Now that the nights are quite nippy, I will spend less time outdoors. Tonight, I had to go out for a while, though, because there was wind-- wall-shaking, window rattling, booming in the chimney wind. There is something I find irresistible in a windy night, with the stars sparkling and the trees swaying and, in contrast to the earth-bound wildness, the serene moon floating above. I bundled up good, but, after I came back in, my ears were tingly for several minutes. It is very cold, but it will be colder still for the next few nights. The temperature will fall below freezing for the first time since last winter. The five blanket nights are beginning.