Appropriately, with the coming of autumn this weekend, today was the day we turned on the furnace for the first time this season. 

It got down to the low 40's last night, and by the time we woke up, the house was noticeably chilly. I accidentally left one window cracked open, and that room was down to 55 degrees or so. She Who Puts Up With Me was cold. I was cold, too.

So, on goes the furnace.

Then off again by mid-afternoon, as the bright sun heats things up.

Autumn is a season of changes here in the Frozen North. It is a great time to be outdoors, since the heat and humidity of summer are gone. Was it really only a couple weeks ago that it was 90? Today it will be in the low 70's and deep blue skies. Throw on a sweatshirt and do all the yard work which didn't get done before.

Except weeding. The weeds will all be dead in a month anyway.

Sadly, because of the lack of rainfall this summer, the fall color won't be much to look at. Many of our trees are already mostly bare, including several crabapples which we hope will still be alive next spring. Instead of bursting with color, the leaves simply turned brown and shriveled. We still have high hopes for the maples, which always put on a good show, and which are close to the pond where the ground didn't dry out quite so badly.

This is also the time of year to realize all the stuff which didn't get done over the summer. I had hoped to mulch the gardens in the back yard, a project which requires bringing the pickup truck back from Bogus Lake. Didn't get to that, either. Between the kids and the business, I was kept hopping the whole summer.

At least there's time to split the firewood and stack it near the house. This is a priority. One of the great advantages of the Frozen North as opposed to, say, San Diego, is that it gets cold here. When it gets cold, the natural thing to do is build a big roaring fire and cuddle up with She Who Puts Up With Me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got chores to do.