Journal: October 5. Cold and Gray and Rainy.

The rains continue.   The house is chilly, but I have finally closed all windows.  I do seem to have a high tolerance for a nippy interior, but have begun to look on-line for ratings of electric space heaters.  It looks like most people have never met a space heater they like.  Both George and John said they do some good, but it's been such a gray, cold and foreboding day, I couldn't bear to head out (a little loony, since the house is so chilly, stores would be warmer and brighter, but couldn't make the leap and  home I stayed.   I'm between oil tanks  (the old one was in an untenable position under the porch, and Carl, the plumber, has not showed up with his estimate for a new one)  and haven't figured out what to do about wood stoves, so for the moment I am dwelling in an illusory zone of hoping that warm weather will return and it won't get really cold here until I'm en route to California.  

The geese are mirroring my confusion.  For years now they have not left for the south, but have lingered on golf courses and suburban lawns into the winter.  Many are loitering on our lake--they head off, but keep returning with a great honking and whirring of wings.