Yesterday we had a cheerful lunch with my good friends, Robin and Paul -- people I've known for about 20 years, but whom I lost touch with in the last few years. We met at a local cafe and spent the time in good friendship and with good food. (I had a delicious bowl of asian noodles, which I believe will now be one of my favorite dishes.)

We've loved sitting by the fire each afternoon, now that winter seems to have quietly arrived. I usually set the logs in around 4:00, and we usually stay there, eating and reading and talking, until around 7:30, when we retire to our warmly heated (electric!) bedroom. Yes, for countless thousands of years, humans have enjoyed the gentle warmth of their home fires, and now in 2017, we are continuing the heart-warming tradition. Nothing is better than feeling the comforting heat from flames that are 

waving and curling and glowing 

just a few feet from you.