As noted in my most recent blog posts, a cold snap descended upon us in the run-up to mid-November. Last Monday saw a precipitous temperature drop to 28°F in the pre-dawn hours, and we struggled to reach the mid-forties that day. A fire was called for—No. 79 in the ongoing chronicle as the "new" fireplace heads into its 14th winter.
Bright sunshine and mostly still winds granted me license to undertake a brisk 4-mile downtown stroll but by the final stretch it was once again a bit bone-chilling in the late-afternoon shadows and street canyons. At 5pm, I struck a match to the season’s first fire in the wood-burning fireplace in the kitchen, and the evening was whiled away both sitting fireside and also doing various kitchen exploits.
Sunday's icy winds and Monday's deceptive sunny calm skies were but a lead-in to the utter misery of Tuesday, with temps hovering around 40°F and vicious taunts of all-day drizzle and drear. The season's second fire was built on the still-warm coals of the inaugural fire, cranked up to soothing intensity even before noon and tended all through the afternoon. Fire No. 80 is now in the books.
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