Contrary to the opinion of my East Coast and Midwestern friends, California gets cold.
Think about it. Remember the Donner Party?
That was in California.
Even on the coast, it gets cold. Especially in the slightly inland portion of the coastal parts. It's not unusual for us to get down to 26 at night. By anyone's standards, that's below freezing. Literally.
So you can imagine the look on my face with my heater broke last weekend. I walked into my 62 degree house and shivered, then called the landlord.
He had a guy who had to call another guy which meant three men traipsing on my roof while the kids and I huddled around a space heater. Because my house, built fifty years ago, is on a raised foundation where the cold wind blows through vents and chills the floor under our feet to a toe achingly cold 57.
Yes. I hear you, my lovely Midwestern friends with your subzero temperatures, but you also have something we don't own.
Long underwear.
When you're accustomed to a heat filled house and can race to and from your car in the cold without too much frostbite, you don't tend to buy things like parkas and boots and long underwear. Your slippers tend to be on the cute rather than cozy side. You own light weight cardigans and sweaters rather than heavy cable knit.
In other words, we're just not prepared to be without heat.
For five days we donned sweatshirts, socks and slippers. We cuddled in one bed under down comforters and heavy blankets. We froze our kaboodles off.
And then, blissful, wonderful heat was restored.
But I learned something.
We don't technically need to keep the house at a toasty 70 during the day and a comfortable 68 at night. On the first night with heat, I lowered the thermostat to 66 and smugly patted myself on the back for being so stoic.
Almost New Englander stoic.
And while I type this, I'm sitting in a sweater and slippers while the thermostat rests at a comfortable 68. Though I may have to turn it up a bit. I just ate ice cream and am getting a chill.
2 comments:
Is this where I tell you that part of the reason you slept so well in my house was because the room was cold? Warm blankets and a cold room. It's actually science. The no heat thing, though, for your poor unprepared self, is rough. I may have to send you some silks. Best long undies ever.
I've often felt that Californians never really knew the wonder of sleeping in a chilly room under warm blankets -- it's the very reason I love fall like I do (mind you, my "chilly" is what you're describing as "cold")
Glad everything is back to working.
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