Well, it was inevitable, I suppose. Our daytime temps are now 38 degrees Obsolete. Nighttime gets near freezing and is forecasted to drop below several times this week.
The good part of this is the enjoyment of the fires in the wood stove. Our tiny Jotul stove burns cheerily, fueled by wood harvested from our property. In the course of a day, the stove makes the whole house comfortable; although we do run the modern heat pump to make the bedroom zone comfortable for about an hour in the morning.
I've taken to peeling the bark from our firewood, splitting the pieces to a good size for the Jotul, and stacking the wood on the front porch. That way the wood can dry (it's been raining here at the 48th parallel) before I try to burn it in the stove. In an hour or so, I can prep and stack enough wood for three days. There is enough firewood already cut and rough split for at least two years. There are stacked but un-split rounds for another three, I think.
That's all the good news.
The bad part of all this is, naturally, the dormant state of greenhouse and garden. I've shut off the water, drained the pipes down to the level of the hose bib, and removed the drip system "assembly" from the exterior wall of the greenhouse. Angel harvested the last of the fruit and vegetables from the greenhouse and cut the plants down to stubs.
If you don't think that is a sign of winter's proximity... well, I don't know what to tell you.
But the soil needs to rest, so perhaps this -- even the winter sleep -- is a good thing. Yes. It must be a good thing. But I'll tell you, I still miss the heat of the greenhouse on a July afternoon.
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It's getting cold down here at the 37th, too. The forecasts have warmed a little, but still say freezing tomorrow night. We had hail in the valley, and there's snow on Mt Hamilton. Tim will be flying down here, if both airports are open tomorrow night. It'll be nice to see him.
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