Yesterday my husband changed the filter on the furnace and set it to respond to falling temperatures. During the night he heard the furnace go on for the first time. With the night-time temperatures going down to 5 degrees and less it's no longer attractive to us to keep our bedroom windows open. And the bed has been dressed for colder nights, just days after we were sweltering under nothing but a light cotton sheet. Now we're grateful for the presence of a warm quilt over us.

Now, when we come down first thing in the morning and look out the front door, there is more than ample sunshine, but the atmosphere is frigid. Even though he'd heard the furnace come on during the night my husband went downstairs at 7:30 am this morning and put the (gas) fireplace on to take the chill out of the downstairs rooms; warmth that will circulate upstairs eventually as well.

It's time to re-think meal menus, and to re-introduce cold-weather fare. Soups and stews will re-enter the kitchen to bubble away on the stove, their aroma pervading the house on cold days, and take their place at the table for evening meals.

Jackie and Jillie appreciate the opportunity to briefly lie out on the deck to capture afternoon sunshine, but other than our daily forays into the woods for long trail walks they aren't enamoured of being out-of-doors. They like being comfortable in the very same manner that we do. Jillie on the seat-cushions of the loveseat, curled up to nap. And Jackie up on the back of the sofa, where he spreads out his long, lean little body to relax. He's positioned there directly beside where I sit when I'm at the computer.

Occasionally he will lean over and inspect my ears to give them a thorough licking. This happens most frequently, needless to say, when he wants to remind me of my vital duties at dinnertime.