Mid Winter Blues

The propane company came out Friday and filled up my tank. When I take my tank for the grill down to have it refilled it only costs me about 8 to 10 bucks. The money I will pay for the bill for Friday's delivery would fund a small 3rd world country for a month or two.

We took measures several years ago to try and help our propane pain by using our computerized thermostat to regulate the heat in the house. At bedtime the thermostat goes down to somewhere between freezing and sub zero. We sleep in socks, long underwear and sweatshirt and pants. I wear a stocking cap on my head on really cold nights which is a real turn-on for Debbie. I do get some cuddling when I first go to bed because I have spent the previous 5 minutes with the hair blower down my shirt to get a head start in warming the bed.

I am not saying it is too cold in the house at night. But I stayed up later than normal the other night and when I went into Maverick's room to kiss him goodnight my lips stuck to his forehead.

We had a couple days this week that was really cold. And the air was dry. Maverick was skating around the carpet and giving the cat, Debbie and me static electricity shocks. All those Christmas toys and he finds his joy in this.

Experts tell us we should wash our hands often and long in the winter to keep the cold and flu from being spread. We have to let the hot water run for 5 minutes before it gets to our bathrooms. We could have filled 4 Olympic sized pools by now. We spend more on water in the winter than we do in the summer.

And what about one's fingers? My fingers are cracking around the fingernails and the tips may fall off by February. Typing this blog is actually bringing tears to my eyes (I am talking about the pain to the fingers). Debbie said, "You ought to try reading it. That will make you weep."

But is there a way to keep one's fingers and hands healthy in cold weather? I have tried udder cream, corn husker gel, Vaseline, and Emu oil. Jergen's lotions has a flavor for everything: aging skin, extra dry skin, revitalization, and regular. They all seem the same to me. Debbie and I walk around the house like surgeons who have just scrubbed for an operation. Our hands so greased up we have to call Maverick to open doors and cabinets. We flip coins to see who has to do any chores which involve getting your hands wet. We were wondering if can you have underwear dry cleaned? We are going to start eating on paper goods and using plastic ware soon so we will not have to rinse and wash dishes. There will be no cooking except for grilling outside. I am thinking someone should produce plastic gloves filled with hand lotion. You just slip your hands into them and wear them all winter.

Sixty-some-odd-days to spring and comfort. It won't get here soon enough.