Heat bills high but temps still low
- Laura Moore: Housebroken
- December 20, 2019
- 867
Our poor house is cold — really cold — and the furnace is working, just not enough.
Our power bills are so high. We have been advised that keeping our thermostat at 68 F will keep our bills within paying range. But our house is cold, we are cold and our poor dogs are cold. Having lived in warmer climes, we find Ohio winters painful.
To avoid frozen feet, we wear fur-lined shoes. Heavy throws are available to wrap ourselves in when sitting down. Wearing multi-layered clothing is a must, and we are still inside our house. Going outside requires a heavy jacket, gloves or mittens and a snug hat. We have friends that enjoy winter. They never complain about being chilled. Several friends enjoy snow skiing and love being outside when the temperature is below freezing.
When growing up, we kids could not wait to get outside to build snowmen, have snowball fights and make snow angels. We must have gotten cold being outside for so long, but we didn’t seem to mind the discomfort.
One of our dogs has a winter coat she wears when outside potty breaks are necessary. Even with her coat on, she still shivers. Every winter her potty breaks get shorter and shorter.
Our house likes winter even less than we do. She creaks and groans with every cold breeze that blows, and when it snows, she actually shivers.
She has expressed her desire for a fireplace, preferably a gas fireplace that doesn’t require hauling in wood. We had one of those in another house, and it was a beautiful thing. My Taller Half would throw a switch every winter morning, and that fireplace would host a roaring fire that filled our living room with warm comfort. It was grand.
Adding a fireplace to our new place would be difficult at best. It’s a wonderful idea but not one that is possible.
So we will pull on another sweater, add another pair of socks and wrap a throw around our shoulders. Our dogs will curl up in their beds, and we will do our best to stay warm. While we huddle under our covers, let’s pray real hard for an early spring.