole day without power here, I am loving the heating system being in the ON position! Warmth, finally!
We caved here in Yuma, and have had the heat on for most days. One day, when the house got to 85F, I had to switch back to AC. I discovered the ‘boiling point’, can take a house at 84F (28C) but not 85F (29C). I tried the ‘off’ setting, but when I woke yesterday to 70F (21C), that was TOO COLD for desert heat dwellers. (Flannel sheets are nice…)
Bex, going without heat is not a pleasant experience! I remember when we first moved into our country house, and we had no source of heat until mid-November. I wore full winter gear all day long, and toque to bed at night – and I opened the windows on nice days to let the warmer air in. And a thermostat, I love thermostats, just love them!
You might consider a Generac generator, to keep your heat running in case of power failure. We have a little generator that will work, but if I had the funds I’d get a Generac that would kick in automatically when the power failed, and it would handle the whole house, not just the furnace. I am glad to hear you are warm now.
Stay safe dear friend!
Joan, what a great concept, the “boiling point”. Mine is 22.5C when heating with the air source heat pump, 21.5C when heating with the furnace, and 22.5 in the summer months. I am perfectly comfortable at those temperatures, vary it a little and I have to make adjustments to remain comfortable.
I LOVE flannel sheets, they are just so very cozy. I slept like a log last night, my first night in the flannel sheets.
Stay safe dear friend!