November 6, 2015

Autumn days are darkening and we are expecting our first snowfall this weekend.  The far reaches of the house are chilly though our Heartland stove snaps and crackles away, trying to heat all the corners.  While we could easily install a central heating system, I can’t imagine we’d ever do that.   I like the continual stoking of the fire, feeling the warmth as it flares up, spreading heat in a radiating circle of warmth outwards, and then the inevitable, slow cooling as it dies back.  There is a rhythm to this simple way of staying warm that I’ve spent the last 17 years or so doing.  There comes a point when there is an unconscious realization that the floor is most definately cooler and encourages me to open the firebox and add a few more logs.  My husband looks forward to firewood season when he spends five, six or seven days each fall heading up into the mountains to gather wood.  One of the dogs is his companion though nowadays, there are often a few kids accompanying him.  When they return, the kids throw the logs into the woodshed with self-importance…happily tossing them onto an ever growing pile.  Just like the vegetables we grew all summer that line the shelves of the root cellar, all this firewood reminds us that we are in control of keeping our family warm this winter.

This past weekend, we dragged the kid’s teeter totter into the goat yard.  It was meant for biking and tricks, but the goats are discovering a lot of fun with it, too.  We giggled quite a bit to watch Willy explore the movement while Heidi ran away repeatedly, kicking her hind legs up playfully.  The sheep lined up at the fence to watch silly Willy, but eventually moved on to search for blades of grass to munch on.

 Bumblebee transformer drawn by Forrest, 9 years old 

These autumn days, we are indoors more often in the morning and venturing outdoors for an afternoon of biking, swinging in the hayshed, or last minute garden clean up.  Outdoors, there is usually a fire; indoors there is Lego games, doll play, and Hot Wheels (remember those?).   While I am continuously trying to clean one corner of the house, it seems I just turn around and my cleaned up area has been taken over again.  An endless dance between them and me…in varying degrees of patience on my part.

It is time to turn our thoughts towards the holidays and begin making gifts…brainstorming time has begun.  The sewing basket is opened more often, and there is talk of knitted creations to make.

Enjoy your weekend, friends.  Stay cozy!