"First hard freeze" :)
Not the words you expected me to say? Haha. Each year, I LOVE it when the weather man starts talking about the first hard freeze because that means that it's almost time for us to order firewood for winter. We have a wood-burning fireplace in our family room and another in our bedroom so each fall, we order a cord of firewood and I rejoice, the day that wood pile is delivered!
We wait until the first hard freeze to order the wood, so that the freeze will kill off any bugs that might be remaining in the wood. No sense in having bugs delivered to your house, right? Ha. Anyway, the first hard freeze was a couple of weeks ago and Bart immediately called to order the wood but they were a bit backed up and so we've waited patiently (or not so, as the case may be) for the wood to be delivered.
Today was the big day. Of course, it's almost 70* outside today but that's neither here nor there because I know that next week it will be cold. I also know that next week is Thanksgiving and that next week, they're predicting snow. Winter will come eventually. All of that makes me extremely excited for this big old pile of wood.
You see, these photos might just look like a pile of firewood to you. But when I look at these photos, I see countless hours snuggled in our cozy family room. Some of those hours, my hot husband will be home with me, snuggled next to me watching a movie (or football, while I read) :) and some of those hours, I'll be by myself......well, me and Riley, relaxing and enjoying the peace that comes with watching a fire burn in the fireplace.....the peace that comes from listening to the snap and crackle of the wood as it burns.
In these photos, I can "see" how great the neighborhood is going to smell with each fire that burns in our fireplace. It's delicious to walk outside in the snow and cold, and smell that wonderful wood-burning smell. Sigh. It makes taking Riley out to do his business much more enjoyable, I must say.
In these photos, I can see a romantic night or two this winter, with a fire blazing in our bedroom fireplace. And then I see us laughing, like we always do, about how bright that darn fireplace keeps the room when you're ready to go to sleep!! Haha.
In these photos, I can see our family gathered in our family room for the holidays. I can see us putting up the Christmas tree (which will happen next weekend - yay!) while the fire burns bright, making us hot and sweaty but too intent on having the fireplace ambiance to actually forego the fire while we put the tree up. :) I can see the lazy Saturday mornings this winter when Bartley will build a fire before he comes upstairs to wake me up (he's an early riser and I sleep in on Saturdays). I can see us sipping coffee and just being lazy together. Lazy days are so rare, aren't they? I cherish those Saturday mornings before we have to get on with the business of the day. In these photos I can see movie nights and football Sundays and everything in between.
You can call me sappy. You can call me sentimental. You can even call me overly dramatic, but I love that blessed wood pile and all that it represents. I love these photos. I love what they mean to me and I'm so happy to share this bit of everyday joy with you.
Happy wood pile delivery day!
