Ahhhh......Nice!

Today is chilly and rainy here in the Granite State. Last night when I shut off my TV,I could hear the rain hitting the roof,which I love. There is something very relaxing about it. I fell asleep pretty fast.

It is now 12:22 PM,and it's still raining,the wind is blowing,and there is a rawness to the air. I went grocery shopping with my fleece over- shirt on,then went to fill the car up for our trip to Dartmouth Hitchcock tomorrow,so we wouldn't have to stop on the way. When I went in to pay,there was an older gentleman leaning against the counter,drinking a coffee. As I walked in, I shook a bit and said," Brr!" The gentleman said to me,"Chilly out there, huh?" " Yes, it's quite raw out there today," I replied. "Raw..that's the word for it. We ain't into summer yet!" he agreed,nodding.

After I got home, I grabbed a couple of bags from the trunk,and, as I was walking up the walkway (that is lined with wood chips now!) I glanced up at the roof,and noticed that our woodstove chimney was smoking. Rick had started a fire in the wood stove. Yes!

As soon as I walked into the house,the warmth from the fire hugged me like an old friend. Ahhhh....nice! It felt great! Rick helped me bring in the rest of the groceries,then I went over to the stove and spread my hands out over it,warming them up. Lovely,lovely warmth.

There is something comforting about wood heat. It feels and smells wonderful. There is nothing like it. Those of you who have woodstoves know what I mean. Yes, it can get messy bring wood to and fro,and you have to cut it to size and make sure you have kindling. However,if the power goes out,we have a warm house. We can use the generator for other things,such as our toliet,fridge,stove,or TV. We do have a furnace, but because our tank is outside,we have to use the K-1 mix,which tends to cost more than straight oil. So we use the woodstove for the most part,except in the winter when the nights are really cold, or if there is just a wee bit of chill in the house early in the morning,when a quick turn of the thermostat will take care of it fast. Days like this,however, the nice even heat of the stove is great.

I did make a boo boo today. At least, I feel I made a boo boo. Rick says otherwise. I put the laundry in the washing machine,and turned on the ceiling fan in the living room to make the heat circulate a bit. Well, apparently the washing machine was off balance a bit,and it started making a thumping noise. When I went back into the living room,Rick was on the computer,but he had a funny look on his face. Uh oh. I know the look. I saw him listening hard,and I said," It's the washing machine." Then I saw him look at the ceiling fan. " I put the fan on to circulate the heat. I should've told you,I'm sorry." Rick had experienced a flashback. He has strong ones if he hears helicopters,or anything resembling a helicopter. The combination of the thump of the dryer,and the shadow of the blades on the wall to the right of him triggered it. He shook his head a bit,then said, "I hate when this happens,"then he wiped tears from his eyes. I gave him a big hug,and said," I'm sorry,it' s my fault. I should've told you. I didn't realize the washer would be off balance." "It's not your fault," he replied." It just happens." I have asked him what he thinks about when this happens, and he just says it's the helicopters coming in to take care of the wounded.Whether it triggers fire fights,seeing friends get flown out to Balaad,his own wounded flight to Balaad,or something else is unclear. I don't press him about it.

On a lighter note,since it's raining today,that means no work outside,so I tidied up our bedroom,dusting and sweeping. I also dusted and swept the hallway,bathroom,and living room. It's low key kind of day. I may very well go and continue my re-read of "Outlander",by Diana Gabaldon,after I take care of the laundry. I think the weather will tie in nicely with the Scottish Highland backdrop of the book! Then again,I was planning on baking some cookies,so I should get that done first!

Rick has just presented me with lunch- a ham,cheese,broccoli,onion,mushroom and tomato omelet with toast. It's delicious! Nice, hearty pieces in it,not tiny little chopped up ones. He is a great cook. What a lucky woman I am!!!!!