Cozy Winter Days are Coming Again!

"A b-b-b-blizzard" Ma chattered.  "In Oc-October.  I n-n-never heard of . .. "

Quote from "The Long Winter"  by Laura Ingalls Wilder

She originally called it "The Long Hard Winter" and so it was.  But her publisher felt that was too frank for her audience of children so it was shortened.
And no, there has been no blizzard here, just some cool weather.  But I love the thought of snowy cold weather.  Now that I'm retired and don't  have to go out to work every day!  I have already moved the table close to the stove for warm cozy meals.  Eliyah and I have brought in wood and stacked it on the hearth.  Every morning I read a chapter from "The Long Winter" after breakfast.  Not that we are having fire in the stove yet.  The Chimney Sweep hasn't even been here yet.  I am just anticipating!

I brought home some souvenirs from Florida.  A lovely little Nocturn, a little night painting:

   And a reproduction sewing bird.  It is impossible to actually stick a pin in the bright red cushion and I don't know how they managed that!

 Also  a set of Majolica canisters that are actually worth something.  You will see them in the background of this next picture.  The picture is of a bottle of oil.  The plastic bottle was so thin that it crumpled and spilled oil on the counter when I grabbed it to pour in the skillet.  I found a nice whiskey bottle to put it into and I like it very much, easy to hold and to pour.

   In line with being cozy for winter, I am cooking beans for the next month or so:

 I will put them in the jars, cover them with wax paper and canning rings and freeze them.  Beans, it turns out, are a proper carb for a diabetic.

It's almost time for our show so I'll stop now except to note I have gone back to monthly grocery buying.  It seems to save me about $50 a month.  More on this later.