When I was growing up, I remember looking forward to the first day of school each year. “Back then” we didn’t start back to school in the fall until after Labor Day. In Oklahoma, it was still hot as blue blazes in September, but at least, the evenings and nights were cooling off. I dreaded seeing summer end, but by September, I was feeling the pull to go back to school, see my friends—and I’d never admit it—start learning again!
By the time October rolled around, things had definitely become more “fall-like” and the sun had taken on the “autumn slant” as the days grew shorter, as well. My mom used to take note of the seasonal changes very keenly, and I remember her saying, “Well, fall is here.” There was no need to explain—it was in the coolness of the air, the more orange tint of the sun, the shorter days.
Of course, to a child, “fall” meant that Halloween was coming! Back in those days, it was still safe to go door-to-door with friends, all of us together in the crisp night air, a giggling mass of energy all dressed in our finery (most of us with homemade costumes, not store-bought) and those little plastic pumpkins with the handles to carry our “loot” home in. “TRICK OR TREAT!” we’d call out at each door, and our neighbors would always pretend they thought they were giving candy to princesses and pirates, superheroes and witches.
November brought Thanksgiving—a time when we’d usually go to my grandparents’ houses. I was the “lucky” one of all my cousins (and I had 40+ cousins!) because in the small town of Calera, Oklahoma, I had my dad’s parents who lived at one end of town, and my mom’s parents who lived at the other end. Cousins, aunts, and uncles from both sides also lived there, so many of my cousins from both sides of the family went to school with each other and knew one another as friends and fellow sports teammates. Those were simpler times—we could walk all over town without fear of any foul play, and I had grandparents at each end of town, so no matter which cousins I was with, we had somewhere to walk to.
The big treat was stopping in at the one and only “grocery store”—more like an Old West mercantile store—that was about at the halfway mark through town. It had a glass case with bologna and ham inside and a big slicer that the store owner, Petey, would use to cut your lunchmeat. Then, he’d wrap it in freezer paper and tie it up with twine. Petey’s store also had one of those big chest-type coolers with a sliding top, filled with ice and bottled pop. That was back when a bottle of pop was ten cents or so—and a candy bar could be had for a few pennies more.
There’s nothing like family and Thanksgiving dinner all together to bring “Autumn Fever” to the highest level. Doesn’t Thanksgiving just speak to us of autumn? By that time of the year, even in Oklahoma, the leaves have turned some beautiful rich colors of gold, red, orange, and brown and drifted from the trees. The winds have become colder and more cutting (and that’s saying something here in Oklahoma!) and of course there’s that “fall smell” in the air. And probably that’s one of the things I love most about autumn—the smell. There is nothing like the feeling of being tucked up inside four strong walls with food to eat, a fire going in the fireplace, and a good book to read. And did I mention a dog’s head on my lap? But celebrating fall took on a whole new meaning when we moved to West Virginia. I had never seen colors on the trees like what we saw there–such a wonderful display of nature–and it happens every year!
I know a lot of people will think this is strange, but I’ve never been a coffee or hot tea drinker. Yet, in the fall, I DO want something warm to drink—and this is it. This drink is very easy to make and keep on hand—and I haven’t tried making it with any artificial sweetener yet, but this year I’m going to do just that instead of using sugar and see how it turns out. This “friendship tea” is also good to make and give as a gift in a pretty container (that’s how I got it in the very beginning, and I have been so glad someone did that for me so many years ago!)
FRIENDSHIP TEA
This wonderful drink is ready in 5 minutes, and makes 4 cups of the instant mix.
Ingredients:
1 -1 1/2 cup sugar (or less, to taste)
2 cups instant Tang orange drink
1/2 cup sweetened iced tea mix powder
1 (1/4 ounce) envelope unsweetened lemonade mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (or you can also put in whole cloves if you like)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients well and store in an airtight container.
To use, fill a mug with boiling water and stir in 2-3
This recipe has been around for many years, but this teaspoons of mix, to taste.
If all you can find is pre-sweetened lemonade, then use the amount of dry mix needed for a 2 -quart pitcher according to the package instructions and leave out the sugar.
iteration of it came from GENIUS KITCHEN and is close to the one I’ve had in my recipe box for all this time.
