It’s actually COLD at Stillwater this morning! It’s just over 50 degrees and overcast, so there’s no sun shining into the sunroom to heat warm my bones.

I know, I’m a big sissy. 50 degrees is nothing! But it’s a reminder that winter is coming, and with it the snow, the wind, and the icy roads.

Soon, summer campfire and chiminea season will be over, and it’ll be time to crank up the woodstove. That means hauling wood, managing fires, and cleaning up the wood chips and ashes scattered ’round the hearth. It means bundling up in my giant sweater on cold mornings while I get the fire going.

I can’t wait!

Because it also means moving our chairs closer to the hearth, watching flames dance in the stove, and smiling as the dogs snuggle up by the warmth of the fire. It means watching pine cones burn, their edges glowing like tiny Christmas trees, and imagining wild landscapes and small glowing cities in the coals at the end of the night. It means cozy. It means warmth in the cold heart of winter. It means home and love and comfort.

Besides, Scrape does most of the work!