The Heat Is On - Day 18 of 31 Days of Blogging

I got to come home to a toasty fire burning in the pellet stove this evening. After a long day out in the cold and damp it was very nice. Bryon was off today and went to town to get two tons of pellets. This is the first fire of the year.

Our pellet stove really keeps the downstairs toasty and comfortable and watching the flames is an added bonus. Winter used to be my favorite season until THE ice storm that knocked out power our for 12 days. That was a game changer for me. The first couple of days it was an adventure. After that, I just got pissy.

Now I guess fall is my favorite time of the year if I had to pick. Of course ask my by spring and I'll have a different answer. Mostly I'm just a fair weather Goldilocks. Not too hot and not too cold. I like it just right.

I can't wait until all the leaves are gone and you can see through the woods again. I like that. We've really been walking the trails Bryon made through our woods a lot in an effort to get Belle some exercise. We're all benefiting from that. Bryon took Belle around on his errands with him all day and she got to play outside a lot too so now she's curled up in her crate in the laundry room taking a nap.

I took the door off the crate and she's been using it a lot more the past few nights. She's had a few accidents in the house but not nearly as bad as Ruger did and she's already started going to the door when she needs out. She's a smart dog.

Bryon wanted to go hunting tonight and I wasn't going to be home in time to stay with Grace so he took her with him. He took her one night last week and she called in some turkeys all by herself. He was pretty proud of her. They couldn't get a shot because the turkeys came in on the left and he couldn't get turned around Grace to shoot. She did great that night.

He took her another night and she wimped out pretty quickly. Tonight she lasted until the food ran out. He took two granola bars, two boxes of Yogos, an apple, a whole sack of sunflower seeds and a bottle of water. As soon as the snacks were gone, she wanted to come home. She does that at every "event" we or the grandparents take her to. It doesn't matter how cool the event is; the circus, the rodeo, a ball game ... she's all about the snackage.

She came home the other night with lots of hunting souvenirs including turkey feathers, rocks,and walnuts. Bryon is much more patient with her than I am. He makes fun games for her to play and weaves grass bracelets and jewelry for her. They get to enjoy some time in the woods and I get some peace and quiet in the house. It's a win win situation and eventually they'll bring home some dinner too.