There’s been a definite crispness to the air this week here in northwestern Montana.  We’ve had frosts the last few mornings and each evening has required a small fire just to take the chill off.  I must say we’re loving the wood stove and all the coziness that comes along with it, the cats may be enjoying it more than us.  I must say our new home is incredibly warmer than the trailer we had lived in for the past 6 years.  I guess I’m not really surprised at that, mobile homes aren’t known for their insulation.  We do notice it and feel incredibly blessed to have the wood stove and a house that retains the heat.

We have leaf raking galore to do, though there are still plenty of leaves still on our trees.  This weekend, I hope to finish putting up the rest of the apples on our tree.  I’ll be dehydrating more, making some apple butter, and most likely more applesauce.  A cider press is now on my list of wants and we’re on the look out for a good used one, or perhaps good but easy directions to make our own.

I’m looking forward to a nice weekend where I don’t go anywhere beyond our property lines, there’s much to do as always:

• Raking leaves and putting leaves in the garden to till under later
• Putting up those apples
• Create teaching schedule & finish proposals for new classes for the spring semester
• Doing Not Thinking Challenge – I’d like to actually accomplish something on it this weekend
• Women Not Dabbling in Normal posting on Sunday
• Baseball playoff watching – most of the time I don’t give a hoot about baseball but there’s something special about the playoffs and World Series, we always watch, always and its a good time
• Maybe a little sewing by the fire

I hope your weekend is blessed and full of relaxation.