Cold Weather.

We are having a fairly bitter cold, for North Carolina, anyway, build in. I was out in the world today and I'd have to say that even if at 3 pm you didn't need a coat and scarf and gloves, you knew we were headed toward scarf and gloves and scotch and fire and hat and brandy and, oh, have your own winter needs, OK? Grilled cheese. Soup. Three shirts.

Tomorrow we're supposed to make 50 degrees. By Friday we're supposed to make it all the way to 28. If today was chilly, then I guess I'd have to say the rest of the week will be winter, whether you're in North Carolina or not. There's a half-sad baseboard heater in the new outbuilding that works OK at 50, but as for 28 -- my expectations are low. Novel revision may well move itself to the dining room table, safely and surely indoors. Winter arrives in earnest. The temperatures around here are always behind the solstices and equinoxes, no matter the season. These are the cold months, though, for sure and certain. Bundle up. Keep warm. Wear long sleeves. Have coffee on hand. You know what? Don't shave, either. Stop shaving. Don't take anything off that might help.