For the first time since sometime back in May, it's actually quite cold and rainy outside and you can definitely tell that winter is right around the corner!
I can hear a persistent drip-drip-drip coming off the corner of the roof onto our deck (really must clean those gutters...), and I'm also well aware that at any moment now our heater is going to kick on for the first time in about five months.
Along with that, comes the attendant dread about our heating bills... given the current cost of energy. Clearly it's considerably higher than it was last winter so I just can't help but wonder what our fuel bills are going to look like, in a couple of months from now. Ugh...
In this world where the cost of everything seems to be forever going up and up and up while our incomes are pretty much staying the same or going down, I guess we'll be putting on a lot of sweaters this winter!
As I write these words, I have — in fact — put on a sweater and I'm wearing my soft woolly hat which is pretty much what I was trained to do from early childhood whenever it would get colder. Whereas we weren't exactly poor, my dad was strongly opposed to "throwing money into the furnace," as he was prone to saying.
When I first came to the US in 1981 to go to University what never ceased to amaze me was how many of the kids (during the winter) would respond to the onset of cold weather by simply cranking up the heat while still wearing shorts and a tank top... and then later complaining bitterly about being broke because they couldn't afford their electric bill and partying on the weekends. I grew up with the reality that when it gets colder you put on a sweater and a hat. End of story.
It's not rocket science!
Now, I know what last year's energy bills were like, and given how much we have seen the fuel costs go up, I expect we will have months during midwinter where it will cost us in excess of US $500 to heat this house. Well, let's say it would cost us $500 to heat this house if it weren't for the fact that we will be using the fireplaces a good bit and setting the thermostat relatively low.
Winter is coming!
After all, the reality many of us must face is the fact that we only have so much money to pay for stuff and somehow we have to make that work!
Meanwhile, I am trying to find a glimmer of hope in the recent uptick action in the crypto markets this week.
I'm not holding my breath on that one, but it would definitely help the situation if we had a bit of a "Santa Claus rally." Whether what we're seeing at the moment is actually the beginning of the next Bull Run I am not wise on, and I have learned from experience to take the cautious approach rather than the carefree one.
Sure, I run the risk of not capitalizing on all the gains, but at least I won't get my shorts handed to me on a plate... like the people who were shorting Bitcoin just did!
I am definitely grateful and relieved that the big freezer out in the garage and our pantry are quite well stocked by now. And we still have potatoes, turnips and some leeks in the ground. I won't exactly say that we can withstand a siege, but it does feel nice to know that our homesteading efforts have left us with a respectable cushion.
Meanwhile, the change in the weather also means that "creativity season" is upon us. I plan to be spending a lot more time writing, and working on my artwork and my websites, and continuing to build my eBay businesses over the coming winter... even though it feels like it gets harder and harder to persuade people to part with their money, even for small and relatively inexpensive items.
Still... we have to persevere with what we're doing, and hopefully it will be enough to see us through.
In other news, we are coming up on the month of November, which (historically) has also been the month when "HiveBloPoMo" happens. It's short for Hive Blog Posting Month and is a community challenge to create a new blog post every day in November.
Normally, 
Anyway, I guess I'll give it a whirl again this year!
Thanks for stopping by! It was a bit of a "random" post, but I didn't really have any particularly pressing issues to write about today.
Have a great remainder of your week!
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Created at 2023-10-24 22:48 PDT
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