Bring On The Chili Weather

There’s a giant pot of chili on the stove,

There’s a giant pot of chili on the stove,

There’s a giant pot of chili,

And this song is pretty silly,

There’s a giant pot of chili on the stove!

Yes, Modern Philosophers, I was actually just singing that song in the kitchen of The House on the Hill.  It’s never going to be a Top 10 hit, but it definitely is catchy (especially when it’s cold outside and you’re hungry).

The weather has turned here in Maine, as it always does on October 1, when the 182 Days of Terror officially begin.

Just because it’s cold, though, doesn’t mean it’s time to lock myself in the basement bunker and hibernate until April 1.

Over my fifteen or so years in Maine, I’ve learned to adapt to and appreciate the colder weather.  Autumn is actually a pretty fun time of year.  I’m a fan of what I like to call “football weather”, I love Halloween, and the Yankees are generally fighting for another World Series title.

Another awesome thing about the chilly weather outside, is that it becomes chili time in the kitchen.

I’m not a very good cook, but I’ve been told that I make a mean pot of chili.  And what food is better when the leaves turn, the temperature drops, and there are important sporting events to watch?

Like my writing style, my chili recipe is to basically make it up as I go along.  No two pots never turn out the same.

Today’s pot, for example, has ham steak as a key ingredient.  That’s a new one for me.

The Notre Dame game kicks off at 3:30.  First pitch of Game 2 of the Yankees’ opening playoff series is at 5:00.  That means the delicious scent of chili will be wafting through The House on the Hill while I slowly stuff myself with sports until it’s time to eat.

I wish I had the ability to make this blog post scratch and sniff just so you could truly understand how amazing it smells in here.

In other chilly weather news, I’ve kept myself warm by increasing the intensity of my running adventures.  Now that my foot has healed, I’m going for longer runs, and I’ve added a one mile sprint to the agenda.

Each day I sprint, my time gets faster.  Today, I went for my longest run since my foot gave me the okay to hit the road again.  When I compared it to last Saturday’s run, I realized that I’d trimmed over a minute off my mile time.

The chilly weather isn’t so bad when you can light a fire under yourself on the track.

Of course, it also helps to have gorgeous views like the one on the left to warm your heart until spring makes its triumphant return and saves you from winter’s grip.

For the meantime, though, I’m content with the giant pot of chili on my stove, and the thought of another Yankees victory tonight.

I’m a simple guy, so I’ve never understood why life seems so complicated at times…