Sorry, I don't like waking up in the dark -- like I did yesterday at 6 a.m. Or, waking up to a sunshine-less day, like I did a few minutes ago.
I inadvertently began a lengthy discussion on Facebook last night about whether or not to turn on the heat. It's my column topic for Sunday, and I was amused to see how many people were struggling with the same dilemma -- to turn up the thermostat or wait a few days...weeks...etc.
I'm not crazy about heat or cold. Do you have a preference? I know David Letterman loves keeping his theater so chilly that some people bring sweaters to the tapings. Katharine Hepburn loved the cold, too. She used to start her mornings in Connecticut by going for a swim -- even in December.
Some people keep their homes so warm in the winter that you feel as if you're suffocating. My parents, like a lot of other seniors I know, take blood thinners and they're always colder than the rest of us. I'm always amazed on hot humid days how they can sit around and talk about how cool it is.
"Isn't in time to turn on the air-conditioning?" I'll ask in mid-July, with the sweat dripping down my back.
"Air-conditioning? Are you kidding? With this breeze?"
I'm freezing that the moment. But the heat will go on when I can afford heating oil - that's the issue here. We have fortunately got a home with a layout where we can use two oil-filled space heaters to keep it comfortable on the first floor until the temperature drops consistantly below freezing, so that is what we do. Making the next question a debate over when to start using the heaters. See, you can't win!
Posted by: Evelyn | October 13, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Personally, I hate to be cold or hot, so the AC is going in the summer and the heat in the winter. In both cases only when I'm home. I don't believe in leaving the window ACs on for an empty house and I turn the thermostat down on the heat when I leave each morning. (got to get a programmable thermostat installed).
Now my parents house, that's a different story. My father is ALWAYS hot and mom is ALWAYS cold. So in the summer I could wear sweaters and long johns with a hat and gloves as the central air is set to the hang meat in the living room setting, it might freeze. On the flip side once the heat is turned on, usually one week after the central AC is turned off, I need shorts and tank tops as it is literally in the mid 80s. Really makes you want to turn the oven on to cook a roast or bake Christmas cookies. I'm thinking Christmas ice cream.
Posted by: Amanda | October 13, 2009 at 12:04 PM
i prefer the cool weather because i can always put on a sweater or long johns and still be comfortable. our heat will not go on unless our granddaughter is visiting. when she leaves it goes back off. we can't afford heat. to keep the pipes from freezing, i keep the bathtub tap dripping into a bucket. this water is subsequently used to flush the toilet so nothing is wasted. there is an oil-filled radiator in the bathroom and the fireplace in the living room. my dad used to keep the house set to 80.
what annoys the daylights out of me is that places that folks usually have coats on, for example, this morning at the post office. there was a very long line as usual, and the two window clerks who were working were wearing short sleeves and they had the fan on. what about those of use wearing coats in this sauna? and the post office has the gall to complain about money being tight? turn off the heat!
Posted by: lwt | October 13, 2009 at 12:12 PM
To me, life is too short to live in an uncomfortable house. When it's chilly I put on the heat, when it's hot I put on the a/c.
Posted by: Darleen | October 13, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Bill, I've never written before, even though I read everything you write in The Record. My son got married on Saturday and the party was at the Milleridge Cottage in Jericho. Since we "Jersey" people had to stay somewhere "on the Island," we were at the Hilton Garden Inn in Plainview. When I checked in, another bunch was staying there for the "Ervolino" wedding, and I thought of you & your family immediately. Any relative of yours have a wedding on Oct. 10 ???
Posted by: Suzanne Basilicato | October 13, 2009 at 01:48 PM
This question is out of curiosity...for those who can't afford heat, etc., do you ever think about moving to another state? What keeps you in NJ? Family, friends, things our area offers that another part of the country may not?
My best friend, her husband, their kids and her mom are moving from North Jersey to Florida soon. The main reason is the affordability of NJ. It's very sad that we live in such an expensive state and some people have no other choice but to move, even when they may not fully want to. I know I will miss my friend and her family terribly, although moving out of NJ is something I think about myself.
Posted by: Michelle G. | October 13, 2009 at 08:05 PM
Welcome Suzanne...how interesting that is....we anxiously await the ERvolino connection.... I love the air condition maybe that is why I loved living in SC!
Posted by: TerriP | October 13, 2009 at 09:11 PM
michelle g- i can do without heat when it's chilly. i would not be able to do without a/c in the summer. florida? i realize it's some folk's idea of paradise, but to me it would be a foretaste of hell. i hope not to ever have to go there. as soon as my house sells and i have cash in hand, we are moving to the poconos. it's cooler there in the summer and since i hope to have money left over after buying the house, we might even be able to afford heat.
welcome suzanne
Posted by: lwt | October 14, 2009 at 06:46 AM
lol lwt! maybe that is my preparation for eternal heat that I like SC and NC which I have lived in multiple times!
Posted by: terrip | October 14, 2009 at 07:14 AM
Ditto lwt. I've already told my friend not to expect to see me in July and August unless she comes up to NJ. I would melt! It's not really the heat I mind so much, it's the humidity that I can't stand.
Posted by: Michelle G. | October 14, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I can't stand either real cold or real hot temperatures. I can deal with cool,chilly weather because it is possible to dress warm enough for it; if it's too cold, I can't seem to dress warm enough and feel like a block of ice walking around. lol!
I can deal with some warm temp's but for me that's between 75-80 degrees. (I love the 70's; 60's if cooler weather).
Anything over 80 degrees is too warm for me; forget about anything beyond 85 degrees; for me that is too hot and at that point I am "done". ;)
Posted by: dawniris | October 14, 2009 at 01:45 PM
I can take the heat - I can take it until it's in the 90's. But I can't take the cold at all. Has something to do with medication because my hands are cold all the time. I used to be the penguin of the family, outside when it was 40 degrees with no jacket and a tee shirt. Now I'm looking at the thermostat when it's below 70 and piling on layers, socks and mittens. Yes, mittens...sigh...
Posted by: Evelyn | October 14, 2009 at 06:53 PM
I've said it here before. I love all the seasons in this state and I hope never to have to move from NJ. Sure it's a little cool right now but look at it outside -- it's gorgeous!!
Posted by: karen | October 14, 2009 at 10:13 PM
I can't seem to dress warm enough and feel like a block of ice walking around.
Posted by: bed covers | May 13, 2010 at 05:04 AM