its a winta wondaland!

This has been such a lovely fall that I think we all forgot what fall is really like here on the plains. The answer is c-c-c-c-cold. There was some kind of Arctic Thunder (let me tell you--the arcade version of the game is a lady's best friend--just trust me) gust coming down from the North Pole. But then I think because it was such a lovely, languorous fall, we all just rolled around in it like it was never going to end. And end, it has. On Monday it was 80 degrees by 4:00. By yesterday at noon the temperature had started to plummet like the White Witch had flown in for the Thanksgiving holiday. The high today was something like 25 degrees.

It has been cold cold cold, which is much harder to take than just snowing. There is something magical about the snow falling, swirling around you like you're in some kind of enormous snow globe. But the cold just makes you clench your teeth and put your head down to get through it. I didn't feel like I could truly appreciate wearing the new hat I bought in Iceland this summer for the first time. And that's just sad.

The heat was on when I got home from work today, which to most people wouldn't be a big deal, but it was surprising because that just doesn't happen that often. We keep our house at 60 degrees when we're home, and 55 when we're asleep or gone during the day. The heat hasn't probably come on in the afternoon like that since March, so it is noteworthy. People look at us like we're a little crazy when I tell them that (actually there is a group that think we're crazy, and then there is the group that are impressed--they wouldn't quite dare 60 degrees), but really, most of the time Mr. Bump and I run hot anyway, and if we're cold we put on a sweater or a nice lap blanket. We drink lots of tea, chai and cocoa in the winter, and we have invested in a wonderful mattress pad warmer. But don't get the impression that we suffer through the winter to keep our heat bill down. We just leave the house at the lowest possible temperature that keeps our nose from running and the pipes from freezing. We're just doing our part.

And of course, now is the season for cold weather, because, like last night, our oven runs much more often in the winter. Last night we cooked dinner, made two pies and a loaf of bread in it, which was enough heat not only to prevent the heater from kicking in but warm enough to prompt Mr. Bump to open the windows and turn on the attic fan to cool the house down.
Now is the part where you look at us like we're crazy.

The whole weekend is supposed to be cold, but that's ok. We'll do what we always do after Thanksgiving. Rather than going shopping for all that discounted loot on Black Friday, we sleep in, eat pie for breakfast in our pajamas and read books start to finish in front of the fire. I know, I know. I'm lucky. And believe me, I'm thankful for it.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'll see you on the other side of a big mound of mashed potatoes and gravy.