A killing frost. A bright morning with a sparkly white coating on everything. The cold air settles on the warm ground and sticks, when there is no wind to blow it around. Now where is my ice scraper? It's been under the seat for the whole summer, but somehow today, it wasn't there. Only a water bottle, three empty creemie dishes, some rainbow sprinkles, and a lego guy. I have to remember to add 10 minutes to commuting time to scrape off/ warm up my car. It was a gloriously clear commute this morning, the Adirondacks looming large across the dark blue lake of Champlain. A little place in Shelburne Bay visible from the Overlook always reminds me of Nantucket, and always makes me want to be near the water.

Ketchup. There is no substitute for real homemade ketchup. It makes even frozen fries (which of course we never have) taste really good. It takes a long time, but on a chilly autumn day, it makes your whole house warm and fragrant. Contact me for the recipe, or drop a hint about it for your Christmas stocking.

Frost. Is coming soon. Why is it that not everybody is showing up for their vegetable pickup? It won't be too long ( two more weeks) until it's over. The incredible variety and quantity of red and green stuff in that farmstand is more than I can stand. I just want to eat potatoes, tomatoes, and red peppers until I can't stand no more. Now if only I could cook...

Wood piles. I also have a mountain of wood in my yard. When we first moved to Vermont, friends and family visited more often, and somehow the wood got stacked very quickly. Now however, the woodpile looms as one job that can wait, since you're going to burn it anyway. But in other yards, people get quite creative with their woodpiles. My favorite one was the circular stack around an old tree stump. Photos of these piles would make a good coffeetable book, as good as the one about outhouses, at least.