This is definitely the coldest day that I have seen here on the Crystal Coast. This morning our thermometer was reading 30 degrees Fahrenheit. There was actually frost on the dock and on the ground leading down to canal and marsh. The frost was melting quickly as the sun came over the pines, but I had thought that I might not see frost down to the water until January. I guess that I was wrong.

A little cool weather gets us into the shopping mode. What I do not want to ever again is that Canadian cold when today's low temperature is tomorrow's high temperature. This afternoon we are up to 56 degrees and tomorrow is supposed to be in the low sixties so I guess I will have to do a little more Christmas decorating than just hanging a wreath on the door. My friends in Fredericton, New Brunswick are suffering through a temperature of 19 degrees Fahrenheit so I will not be complaining very loudly that we got slightly below freezing this morning. Our friends over at Mallard Gas installed some gas fireplace logs for us recently so I am looking forward to enjoying a fire in the fireplace this evening. I long ago gave up on the romance of heating with wood. Once you done three cords or so a year for several years as supplemental heating, propane, gas, and electricity look pretty good.