Yes it's that time of year

Yes it's that time of year! Hooray for wood for the fireplace. Our newly installed pellet stove is down in the pool room, and is secondary heat to the oil furnace. However, I love to sit in the living room with a fire burning in the fireplace and watch the lights of the city come on around 5 p.m.
It's a sparkly wintry kind of thing to do. With a freshly brewed cup of coffee too I might add.
The sunsets viewed from the west side of the house come so early, now that we've had the time change, so after the sunset I move to the living room and watch the city lights on the eastern side of this ridge.
Our new windows, all 22 of them installed in Sept, are keeping us toasty warm, as well as the two sliding doors we replaced early in the summer.
The first winter in the three we've been in this house, that I think the heat won't be going out the windows and doors!
It's fall, beginning to feel like winter,
Today was a baking marathon, two apple pies, a pumpkin pie, banana bars with cream cheese frosting, and a double batch of chocolate chip oatmeal walnut cookies.
All made for the hunters on my husband's side of the family, for the yearly hunting excursion.
So the bake shop is closed tonight, and time to watch the fire burning.
Stay warm out there, wherever you are.

The last color of fall

Mid November and the last color on the leaves, will soon be brown leaves on the ground and bare branches on the shrubs and trees.
I'm delighted for the cooler weather and am hoping for this reprieve from either air conditioning or the need for heating in the house.
It's that time in the seasons when there is a break in the outside work.
Just minuscule outdoor work to finish up, then no snow for hopefully a month or two.
With the darker afternoons and evenings, and less actual home keeping I've been doing, it's more time for reading, playing scrabble or watching movies.
I just finished 'True Compass' Ted Kennedy's memoir. It's over 500 pages, but well worth reading.
Soon it will be time for holiday preparation and family meals and activities.