October 20, 2025
Very chilly start to the morning, the temperature was down to 44°F. Cold in the house for the first time since last winter. I wish we could have a fire. The sky seems extra clear and bright after yesterday’s dark and stormy weather.
Some of the trees on the hillside seem more than half bare. Their leaves have gone pale yellow, but they look washed out rather than vibrant and golden. Online predictions say Cincinnati won’t start seeing fall colors for another week. The downtown area and surrounding hills tends to be a little pocket that’s warmer than the rest of the Greater Cincinnati area. Thus, stalling the arrival of autumn foliage a bit longer. However, the next day I went for a walk and found a maple tree one street over trying its best.
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Yesterday was what Winnie-the-Pooh would call “a blustery day.” Finally had to put the heat on last night. Today it’s downright cold. Early morning temperature was 40°F! It’s sunny out but the cold makes me want to huddle up indoors. Even the cats think it’s too chilly to go out on the balcony.
Friday, October 24, 2025
Fog on the river and plumes of steam rising all over the city. Quite cold but not a frost yet (38°F). It will be cold again tonight. I am glad for my cozy fleece jacket and a hot cup of coffee. Now when I say “coffee” I really mean half coffee, half oat milk. I believe the fancy name for it is a Café au Lait. I even got out a second pot to heat the milk. Yes, I make my coffee with water heated on the stove, which is then poured into a French press (my favorite coffee is from the local Coffee Emporium). No, we don’t have a Keurig or a microwave. If you’d like me to explain why, let me know, but for now let’s save that for another time.
Briefly looked into getting a space heater. Gosh there are so many kinds! They even make cute ones nowadays that look like woodstoves, but the cost just didn’t make sense. Not to mention being worried about a fire hazard. Then my husband suggested I get a heating pad or electric blanket instead. Now we’re talking! Each of the cats has a heating pad, why shouldn’t I? Very spoiled princess babies, I know, but cats like to be cozy and I can’t stand the thought of cold toe beans. (At the time of posting this, I still have not acquired said electric blanket…)
Completely forgot to take photos on this day, so I dug through the art archives to bring you this little sketch. No pretty blue sky, but it does feature a lovely yellow beech tree. Sketchbook artwork from November of 2020 by Amy Earls.
Pale yellow leaves against a Verditer blue sky (my favorite ‘sky’ color, a “true blue”, I prefer the one from Holbein Artists’ Watercolor). It makes for a lovely contrast. The length of day has become noticeably shorter. Waking to dark skies and dusk closing in sooner than I expect. Less than 11 hours of daylight now and a lot more to lose before we start to gain again. It throws off my sense of time and makes it harder to get out of bed in the morning. Can you relate?
