Heating Season begins

I usually try and hold out until October 1, but last night we left a couple of windows open, and this morning the temperature in the kitchen was a balmy 54°F.

Being busy with canning tomato sauce in the morning, I didn't really feel the cold, so held off on turning on the furnace. The house did warm up a bit during the day, but at 4 pm is was only 64F so I asked Dan to crank up the woodstove.

I hate to start the heating season, but that good wood heat sure feels good after a busy day.

Another reminder of fall: our friend Karen's birthday was Friday. We celebrated a day late with buttered rum pound cake with bananas foster sauce and a new (old) book: My Life in the Maine Woods by Annette Jackson.

The book has been re-printed with some new material by Islandport Press, and I was sure Karen, our woodswoman friend who grew up camping for weeks at a time in the Allagash, would enjoy it. Apparently I was right since she could barely peel her eyes away from the book to eat her cake. Happy Birthday Karen!