It definitely is colder these days. The thermostat has been hovering around 58F during the day. Nights don't matter much since we're bundled nicely under covers and prefer sleeping cold. I probably won't make it to Thanksgiving before turning on the furnace but I'll give it my best shot and get as close as I can. I feel that I can turn it on anytime after November first but I'd like to postpone it as long as possible. It's bearable now with long sleeves and layering clothes. Plus having throws to sit under when you're just sitting.
I am back to mostly no sleep. Professor's bladder must have shriveled up with the cold because he's waking me up two to three times a night to go out for a wee or other, but he's still using the potty papers as well. I'm not getting anywhere close to 8 hours so my 5 hours or so is interrupted. I'm dragging again. Who knew how difficult it was to get those 8 hours of sleep?
Plus I had two political calls before 10 a.m. I will be glad when tomorrow is over. I plan on walking to City Hall tomorrow to get some exercise in. And mailing Tana's package that is long overdue. The post office is right next door to City Hall. It won't take long to pop in there before voting.
I didn't celebrate Samhain last night. I don't know what it was but I ended up completely drained of all energy and just couldn't function. That happened last holiday, too. I should look into barriers because I don't like something out there stealing what little energy I've got.
My birds are back at the feeders. I love watching them frolic and chase each other but they will be eating me out of house and home before long. I have some sunflower heads I plan on putting out the first snow. I also have some decorative corn I'll put out tonight when we celebrate Samhain...albeit a brief ritual. I still have no energy. I plan on a smaller ritual indoors to compensate. And I have my electric candle in the window to light the way for the ancestors until Yule.
I also still need to put plastic on the windows before I dare turn on the furnace. I only have three windows to cover although I have some outdoor plastic I could use on some other windows. I might have to use that upstairs as the tape doesn't stick on those windows because it gets too cold. Nailing the plastic on with cardboard strips might work better. I also need to tack down the curtain on the back entryway. It doesn't stay shut on both sides because of the layout. I only need to tack down one side. The other will stay in place, but that back isn't insulated at all and we saved a lot of energy by using a thermal curtain last winter. It will also help if I don't use that back door, too. It actually would be easier to take the clothes out the front door and around the house than trying to squeeze past the narrow hallway that is halfway tacked down.
And speaking of clothes. I need to wash a few loads tomorrow before it rains again. I'm pretty content not using the dryer anymore. Worse case scenario, I can use it but it will take twice as long and I can use it to get rid of the lint on the winter things. That was my biggest problem last winter. I don't even need the heat to accomplish this. It just takes longer for the clothes to dry as we don't keep the house very warm. About 60F last winter and we were fine. I also use a potpourri pot with just water and a tea candle that helps bring humidity into the atmosphere. It lasts about 6 hours for one tea candle and one pot of water. Plus I like candles lit during the day. It just makes the ambience nicer.
I finished up my mom's mittens and started on my dads but this particular yarn, although supposedly the same weight, is much thicker and will make the mittens way too big. So I bought some more yarn today but got the same kind I made Tom's out of so I don't need as much. I really am set and won't buy anymore yarn for a long time now. I'm not promising, but I will try to use up what I've got. I'm really at the point we have to tighten our belts if we're going to afford heat.
Off to crawl into bed and knit. Zach is making supper tonight because I need a break. He's pretty good at it but still needs the practice. And I have a ton of stuff on the dvr and from the library to watch. Not to mention all the books I picked up today.
TTFN
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