Winter is a Comin' In

NOTE: This photo was taken several hours post-post from the Trader Joe's parking lot. Six inches in Taos, a bit less in the Santa Fe Ski Basin (which is where you see the snow in this photo).

Yesterday, in contrast to all the rest of the days so far this fall--where it's hit at least 60 degrees every day, the temperature did not rise above 50, and the wind was blowing. Even a short walk across campus felt cold! As I write this, it's a little after 8 in the morning, and the temperature has just hit 32. But tomorrow it's supposed to be back in the 60s again for a few days.

The last couple of days the mountain peaks were shrouded in dark clouds--I look forward to my drive to work later today where I can see how much snow fell in the mountain tops--it's wonderful to see the snow from a distance!!

When it's sunny (as it is today), the house absorbs quite a lot of heat. The windows in the dining room and office especially (two huge 7x7 sections of a mix of fixed and movable glass) are on a side of the house that's both sheltered and sunny, and when I open the blinds in the morning the sun is almost blinding--it feels great!

I have a window seat in the master bedroom below another large window installation. The window seat is about 9 feet wide, and windows rise from the seat top all the way to the high ceilings. I read all these books as a child where little girls curled up on window seats to think deep thoughts and gaze into their futures, and now that I have a window seat, I think it will be a wondeful place to snuggle up with the morning paper and a cup of coffee and bake in the sun (especially when it's cold outside). I am eagerly awaiting the delivery of a window seat cushion to facilitate this idyllic experience!

It has taken me some time to get used to a forced hot air heating system. It makes the house very dry (note to self, get a humidifier!), and when the fan kicks on it seems very loud to me (though my plumber/heating guy says it's working fine). I have very high ceilings in the public rooms, so they don't warm up as fast as the low-ceilinged rooms. The bathrooms get quite cozy quickly! I think I still need to spend some time opening and closing various vents to get the temperature right.

I had my chimney cleaned last week, so theoretically I can have fires in the fireplace. I am a little nervous about fires--it's been a long time since I've had a fireplace, and I was never really responsible for fire maintenance before, though I'm sure my early GIrl Scout training will kick in!! I do have split logs waiting (but, note to self, take a nice walk along the trails to gather some kindling).

That's the weather report for today!!