Fall is quickly coming to an end in Vermont. While there still is some beautiful foliage, the reds are gone, and most of what remains is fading yellow. Many of the leaves have fallen, the trees are looking bare, and even the fields are turning duller colors.

Each day we have a few less minutes of day light. I love winter. I love the cold, the snow, the raw stark beauty of it. But I don’t like the lack of light. Getting up in the dark, and often coming home from work in the dark, wears on me.

Now we are beginning to have the little snow flurries, colder winds, a chill in the air. Yesterday, as we harvested potatoes, snow flurries danced around us.

To offset the darkness, our wood stove will be going pretty consistently for the next months, the cheery fire visible through the glass. Candles start appearing in the house, not because we need the light, but because they give such a warm and soft light.

Now the knitting basket has moved back to being next to my chair, the spinning wheel has taken up its winter spot next to the stove, and we are beginning to settle in for the coming winter.