A Cozy Post

That cozy feeling that comes over us this time of the year is not hard to describe. The days get shorter, the house gets winterized, the outside work is done,the winds blow, the weather forecaster predicts a chill, and that feeling of wanting to hibernate comes over us. There is nothing like a warm cozy robe on a chilly morning. I am expecting a package in the mail today. A new robe will be here by late afternoon. It is a robe that zips up the front, not too warm, it falls to mid calf, no collar, sleeves just the right length. I have a grey one almost like it. I have worn it for two years. Every morning for the past two winters...I have worn this robe. It is perfect for doing housework. I have a couple of other nice robes, but not as handy as this one. My new robe will take me through the winter and give me that cozy feeling.

We had a fire in the fireplace a few nights ago. There is nothing like a fire to make the house cozy. It takes the chill off. I used to have two fireplaces...wood burning ones. This is a gas fireplace. It is really nice, because we can just turn it on and in a couple of minutes ...voila...a cozy room. No bringing in wood, no mess, no trying to start with wet wood...etc. Some people are traditionalists and prefer a wood burning fireplace, but I have been won over by this one.

Our meals change too in colder weather. More comfort foods...Soups, stews, roasts, oven meals, baking pies and breads. I got up at 5 this morning and baked blueberry muffins. I was in my gray robe humming in the kitchen. It was dark outside and I was up before the birds. We will have an oven meal on Sunday this week. We tend to put on weight during the winter... :)

Our hobbies change too. No more gardening for a few months. We take care of our houseplants. We give them special attention. If they could talk, they would say..."What's up with the extra care. I thought she forgot about me." The house gets a cleaning like never before. Drawers and cupboards get a fall cleaning. We pick up our knitting and start to think of Christmas presents. A paint brush awaits for painting those gourds that are in the basement. Trips to the new library to bring home the latest book or a magazine ...with ideas for the holidays. We might start a new hobby and find we have a talent for it. We come to the computer and post on our blogs. We read more blogs at this time of year. That's why it is important for us all to keep posting.

I read somewhere that the temperature of whatever you’re holding may affect your mood.Two new studies, published in Science, indicate that holding warm objects tends to make people act more generously and see strangers in a kinder light than those holding something cold. “Simply holding a warm or cold object can influence people's interpersonal judgments and decisions," a researcher says.
The studies tested different reactions when subjects held hot and cold coffee. What does this mean for us? When we are having problems with another person...we might want to offer them a cup of coffee.

Well, that's about it for this cozy post. I'm going to go and have a muffin while sitting in my little nook by the sliding glass doors...watch the birds wake up and just wait patiently for my new robe to come in the mail. Tomorrow I will be on the computer, wearing my new robe. Did I tell you it's purple?

Balisha