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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Embracing the Cool of Fall

It is becoming quite cool here in the evenings now.  I am refraining from turning on the heat until I have to.  I always challenge myself to leave both the air conditioner and heater off for one month.  That is usually the month of October and it is the one month that I get a break from the large utility bills.  Replacing the windows in our home is on the list but there are far more pressing things at the moment on the remodeling schedule.  However, I know we will see much lower utility bills when our windows are replaced.  Until then I continue my little personal challenge in enjoying at least one month with no heat or air.  My husband had a wonderful suggestion to do the laundry at night so that I would be running the dryer when it is coolest outside.  I thought it was a wonderful idea.  Our washer and dryer are located in the kitchen so it warms the area up nicely.



It is cool enough now consistently that I pulled out the teapot to switch from cold tea to enjoying hot tea in the evenings as I read or sew.  I am getting myself situated to be nestled in and in the house more with the cooler weather approaching.  With children I find myself constantly driving back and fourth to go to the different activities that they are involved in.  I don't mind when it is nice outside.  However, once it gets cold outside I like to be home tending to dinner in the afternoons, ready for my family to arrive home to a warm cozy home with the delicious smell of dinner in the air.  My pantry supplies gets checked once more in the next few days and any supplies of dry goods like beans and lentils or other soup ingredients or flour, sugar, and wheat berries that I might need this winter are noted and will be picked up on my next supermarket trip.  We are about twenty minutes from the nearest large supermarket or town.  Of course once winter gets here and we have our one or two snow storms or ice storm there is always the possibility that we could go without power so I like to make sure that I am stocked  up and have emergency fuel for the heaters and camping stove just in case.


We enjoyed a treat of warm peaches with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg after dinner.  It was very good and tasted very much like cobbler or pie without the pie shell.  It was nice and warm on this cool fall evening.  I look forward to preparing more soups and stews in the following weeks as we prepare for winter to arrive.

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