steamy cups of hot tea in the early morning light. sometimes I get the fire going first, sometimes not. usually I plug in the white twinkly lights. it's best when all three are enjoyed at once. I've discovered I quite like dandelion root tea with cream and sometimes a splash of maple syrup. now that it's clear we'll have plenty of syrup to more than see us through until we tap again I've been a bit more liberal with its use.
it's 28 degrees out now and I can hear the wind whooshing around the house and up and down the street, teasing stalwart leaves from their branches and lifting up anything that isn't fastened down. which brings to mind the plastic covering on the beds....... fairly well fastened, I'm quite sure. according to the weather channel the low tonight will dip down to 17 and we've got a 50% chance of snow.
I can't recall a November this consistently cold. the woodpile, though still plentiful, has dwindled a bit over the last couple of weeks. noticeably so. so far November is cold and a bit sharp, but beautiful all the same. the early morning light calls to me to rise early but the biting cold of morning in a home heated by wood (and inhabited by humans who do not rise at night to keep stoking the fire) keeps me burrowed under the covers a while longer. there has been pumpkin pie and a lantern-walk, some reading and working and real efforts by this mama to get sweating. I went for a trail run and, surprisingly, mostly loved it. there is farm school and ballet for the little one. the chickens, despite having extra bedding and food and love (and we've even for the first time ever put a light in their coop on a timer) have been on strike for a few weeks. I pick kale and lettuces and parsley and radishes and carrots from the garden and I bring in some raspberry leaf and comfrey to dry. I see a stray bee now and again on warmer days. papa is home from his trip and so we're back to a household of three. which is nice.
bundle up, hunker down. tis' the season.
The cold season has definitely begun everywhere, with low temperatures and snow in places. You give sound advice stay in and hunker down.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the snow in Buffalo, NY today- over 6 feet in places! yikes!
DeleteIt is early morning here, and I am listening to the wind howling outside, wondering like you, if the plastic on the beds is going to stay down.
ReplyDeleteyour fall garden was looking so strong going in, I hope it keeps you in greens for months!
DeleteWisconsin has been unusually cold in November as well. 9 degrees this morning. Brrrr. And we've had snow on the ground for a few weeks already. Last winter we installed a pellet stove in our living room. We're going to attempt to heat the house solely with that unit this winter. We bought our pellets for a good price in the off-season. Now we're wondering if we bought enough... At least we have our LP furnace as backup in case we run out! Hunker down, indeed.
ReplyDeleteBrrrr, indeed! we rarely see single digits here, though we did for a couple weeks during the whole polar vortex craziness around New Year's last year.
DeleteWe have heated exclusively with wood for the last two years- our wood stove is an insert though, so it sits in the fireplace recess and has a blower to distribute the warm air (so I suppose I can't truly say "exclusively with wood" since without the small electric motor it wouldn't heat the house enough, but still). just this morning the motor died so we're running our heat (electric heat pump) today. it's obviously very convenient to just push the button on the thermostat, but I'm anxiously awaiting Mike bringing home the replacement part in the morning! and I'll admit it hurt my ego a little to turn on the heat after two years of not doing so unless we went out of town and didn't want pipes/the cat to freeze!
It has been a chilly month so far, but I love it. I need to get me some twinkle lights that are up all year round, sounds pretty.
ReplyDeleteour strand last year kind of fizzled out by early Spring, but when I hosted another swap recently I wanted lights up and got more out- and out they will stay! I love the soft light they provide.
DeleteAll sounds good. Went for a very blustery and cold run this morning - don't know how I'm going to handle it all winter! Though it makes coming home to a warm bowl of baked oatmeal and hot maple latte all the better!
ReplyDeletebrrr! I am in a place where I'm debating joining a gym but would really rather just get out and walk/hike/run outside. I just need to really psych myself up for it though- not sure 20 degrees is a great starting place for initiating a running habit. um, a hot maple latte sounds fabulous!
DeleteOur mornings begin the same Amanda, except I have chai with honey in my cup. No snow predicted here, yet, but the cold has arrived and it's being enjoyed immensely.
ReplyDeleteoh there are many mornings with chai and honey in my cup around here, too. or decaf coffee with lots of cream. so glad you're getting some seasonal weather- I know you love it! fingers crossed you'll get some snow on the coast some time this winter!
DeleteI love the way you write about your daily life....so very cozy and warm. Thank you for this beauty here.
ReplyDeleteJanet
I am honored that people come to this little space to read my ramblings, and even more so when they tell me they find it beautiful
Deletethank you, Janet~
Love your pic of the tea. As I drink mine and read your lovely words I feel all warm and cozy on this damp morning here in Canada. It’s a story-reading-knitting-together kind of day I think. :)
ReplyDeletethank you~ warm and cozy is the best way to feel on damp morning, for sure! sounds like my kind of day :)
DeleteWe're sweltering here with hot, humid and stormy weather. It's made bearable though by reading your lovely posts. Thank you. (first time here) xx
ReplyDeleteoh thank you, Rhonda~
Deleteand a very hearty welcome!