I have to admit, by Christmas I’m certainly missing fall, and “Autumn Fever” takes on a new meaning—I want it BACK! As sad as I was to see summer end, that’s how I feel when the winter ice and snow comes—I’m immediately nostalgic for fall!
What do you do in the autumn months? Are you glad to see them come and herald summer’s end? I do read a lot, as I’m sure many of us do here at P&P. Please share any good books you’ve read so we can all build our reading list!
Right now, I’m re-reading one of Rosemary Rogers’s classic stories, SWEET SAVAGE LOVE--the book that got me reading romances all those years ago–all her stories are sooo darn good you can’t go wrong. Next on my list is another wonderful re-read– NOBODY’S DARLING by Teresa Medeiros. Here’s the blurb–I know it’s wonderful because I read it a good while back, but want to enjoy it again!
He always gets his lady…
Billy Darling doesn’t enjoy being a wanted man until the day a duke’s prim and proper granddaughter comes marching into the Tumbleweed Saloon and points her derringer at his heart. Lucky for him, she’s a mighty poor shot.
She always gets her man…
Instead of killing him, Esmerelda Fine hires him to find her runaway brother. Billy knows he should turn down her offer. He should resist her charms. But he doesn’t. Because there comes a time in every man’s life when he’s got nothing left to lose…but his heart.
I’d also love to hear your childhood memories of fall–and I do hope you’ll try this wonderful “friendship tea” recipe when those autumn winds begin to blow—it’s a sure cure for AUTUMN FEVER!
Be sure to leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for the wonderful PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS boxed set MAIL ORDER BRIDES FOR SALE: THE REMINGTON SISTERS! This is a complete boxed set of four full length novels by Livia J. Washburn, Cheryl Pierson, Jacquie Rogers and Celia Yeary!
Here’s the blurb to whet your appetite:
Brought up in the wealth and comfort of Eastern “old money” in staid and proper Philadelphia, the Remington sisters are forced to scatter to the four winds and become mail-order brides. In order to gain a fortune, their sinister step-father, Josiah Bloodworth, has made plans to marry them off in loveless marriages. Time is running out, and no matter what lies ahead in their uncertain futures, it has to be better than the evil they’re running from…
LIZZY: Livia J. Washburn
Elizabeth Remington’s world is turned upside down when she is forced to become a mail-order bride. With her cat, Fulton, Lizzy flees to Alaska—only to discover the man she’s to marry is not who she thought he was! Now, she must protect herself from the biggest danger of all—her own heart. Handsome Flint McKinnon has signed his soul away to her step-father, hasn’t he? He’s chased Lizzy across the continent, but can she believe him when he says he loves her?
BELLE: Jacquie Rogers
Belle Remington must marry someone before the dangerous Neville Fenster catches up with her. She hightails it out of Philadelphia to the wilds of Idaho Territory to become a bootmaker’s bride, but when she arrives in Oreana, she discovers her groom has been murdered! Now, handsome, inebriated rancher Cord Callahan insists on fulfilling the marriage contract himself. Belle is beautiful and smart as a whip. But she has a secret. When Fenster shows up, can Cord protect the woman he wants to love forever?
SABRINA: Cheryl Pierson
Impulsive Sabrina Remington, the youngest, weds a man she knows her family would disapprove of. Though Cameron Fraser’s family owns a ranch in lawless Indian Territory, he’s made his way in the world with a gun, living barely on the right side of the law. With everything on the line as Bloodworth and his henchmen close in, will Cam be able to protect Sabrina from the desperate man who means to kidnap her for his own wicked purposes?
LOLA: Celia Yeary
Sensible Lola Remington, the eldest of the four sisters, must be certain the others are on their way to safety before she can think of fleeing Philadelphia herself. With the help of a local bridal agency, Lola finds the perfect husband for herself—in the wild countryside of Texas. Jack Rains owns a ranch and he’s in need of a bride—and children, of course! But just when Lola starts to believe there might be a future for them, she discovers a hidden letter from another woman…Jack’s first wife.
