“The perfect antidote to dark, cold and creepy is light, warm and cozy.”
Sorry about my taking the last two days off. Henry and I needed a bit time to get used to a house without Maddie. I keep looking at her usual spots and find it strange she is not there. This hasn’t been the best of years with my having lost both Gracie and Maddie.
Henry started going out the dog door by himself, without any encouragement from me. I wondered how long that would take. Gracie figured it out in a day or two, but Henry kept wanting permission. Today he has gone out and come back in twice. That’s a huge milestone and makes me think he is finally feeling at home.
The weatherman said we didn’t need any more rain, but we’re getting it later today. Yesterday’s sun was mostly a tease. It may reappear later in the week, but it doesn’t carry all that much warmth.
When I was a kid, mornings this time of year were always dark and cold so my mother made sure we were bundled before we left the house. That meant layers. It also meant mittens and a hat and knee socks which unfailingly fell down and bunched at my ankles. I always had warm ankles. I wore pink longish underwear which went to just above my knees. The bottoms of my legs were always cold. School wasn’t all that far away, but in winter the walk seemed endless and the darkness felt filled with peril. At school, we stayed in the yard until the nun rang the bell then we’d hurry to get into lines class by class. Once inside it took a while to pull off the layers and try to fit all those clothes on a single hook in the cloak room. The mittens and hat went up my coat sleeves. The only layer I left on was my sweater. The classrooms with their long windows and high ceilings always seemed a bit chilly.
When I’d get home from school, I’d take off my uniform and put on my play clothes. We didn’t go out much in the winter afternoons because of the cold. We’d play and watch TV. I liked to read in my room until my shows came on. The Mickey Mouse Club and Superman were on in the late afternoon. My mother would be making dinner. I remember the windows in the kitchen got steamy from the food cooking.
I still wear layers. I like staying home in the warm house. I’m never without a book. I aways wear my play clothes.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
November 5, 2018 at 12:39 pm
I tend to see all the dogs that lived with me in the corner of my eyes every now and again 🙂 and sometimes I forget they’re gone and call for them when I want to close the door 🙂 🙂
Grey and dull here today and today was the first time that it was pitch black when I drove to work and pitch black when I came home again. I really don’t like this time of year.
Have a great day!
Christer.
November 5, 2018 at 5:31 pm
Christer,
I don’t ever forget all my pets either. I figure Maddie is still here. She lived in this house a long, long time and probably doesn’t want to leave,
It rained this afternoon and will rain again tomorrow. I’m feeling the cold despite the heat blasting. I was out doing a couple of errands and was glad to get back inside the warm house.
Have a great evening!
November 5, 2018 at 4:23 pm
Snow Blower I thought, Its time, lets see if the bugger works. I rolled it outside to be greeted by my neighbor from Chrysler who is interested in all these things. Does it work he says, I dunno I brilliantly responded. Let me know he said and sped away on his rider mower mulching the fields of leaves.
Get the cord for an electric start I thought, but first let me just pull the lead and see what happens. Bang started first time. I felt especially self congratulatory as I let it run for 10 minutes and I applied the extra free time to raking and fixing outside lights and all the things that come with the change of the seasons.
This morning, the weather folks happily described a week of rains and wind. Then when they got to Friday they used the S word.
I am ready. Bring it
November 5, 2018 at 5:55 pm
My Dear Hedley,
My law and back yard are covered in leaves and pine needles. My landscaper says no clearing until most of the leaves have fallen. By the look of the trees, that won’t be for a while.
I’m glad your snowblower works, but I will not take that as an omen that snow is on the way. My weatherman says rain tomorrow and at the end of the week. We have had enough rain he said.
It rained this afternoon for a while when I was out doing a couple of errands. It was also really chilly.
If the S word appears, I hope it is only in your direction.
November 5, 2018 at 5:45 pm
I’m glad to see that you’re back and to read the news about Henry.
No rain for the last days and no rain for the next days. I don’t really miss it but nature does and local water reservoirs are quite empty by now. Crazy weather this year but as predicted by climate change experts. Tomorrow will be sunny and warm, unfortunately a bad cold keeps me from bike trips or necessary garden work. I hope to hear at least some good news from America when I turn on TV at night.
November 5, 2018 at 5:59 pm
Birgit,
I have pretty much stopped looking to other than local news. I can’t take what is happening here. I’m going to tell people I am Canadian.
Last night the weatherman said we have had more than enough rain. Drought conditions are gone everywhere in the state. It will rain three more days this week. Luckily there are no rivers or lakes with impending overflows and flooding.
November 5, 2018 at 11:57 pm
Glad to hear that Henry is feeling more comfortable. Maybe he was intimidated by Maddie. 🙂
When I was moved to NYC in the middle of the eighth grade I had to buy a winter coat, gloves, scarf and snow boots. Going to and from school seemed like trudging to the North Pole. Now I’m glad that I don’t have to put up with long cold snowy winters, nor snow blowers. Here in the Dallas area we average about one and a half inches of snow fall annually. We haven’t had any measurable snow the past two winters so we may have more snow than usual this winter. Of course my company usually sends me to Toronto in January so I don’t forget what real winter is like. 🙂
Today was clear again with highs in the upper 70s.
November 6, 2018 at 11:26 am
Bob,
Maddie was quite the gentle soul. Henry licked her head every day and Maddie got drenched. Fern would have owned the dog but Maddie wasn’t intimidating to Henry. He even tried to steal treats from her.
The amount fo snow varies from winter to winter. One year we had only a couple of snow storms. Last year we had about the right amount of snow. I hire someone who shovels and plows.
When I lived in Ghana, I missed winter.