Cold, Rainy Days of Fall

This time of year, we never know what the weather will be like. One day it can be 80 degrees and sunny, the next it can be 50 and rainy. I recall a saying from the New England states - "don't like the weather, wait a few minutes". Down here in the south, things are done slower, be it speech, chores or well...even weather. Except for the hot dog days of summer, each day is like a rollercoaster.

I like rainy days. They get me in the mood for cleaning, baking, all the things that make the house smell wonderful and cozy.
What I don't like about rainy days is the mess it creates. Mud tracked everywhere. We have to make sure the goat is high and dry and snug and fed, the outside dog must be fed and cared for, the outside wild cats have to have food as well. The inside dog allowed out for his potty breaks and run. All that means trekking through the sloshy, muddy yard. "Some people" forget to whisk their shoes off and take them off in the laundry room. It's a good thing my husband still has his commercial carpet cleaning equipment left from our first business venture years ago.

Rainy days also tend to be more "computer" days. Once the chores and lessons are done, we all jockey for computer time. Play computer time. I'm hooked on simple games online like popping balloons and scrabble type games. I've also been spending a lot of time exploring ways to generate an online income. I do surveys, etc. I am also using this blog to be an affiliate for certain chosen merchants. Those that meet my criteria and offer what I use and think others reading  my blog might use.

I predict the smell of wood fires in the very near future. The weather here is being very wonky and unpredictable. Gotta get on the roof and clean the chimney. When we moved in here in February 12 years ago, the heat pump had not been installed yet. It was raining to beat the band and all we had was very soggy and wet deadfall to burn for heat. Those firelogs you can buy just about anywhere never did seem to offer as much heat as a good oak blaze does. So we planned much better afterward. Spring and early summer finds us getting the wood box filled and in the dry for winter. We still have more to cut up but we are ready for the fireplace season to start. Chimney safety is a huge priority here. Every fall we clean everything, inspect for cracks or holes or looseness in the insert. An investment of about $20 for a chimney cleaning kit has made that very easy for us. Plus, we can clean the stack several times during the winter without having to wait for a sweep to be available. If you don't do the sweep yourself, please remember to have it done before lighting your first fire of the season. Also now is a good time to check those fire extinguishers everyone should have.
Daylight Savings time ends on November 1st. Mark your calendars to change out your smoke detector batteries.