Never mind that it was nearly 80 degrees today. It's October, the end of October. It matters not what the thermometer says. I for one am looking to the calendar. It is definitely time, so tonight we built a fire. Not the gas log kind. We built a real old fashioned wood fire with all the smells and dirt and heat and soot. I love a warm fire with its dancing lights, wafting flames, blues and yellows, it's mellow magic. I love a fire.

I love a good book or a good tv show, a great ballgame or a good movie with a fire crackling in the background. I love to see my children sitting on the hearth, soaking up the scents and sensation of the fire. I love to see the reflection of the flames and the fascination in their eyes. I understand it, for after all these years, the fire still holds a fascination for me.

We have gas logs in our living room, but in the den, in the heart of our house, are the hearth and the heat and the magic of a "real" fireplace.

I see such emotion in fires....the raging and racing flames.....the dwinding of the soon to be extinguished fire, the sleepy seductive shimmery of the last hot logs. If it sounds like romance, in a way, I suppose it is.

I have blogged previously that fall is my favorite time of year. Perhaps the return of the fire in the fireplace is another reason why.