HERE’S THE AMAZON LINK: http://a.co/d/5XSkiX7
A native Oklahoman, I've been influenced by the west all my life. I love to write short stories and novels in the historical western and western romance genres, as well as contemporary romantic suspense! Check my Amazon author page to see my work: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
I live in Oklahoma City with my husband of 40 years. I love to hear from readers and other authors--you can contact me here: fabkat_edit@yahoo.com
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Living in Northern Wyoming, during my childhood, fall meant the leaves changing color and falling. Which meant making leaf houses to play in while my imagination went wild. Fall was when my mom did a lot of canning getting ready for winter. My dad going hunting, sometimes getting something, sometimes nothing. Going trick/treating in whatever costume we made up with what we had in the house, using a pillowcase to hold our goodies. The goodies, if you went to the right houses, gave you big candy bars, carmel apples, homemade donuts. Going through your goodies to see what you were going to share. My mom usually let us keep a couple of things and took the rest, which was then put up, and only came out once in a while. Lots of good memories.
Veda, I remember sorting through my Halloween candy with such glee and how my dad would tease me and say, “Well, THAT’S my favorite!” when I would pick out one to eat. LOL I always felt sorry for him and I would pick out all those brown and white striped little candies that tasted like peanut butter and give those to him because I knew he loved those (and they were NOT my favorite!) LOL I got to hang on to my treasure trove of candy, but I had to ask before I ate any of it (because otherwise, I would have just taken it in my room and eaten it whenever.) LOL Mom had quit doing a lot of canning by the time I came along since my sisters were 10 and 12 when I was born and were both out of the house when I was 8, but I do remember how we’d go to my grandparents’ house at the end of summer and gather in all kinds of veggies from the garden and spend the entire day shucking corn and so on. We would bring a lot of that home and put it up in our freezer for the winter. My family loved okra and I remember doing a lot of that and though I hated cleaning it and putting it up in freezer containers, I sure was glad when we had it during the winter months.
I grew up in Michigan, THE best state for Autumn. I now live in Texas, and this is the ONLY season I miss my home state!
Laura I bet Michigan is just gorgeous in the fall! I spent many years in West Virginia and it’s wonderful in the fall when those leaves start to turn. But I am an native Oklahoman and glad to be back here. I certainly do NOT miss those West Virginia winters! LOL
I grew up in New Jersey and autumn was always amazing so many tree’s and so many colors.
We lived in West Virginia for many years, and it’s the same way there. I always loved the fall out there. There is just beauty everywhere you turn.
I used to live in Connecticut and autumn was so beautiful. I really miss it.
My hubby is a native West Virginian, but was glad to move to Oklahoma to get away from those long snowy winters back in that part of the country. We both do miss those beautiful autumn days, though.
I always loved fall in New York when I lived there as a kid (up until I was 10 years old). I loved when the trees changed colors. Then we moved to Texas and though I loved summer as a kid, I really love and appreciate fall now. I can’t wait for it to cool down from the heat of the summer.
Janine, I visited my niece in NY several years ago during the fall and it was soooo beautiful! I loved my Oklahoma summers as a kid–nothing better–but as an older person now, I don’t tolerate the heat as well as I did back then, and during out summers here I always thank God for good air conditioning.
Yes! Thank God for air conditioning.
I love fall, so many good things happen in autumn. The leaves changing, the cool, crisp air, apples, spicy scents, sweaters, boots, and so much more.
As a mom, it meant fall sports like soccer and football, plus college football games.
And, my birthday and Thanksgiving fall in the same month.
I still remember the first time I had friendship tea–such a treat.
Happy Fall, y’all!
Denise, that’s so true–every bit of it! When my son played sports, I always looked forward to “fall ball” for baseball because the summers here are sooo hot, and by the time fall ball season rolled around it was really nice.
Fall has always been my favorite time of year . I look forward to the trees turning colors and the crispness of the air. We take a Sunday drive to Galena Illinois just to see all the beautiful fall colors, it’s definitely worth the 3 hour drive just for the breathtaking views over the valleys. I also look forward to ANYTHING Pumpkin , love the Pumpkin Spice coffee, Pumpkin Pie ( lots of whip cream) yummy fall is beautiful and delicious.
Rose Ann, you are a woman after my own heart! I love pumpkin flavored things and though I’m not much of a “hot drink” person, in the fall, I will drink more hot stuff than I do even in the winter months. Especially pumpkin things! But this friendship tea is my favorite hot drink of all!
I live in Kansas, although we have few trees on the western side of the state, when fall comes around, we all really appreciate the beautiful colors they give us!
