First Cool Night of the Season

There is always a bit of excitement in the air the first cool night of autumn here in Texas. Its as though we can finally say good-bye and good riddens to the long hot summer that seemed so endless this year.
I had the wood stove going most of the day with all the windows open. Burning off the stove black smell and with the windows open the smell had a place to go other than my living room.
Today was a lazy day for me and it felt good. Did the usual household chores but never rushed at any one thing. Hanging laundry today had me thinking about the months to come and how its so cold hanging clothes in freezing temperatures, the clothes often freeze solid the minute they are put on the line. I have fingerless gloves for the job but still your fingers feel frozen to the bone.
The house smelled of wood smoke today and to me there is nothing better than that smell. It seems so homey and so old fashioned smelling. Like bread baking kind of smell.
A pot of soup simmered on the stove most of the day, lunch was easy because of this. I just dipped out a steaming bowl and sat in the rocker eating it.
I never mind eating the same meal twice in one day. Can't be fussy about what you eat if you are wanting to live simply. Simple food for a simple life. There is a comfortable rhythm to dressing simply, eating simply and doing things the simple way. Not a lot of expectations maybe and that may just be a secret to keeping life less stressful.
Cleaned out my closet last week, got rid of every bit of "chic" clothing. Back to simple stuff. Lots of empty dresser drawers too. How many things do we really need ? Not as much as we think. I liked when we each had the amount of clothes that would fit in one washer load. Trying to get back to that.
Old houses with small closets are good things. Emery and I share a closet that is 4 ft long. Leaves us each 2 feet of closet space. That's plenty.
The more you have the more you worry about or have laying in a basket to be washed.
Did some sewing today. Just easy work, with fabrics of fall colors, rich warm golden gingham check, tiny check and a flowery fabric with rusts and maroons and a bit of that golden color. A dress for me, to complete the weekly allotment I have decided I need. Need is the word and not want. We seem to confuse the two a lot in this modern day.
Tonight the house is still, silence all around me, the clicking of the keyboard sounds loud against the quiet. Emery is sleeping in the next room, I can hear his easy breathing. Its a comfort sound for me.
The smell of the wood burning is drifting in the window next to me, its open a few inches. The night sky black like ink, a few clouds drifting by, slowly as if in no hurry to get anywhere.
The lamp light flickers and reflects on the shiny wooden floors. Woolen socks feel good on my feet and remind me that my favorite weather will soon be here. I love the cold of winter.
Emery brought in lots of kindling for me tonight to use on the mornings fire. He smiled the whole time he gathered it, laughing at my childish delight in the cool air.
Casi stopped over for a bit, Melanie was working and I thought how nice it was that he stops by. We gave him some cookies and milk, chocolate Almond milk mind you.
I had a mug of tea, hot and spiced. Emery had some too. Just a simple night but special since it is the First Cool Night of the Season.

Another poem from Edna Jaques book, "My Kitchen Window"

Home-Loving Hearts

Home-loving hearts have all that makes life good,
Safe in the shelter of their kindly roof,
Kinship and love and gracious motherhood--
These are of life the very warp and woof,
The silver strands that keep the world in place,
This age-old knitted fiber of the race.

Home-loving hearts have little plots of ground,
The ancient kindly earth to nurture them,
The sun to make small pools of fleeting gold, The starry sky to be a diadem,
Quiet old streets where neighbors come and go,
Old lamps that have a friendly yellow glow.

Home-loving hearts that never learn to stray
From simple, tender joys of home and hearth,
Who tread the worn old paths of common folk, Feel the warm throbbing of the ancient earth.
Life is so kind to them that keep her ways.
Crowing with peace the evening of their days