My husband worked hard Saturday to make sure our new woodstove was installed and running by Saturday evening. Saturday night, with the stove burning merrily, we had one of the coziest evenings yet in the yurt. We lounged in the warmth, reading late into the night, feeling no need to burrow under covers as we had the past few days.

There is such a sense of comfort in the smell of woodsmoke - our home is now full of the scent, and that, mingling with incense and apples give a lovely, autumnal aroma to all of life. I've been making an apple-oat crumble on the woodstove, letting it cook slowly so that the apples are fragrant and the pie-dough dumplings are infused with the taste of apples and cinnamon. The stove itself is lovely, perfectly fitted to our little house, and full of character. I'm looking forward to a winter of soups, stews, and sauces simmering all day on the woodstove, and the continual supply of fresh, hot tea.

I think, too, that with our little stove, and the abundance of wood all around, this will be our warmest, coziest winter yet!