A book I highly recommend and think everyone should read is His Perfect, Imperfection by Natasza Waters. This book has a powerful message and a HEA!
Tonya, it’s the same here in Oklahoma. Not a LOT of trees, (certainly not like back East, of course!) but we do appreciate what we have and I think every place has its own beauty and just a loveliness in the perfection of nature, no matter where it is. I’m making a list of books (as if I don’t have enough piled up to read already) because I love these posts where we can share books we love and find new-to-us favorite authors!
I live in Kentucky and always look forward to the leaves changing colors and the cooler temps. I really enjoy taking walks in the fall.I can’t really remember in my younger days as to what went on during the fall of the year. I remember starting back to school but that is about it.
Quilt Lady, starting back to school was always a big memory for me, too, because I loved the socializing part of it. Being with friends and having that structure of learning new things. Of course, Halloween was always a big deal to look forward to for us, and Thanksgiving meant getting to go see our grandparents, and especially my cousins!
Fall has always been my favorite season. Grew up on a farm and loved putting the garden to bed for the winter and eating Moms’ soups and stews.
Estella, my mom also made wonderful soups and chili! My dad wasn’t much of a soup person, but he loved chili, so we got that a lot in the fall and winter. I make it year round–don’t even wait for fall to come! LOL My hubby will say, “You’re making chili? It’s JULY!” LOL
Being a life long Texan, we don’t get the vivid fall colors like other states but fall is my very favorite time of the year so I grab and enjoy every moment that we Texans get.
Same here in Oklahoma, Melanie. I love the change in the air–I noticed this morning there was a fall “nip” and I had to go back in and put on long sleeves (which I still have on, btw!) and leggings! When my kids were little we had to do their pool parties early if they wanted one for their birthdays. They both have September birthdays, and though we still have some hot days in September usually, the nights are already getting cool. So we’d plan their birthday parties for early/mid August.
Love your story! I remember raking leaves with my brother & dad then jumping into the pile! Cool days of endless energy!
Running in our back yard with the dog! Playing on the swing set & reading in our play tent!
Thanks, Teresa! Oh, my goodness, I’d forgotten something you just reminded me of. One year when I was in grade school, I went with one of my classmates out to a place to pick up pecans. Back then, you would go pick them up and bring them to the “office” there and they’d weigh them and pay you so much per pound. My friend was a little boy whose dad worked with my dad. We picked up a lot of pecans and I remember making $4.50! BIG MONEY! LOL I put that up to buy Christmas presents with, and I was so excited. I think that was the first money I’d ever earned doing something for someone else. Great memories! I had a swing set too, that I just lived on. We played outside all the time.
Good Morning, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing your Fall memories and the “friendship tea” recipe. I enjoy hot tea in the mornings. I’m also a native Texan and I appreciate every cool breeze the Lord blesses us with!
HA! Caryl, it’s the same here in Oklahoma, though this year we only had ONE DAY that reached 100 degrees–that’s unheard of! Thinking back to one summer when we had nearly two solid months of 100+ degree days… But I’m always glad to see fall arrive, though I have mixed feelings about it, because I do love summer and hate to see it go. Also, when fall shows up, winter won’t be far behind and oh, how I dread that! LOL I hope you enjoy the friendship tea!
Good morning. I love Rosemary Rogers Sweet Savage Love Series. I’m going to try your hot tea.
Hi Yvonne! Oh, I loved that series so much. I think I’ve read it over and over so many times I have parts of it almost memorized, but I STILL find something in Sweet Savage Love each time I read it that I didn’t pick up before. So it’s still one of my all-time favorites. Loved the entire series, but that first one was my favorite. I hope you love the friendship tea!
Hi, I love your sweet memories. I live in West Texas and I always look forward to fall because we do get cooler days and we also get warm days. I am a coffee drinker , I have to have my coffee in the mornings, I like cold sweet tea in the summer and in the cooler days I will drink hot tea, once in a while I will have some hot cocoa. The Fall always brings back memories of when I was growing up and my 5 siblings and I would be outside playing for a while , while my mom fixed supper for us, when it was ready she would call us in and the aroma of the hot cocoa on the stove was so good, I can almost smell it. Our mom wold make us hot cocoa to have with our supper, and Fall always reminds me of that. Have a Great week and stay safe.
