There was nothing to do Sunday but turn the heat on.
I gave it a good run – it is mid-October, after all – but did not break last year’s record. It’s not like there was money riding on it, but still. One likes to stretch one’s limits.
It’s a perversity specific to those of us with four seasons, I think, this denial of the temperature changes; but there comes a time when the house cools at night and never truly regains the heat necessary to live comfortably, a time when you must go outside to warm up.
A time when you must take a good, hard look at the number of layers of clothing you’re willing to wear in the house, perhaps have a good cry – and then turn your furnace on.
A comedy sketch has taken up residence in my mind recently, one I’ve tentatively titled “Minnesota Strip Tease”. In it, a woman seductively removes her scarf, sweater, long-sleeved shirt, camisole, trousers, leggings, slippers, et cetera, the scene finally ending with the hopping, one-legged removal of her socks and her goose-pimpled, barefooted dash across the ice-cold hardwood floor to the bed.
Winter is dead sexy.
But there’s no escaping it, is there? Because fall has come; and each day is progressively colder, each day is just a little bit darker than the one before it.
We’ve nothing to live for but holiday parties, piles of blankets, big wooly socks, cashmere berets and liberally applied gravies of various types…
Mmm. Gravies.
I'm sorry. Where was I, again? Something about parties and gravy and gravy parties, wasn't it?
I gave it a good run – it is mid-October, after all – but did not break last year’s record. It’s not like there was money riding on it, but still. One likes to stretch one’s limits.
It’s a perversity specific to those of us with four seasons, I think, this denial of the temperature changes; but there comes a time when the house cools at night and never truly regains the heat necessary to live comfortably, a time when you must go outside to warm up.
A time when you must take a good, hard look at the number of layers of clothing you’re willing to wear in the house, perhaps have a good cry – and then turn your furnace on.
A comedy sketch has taken up residence in my mind recently, one I’ve tentatively titled “Minnesota Strip Tease”. In it, a woman seductively removes her scarf, sweater, long-sleeved shirt, camisole, trousers, leggings, slippers, et cetera, the scene finally ending with the hopping, one-legged removal of her socks and her goose-pimpled, barefooted dash across the ice-cold hardwood floor to the bed.
Winter is dead sexy.
But there’s no escaping it, is there? Because fall has come; and each day is progressively colder, each day is just a little bit darker than the one before it.
We’ve nothing to live for but holiday parties, piles of blankets, big wooly socks, cashmere berets and liberally applied gravies of various types…
Mmm. Gravies.
I'm sorry. Where was I, again? Something about parties and gravy and gravy parties, wasn't it?
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23 comments:
Nothing like a big tub of hot beef gravy to soak your feet in before bed...akin to climbing into the body cavity of a dead ox. We had our furnace on for the afternoon on Sunday then turned it off for the overnight. The extra blanket is on the bed. I'm thinking of adopting a dog for the body heat.
Fall teased us with a slow dance into the mid seventies this weekend and then hightailed to other parts, leaving us stuck with temps in the high nineties today. Ugh. Talk more of these cashmere berets, woolly socks, and even these gravies. At least I can enjoy them in my imagination.
I have my heat included in my rent... I still held back on turning the heat on due to denial...lol
Even the most stalwart among us, Pearl, succumbs to the need for comfort.
I had to laugh about not breaking last year's record. I had no idea that anyone else did that. Year after year, I've tried to aim for November before the heat comes on. Most years, I get pretty close. This year, it went on for a couple of days in September. And it's back now. Along with the season's first big pot of soup. Yes, I'm having a good cry over summer's passing.
We caved and turned on the heat. It's hard to type when your fingers are blue. :\ I miss summer already.
October 5 = mid-October.
The new winter, I see.
I remember winters in North Dakota. They WERE dead sexy!
One of my favorite parts of getting into bed on a frigid New England winter night was putting my ice cold feet on my husbands warm ... whatever part that was close enough.. and hearing the sound of a grown man shrieking like a girl.
I miss him. Who am I going to put my cold feet on ???
It is cold here today .. but but ... it is still fall ... oh ...god.....
PS - I turned my heat on 2 days ago. I had to. Really.
I am also in competition with myself to last until Nov. 1st before turning the furnace on. I am also thrilled with the prospect of gravies and crock pot meals. I always eat enough for both hips so I don't waddle when I walk. Just now polished off two pieces of pumpkin spice squares iced with cream cheese frosting.
Hair OM
Like Joanne I frowned with concern at the rush of time... but also have to admit that as of the 1st the heating has been on three times. Tonight I am snuggling under homespun and layers. Tomorrow, we'll see... mmmmmmmmmmmmmm soup. That's my gravy. YAM xx
It got so bad here the cats all wanted under the covers so I was forced to turn the heat on also.
Gravy party - there's an idea I would embrace with both sweater-encased arms. The gravy is the best part of many meals, and I always use a spoon to get every drop. Yes, I know, that is gauche. I don't do it when I'm eating out, generally because the gravy "out" isn't as good as my gravy.
Haven't had the heat on yet but I did have to pull out a sweater this morning! I guess it's true - summer is gone.
You lost me at gravy. Oh, yeah. We turned on the heat just to make sure the new fan would work--and left it on just to make sure it could still heat the house--and forgot to turn it off until bed time. Is that cheating?
My husband is the wimp in the family. I could have waited a little longer to turn on the furnace. But no, he turned it on without telling me, and we didn't even make it to Oct. 1st.
The best winter strip tease is the one that happens UNDER the covers...start out all bundled up, but as the covers and other bed occupant(s) warm the sheets, articles of clothing begin to be tossed out from under the covers onto the floor. Another kind of sexy.
I turned mine on yesterday, too. But just to take the chill off. Once that was done I turned it back off. And I made sure to do it when BigB wasn't home because it's sort of an unspoken competition. Whoever turns it on first is weak. He called me out on it this morning. Because I had to take the chill off again and he caught me. Darn it. Heyyyy did you say gravy?
So much talk of winter, I can happily eat a big baked dinner in summer with lashings of gravy even if I must do it under the fans, but we are still in spring and lamb is wonderful now, it makes the best gravy.
Merle..........
We left the kitties for the weekend....but it was warm and we didn't have the heat on. The temps dropped while we were away and the little guys were all fluffed up and snuggling in their blankies. Poor things! Oh, it never got below 60 degrees...they survived just fine. But they were VERY happy when I turned the furnace on.
I think they would have liked to make gravy outta me for that mistake.
Pearl, it was 100 degrees here today. I was in San Francisco all weekend and it was nearly that there. The fog rolled in, cooled nothing, then rolled back out, disgusted. No one in California knows how to dress anymore. Don't look at us!
Ok gravy is nice, who doesn't like a nice gravy, I like mine on the thicker side......oh right this isn't a post about how one likes their gravy.....lol
Those Northern-climed blobbers always remind me of winter first -- thanks a lot!
A sunday roast will warm you right up.
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