Well, shucks.

I was working late last night when Frankie came into the office.  She asked me where the 'socks' were.

Me:  "Ah-mmm.  I'm guessing in the sock drawer."
Frankie:  "Not my socks, I'm talking about the socks."

I twirl around in my chair and look at her over the top of my broken, taped-up, nerd, computer glasses and give her the look.

Me:  "Could you be more specific?"

I find myself blowing on my hands and frantically rubbing them together.  I guess I'd been working so hard I hadn't realized the office had gotten quite chilly.

Frankie:  "You know, our rice filled socks, I want mine."
Me:  "Frankie, it's only October third, you really need the socks?"  I shiver.
Frankie:  (Arms akimbo, looking disgusted.) "Are you going to make me beg?"

It's a good question.  My mind wanders to how much I can torture her before I remind her where the rice filled socks are.  But, I'm struck at just how cold I am as well, and decide I had better tell her, then make her warm up mine, too. 

Me:  "They're in the morning room cupboard."

Frankie begins to leave the  room.  "Get mine out, too, okay?" I call out as my body convulses in another shiver.

Dang, where did the year go?  Can it really be time to warm up the bed before getting into it?  Didn't we just put our rice socks away?  Man...
it's gonna be a long, long, l-o-n-g autumn and winter. 

I decided I had better go with Frankie because it occurred to me there was a good possibility insects had burrowed through the fabric and chewed on the rice inside the socks, and knowing she does not have the same affection for our six legged friends as I, she might freak out, scream and wake the whole neighborhood.

Besides, if there were creepy, crawling things in the socks I wanted to be there to see the microwave oven blow them to bits.  Great entertainment for a midnight adventure.

To my surprise, they looked good, there were no visible holes, and no indication there were living creatures in the drawer.  Things were looking up.  I leave Frankie in charge of the warming process as I hurriedly shut down the computer, straighten the office and make a dash to the bed room to throw back the covers and jump into my winter nightie.

I find I'm excited about having warm socks to wrap around my piggies as I doze off in slumber and suddenly don't care if it's going to be a long time before I can store the socks away for spring and summer.

Frankie enters the bedroom with an arm load of socks, dumping mine at the foot of my bed and disappears, yawning and muttering "nightie-nite" as she goes. 

I grab one of mine and put it around the back of my neck and around to the front covering my ears at the same time.  Oh, it was a glorious, warm moment.  I strategically place the socks between the sheets for the best effect, brush my teeth and slip under the covers.  O-o-o-o-h my.  Ooooooooh my, Oooooooooooooh, my.

"Well, shucks friends and neighbors" says I, as I burrow  my toes into a sock, "ain't nothin' better than warm rice socks on a chilly October night."  You simply gotta' make some for yourselves.