Alicia, those are some wonderful memories! My mom made hot cocoa for me sometimes in the winter, and what a treat that was. I did it for my kids, too, especially when they were out playing in the snow. And we always had it on Christmas Eve. I’m not a coffee drinker, and in fact, not much of a “hot anything” drinker, but I do love this friendship tea because it’s instant and just has a different spicy taste to it. I’m going to get the ingredients next time I make a run to the grocery story and make up a bunch of it to have on hand. LOL Nothing worse than wishing for a cup of it and not having the mix made up and ready to go. Thanks for stopping by today and sharing some wonderful growing up memories with us. I sure miss those days–especially playing outside until dinner was ready (like you and your siblings did!) and then coming in to the warmth of the house and good meal!
I grew up in the Mojave desert. So we didn’t see much in the way of season changes. We moved back to Illinois when just before I was to become a sophomore in high school. The summer was pretty yet humid, so not prepared for that but being a teenager no big deal. Fall was so pretty and the little bit cooler was nice. Got some pretty long sleeve blouses from it. LOL Winter came in slow and we were a little cold than hit with a big blizzard. Yup totally unprepared for that one. Mom took all five of us kids out of school and took us shopping for winter clothes. Whoa as a teenager that was the height of fun. LOL This was our first Christmas with snow. Oh but we had fun. And then when spring came it was slow but the warm weather that came with it was so wonderful. And we planted all kinds of berry bushes and dad put in a huge garden. Non of the berries made it to the kitchen for mom. LOL They were delicious. I have lived in the area now for 40 years and I love the different change of seasons. Each one has a special meaning and special things to do and see. I remember growing up we always had a glass of Tang with breakfast. I tried it with our two kiddos and they wouldn’t touch it. Oh well. I made cookies with it and they loved it, course I didnt tell them Tang was in the cookies. LOL
Oh my goodness, Lori! What a huge change for you in climate, and what fun memories. I love your story about getting pulled out of school to go clothes shopping. LOL And how wonderful that you had snow on Christmas. That happens sometimes here in OK, but not often. A few years ago, we had a freak blizzard on Christmas Eve that actually killed a couple of people! Thankfully, both my kids (they were already grown and out of the house but we always do Christmas on Christmas Eve) were already here at the house and safe. I would have been worried sick if they’d been out in that. Funny about the berries never making it to the kitchen! LOL I drank a lot of Tang growing up, too, and my stepkids loved it. By the time my kids came along, we always just had a quick breakfast and were on the go right away–not sure if they ever had it, but it sure is good in this tea. And how cool that you made cookies with it!
I love Autumn… the cooler temps, the change in colors, pumpkins and apples, and most definitely Halloween!
I love all those things, too, Colleen! I really felt it this morning when I was outside with the dogs, and they did, too! They were chasing squirrels up and down the fence and so happy!
I love the smells of fall…..dry leaves, chopped corn going into the silo (pit or upright), squash baking, my yard smelling of apples and grapes, tomatoes cooking wether plain in the canner or one of the sauces for spaghetti or pizza, vinegar and spices for pickling heating on the stove, 100%cotton sheets dried on the line in cool crisp sunshine (they do smell different from the ones dried in the hot summer sun), chili cooking on a cold evening.
When I think of Friendship Tea I think of my college roommate. She would make a jar full for us to have on hand during the fall and winter. I think we drank it cold in the spring when it finally warmed up in May.
Alice, you are so right about the smell of sheets. I miss that, too. I haven’t had a clothesline in years and years, but I remember having to hang those out and get them in, and ‘back in the day’ we had to iron them on the “ironer” my mom bought. I shudder to think of her letting me operate that thing when I was about 9-10 years old. It didn’t scare me to do it, but as a mom now, it scares me to think of a child that age doing it! I have never had friendship tea cold, but that sounds like a plan to me! LOL Thanks for stopping by. I love all those smells too. I’ve sure missed them.
What an interesting drink. And thanks for sharing all your memories. Brings back memories for me, too. We had the corner store with the penny candy and the pop in ice (my kids still shake their heads and ask what pop is) and the fresh lunchmeat. I grew up in Northern Indiana so we had real seasons and beautiful trees with the fall colors. I like California but the seasons are so much more blurred together. Usually in Fall I enjoy being able to spend more time outside because it’s not so hot. This year, of course, with the fires our air quality is so bad that even though we are very, very fortunate to not be in fire danger, it’s not a good idea to spend much time outside.
