Darkness descends...

As darkness descends this evening I'm left wishing there was a full moon coming up over the pond as it was in the photo above. It would make it not so dark when the power goes off tonight.

TVA has a scheduled outage that begins at 11:30 p.m. and lasts until Sunday morning. That's probably not a big inconvenience for most folks, but turns out to be a slight one for us. This is Don's late shift day. He won't be home until 1 a.m. and, being night owls, we usually don't go to bed until 3-4 a.m.

I'm prepared though. I've got lots of candles set out around the house and a fire in the fireplace to ward off the chill and provide some light. We'll have sandwiches for supper (yes, we eat that late) or roast hot dogs over the fire. I plan to take my shower before the power goes off and be in my jammies early.

My biggest problem is having something to do! My eyesight isn't good enough for reading by candlelight so I've been wracking my brain this evening trying to think of something to keep me occupied. I'm still undecided. I guess I could fold clothes in semi-darkness, or sweep floors (although I'm sure I would miss some spots).

Hmmm...maybe I'll just take a nap by the fire!

Jack Frost is coming to visit!

Looks like ol' Jack Frost will be paying us a visit tonight. It's been cooler since it rained Monday night and there's been a chilly wind blowing for the last couple of days. Of course, I'm loving it! Best of all it is now cool enough at night to have a fire in the fireplace.

I'm grateful we have a wood burning fireplace, especially tonight. When I came in from feeding the critters and visiting the pond the house was dark and chilly...an unexpected power outage! I decided the best thing to do would be light a few candles and build a fire. Of course, as soon as the fire was lit the power came on! That's okay, with the temperature outside at 42 degrees the fire feels very nice. The dogs must like it too as there are several of them snoozing in front of the fireplace right now.

Did you know that Jack Frost originated in Viking folklore? The Vikings called the sprite Jokul Frosti ("icicle frost"). I'm always fascinated by ancient lore that passes down from generation to generation and is still a part of our culture today.

So welcome Jack Frost, I'm glad you're here. Paint the grass and windowpanes with your icy paintbrush while I sit inside by my cozy fire with my book.