What a terrific box set – you are all such wonderful authors. Thanks for the chance to win.
Hi Sally! How often have I thought of that store and all the wonderful smells and sights it held — I am so glad to have that memory to hold close. I wish my kids had had some of the “old” memories I had, but of course those times had already changed when they came along. You made me laugh about “pop”– My parents used to say “pop” like it was a foreign word or something–and when you think about it, I guess it was to them–a word that was added to their vocabulary at a later time that they had to learn to incorporate. LOL But, being from Oklahoma, by the time my generation came along, we were firmly used to calling everything a COKE (no matter what it was) and then asking “what kind do you want?” LOL Thanks for your kind words–I’m so glad you came by today!
I forgot to read this yesterday, I was caught up in a book and setting up a Facebook party for my new Pampered Chef biz. I love Fall! I too love the beginning of cooler temps although in Texas it will still be hot for quite some time but we can revel in the thought that hopefully there will be no more 100 degree and fewer 90 degree days. The later part of the year is my favorite time of the year, cooler temps, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, what’s not to love? I hate that kids these days do not get to enjoy life like we did as children. We were always so excited for Halloween to come so we could don what ever costume we came up with and hit the streets. My favorite Halloween’s were when I lived in a small town in Marion, Kentucky from the age of 4 to 4th grade. We walked the entire town and went to every single house that had a light on and did so until well after dark. We didn’t give up until there were no lights on anymore. The children enjoyed Halloween as well as the adults! There are so many elderly that miss children coming to their doors to Trick-Or-Treat! Oh, I’ve read so many great books that I do not know where to start. I forgot, hot drinks, I like cappuccino, coffee, chia tea, in the Fall I go all Pumpkin Spice since it is only av
available this time of year. Back to books, if you haven’t read the Texas Rodeo series by the late, great, Kari Lynn Dell, it is an excellent series! I can’t believe she is gone! All books by Shanna Hatfield, Linda Broday, Rosanne Bittner, C.J. Box, Lisa
Gardner, Willow Rose and so many authors are my go-to’s because I know they’ll be great before I ever even crack open the book. My Go-to Authors I don’t even read the blurb because I want it to be a complete surprise! I would love the opportunity to read this boxed set! Your the only Author in the group that I have read before! Happy Fall Y’all!
Same for us with Halloween. We lived in a small town and would start out about dusk, a huge gang of neighborhood kids, and we had the most fun! Living in Oklahoma, some Halloweens were still HOT, or at least WARM–too warm for heavy costumes–and some were icy cold–but that’s Oklahoma for you! Raising my kids here, we went through the same thing with them–plan a costume and then when the night would come it might be way too warm or too cold for what we had thought they’d be wearing. Then it was hurry up and find something else! LOL So glad you stopped by today!
Fall is my favorite time of the year. I grew up in Northern New York which is really more like New England. We were on the border of Canada and Vermont. We could see the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire from our house which was in the Adirondack Mountains. We lived in the middle of apple country, mostly Macintosh apples and had an orchard right across the street. It was a time for apple picking and pressing cider. We would drink it fresh from the press and take some home to ferment for hard cider. Sadly it is all pasteurized now and it just doesn’t taste the same. It also interferes with making hard cider. I loved the smell of people burning their leaves. There is a smell in the air from the fallen leaves and I love the crunch of them underfoot when hiking in the woods. I like the switch to fall produce and the baking that comes with the apples and pumpkin.
Patricia, I understand why fall would have been your favorite time of year growing up where you did. That must have just been beautiful, and I’m sure everyone in that area waits with anticipation for the first sign of fall. My hubby is from West Virginia and apples were a huge staple there, as well. He loves them above all other fruit to this day, and truly does eat at least one apple a day. He talks about how they made apple butter every year–something I didn’t even know existed, growing up here in Oklahoma. Fall is definitely here for us–our days are still very temperate, mid-80’s, but at night it’s getting down into the 50’s and 60’s. I have to put on shoes when I get up in the night to take the dogs out! LOL So glad you stopped by!