Oh, man. It's so darn cold in my house.

[Colleen]

I like winter. Don't mind cold weather. Enjoy snow. But why can't it just get cold, snow, and then be pleasant outside and allow us to enjoy the lovely Currier and Ives scene set before us? Nope. Not here in the fourth corner! Instead my microclimate gets lashed with unceasing Arctic winds that sweep down through the Canadian plains ~ and right through my drafty house, thankyouverymuch. The wood stove goes through log after log but it can't successfully battle the wind. The only way I can warm up is to stand in a hot shower.

 

The temps might only (?) get down to the 20s or teens, but the gusts of 50 MPH bring the wind chill well below that. It gets too cold to run ~ and too dangerous. If and when the wind stops for a while, it may snow, followed by more wind that blows said snow into large drifts blocking doors and driveways. Bleh. I think I should go to Colorado. Or Bermuda.

 

must soon remove some layers of clothing, unfold from my fetal position, and venture out to sing in a concert. After which I will come home and take another hot shower. And drink a hot toddy. And eat more chocolate Kisses, while sitting three inches in front of the stove. Meh!

[Crissy]

Oh, Colleen. I get even colder just reading about it.

 

In my neighborhood we get no snow to go along with the chilly temperatures. Just cold and wind.

Ick.

 

Sending warm thoughts your way.

[Nicole M]

Wow. I've been cold all day, but after reading that, I feel like it's just plain balmy down here.

 

No arctic winds, but when the temps get down below 36, suddenly it's impossible to keep the house even sorta warm. I live in one of those cracker boxes that was slapped up in 1945 for the returning GIs. ("Thanks for fighting for our country! Here's a drafty 800 square foot box to live in!")

 

Hot toddy. Hmm. I may have to google the recipe.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Girlfriend, you need some woolens, some space heaters, and some more insulation. You are making me cold all the way in TN! Brrrr. We have the cold damp stuff but no snow.

[Michelle in MO]

If they're drafty, 3M used to sell a plastic film that you could put over your windows. I think there was some way to heat seal the edges with a blow dryer. A roommate and I had to do that in college. We lived in an apartment where the windows were so drafty that we woke up one morning during a cold spell (in Minnesota) and we could see our breath in the apartment! That plastic film stuff helped at least to cut down the chill coming through the windows.

 

Sending you some hot cocoa and chicken noodle soup, Colleen! :grouphug:

[fivetails]

Want me to try and make you feel warm? It's -33C (-27F) here right now with a windchill of -40C (-40F)....and it warmed up a bit since this morning when the windchill was -44C (-47F) ......better? :tongue_smilie:

 

(nah, I know cold is all relative - and when it's in the house it's not just chilly but also annoying! ;) )

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Oh yeah. We used that stuff when we lived in upstate NY in an old house with drafty windows and doors. You could see the plastic moving in the wind too. It was cold!

[Nicole M]

You could see the plastic moving in the wind too. It was cold!

 

I remember that stuff! It was very, very distressing to see it waving in the breeze....

[JudoMom]

I like winter. Don't mind cold weather. Enjoy snow. But why can't it just get cold, snow, and then be pleasant outside and allow us to enjoy the lovely Currier and Ives scene set before us? Nope. Not here in the fourth corner! Instead my microclimate gets lashed with unceasing Arctic winds that sweep down through the Canadian plains ~ and right through my drafty house, thankyouverymuch. The wood stove goes through log after log but it can't successfully battle the wind. The only way I can warm up is to stand in a hot shower.

 

The temps might only (?) get down to the 20s or teens, but the gusts of 50 MPH bring the wind chill well below that. It gets too cold to run ~ and too dangerous. If and when the wind stops for a while, it may snow, followed by more wind that blows said snow into large drifts blocking doors and driveways. Bleh. I think I should go to Colorado. Or Bermuda.

 

must soon remove some layers of clothing, unfold from my fetal position, and venture out to sing in a concert. After which I will come home and take another hot shower. And drink a hot toddy. And eat more chocolate Kisses, while sitting three inches in front of the stove. Meh!

 

I'd go with Bermuda right now. We're not supposed to get above freezing until Friday, at which point we'll hit 35.

 

And we had winds come through last week that took down 2 sections of our privacy fence.

[Elohcin]

The wind is so loud outside my house right now that it sounds like a hurricane. We are waiting for a Blizzard to arrive and it is not even supposed to get above 0 tomorrow.

 

I know what you mean about Currier and Ives. If it would just snow and be pretty, I'd love it. But it snows and then blows and then gets really mind-numbing, bone-chilling cold! Thank goodness for hot showers and hot toddies and of course Hershey kisses. I don't have a woodstove, but I'll take a good wood burning fire place anyday. I just wish it was nice enough to be outside enjoying the snow. Rather we are waiting for our Christmas concert to be canceled and sipping hot cocoa. Oh well.

[Nan in Mass]

It is warmer in Mass., but there are days when the wind comes off the lake and blows right through the walls. What helped me enormously was to get some of those quilted construction worker overalls and wear them all day. Covering the bottom half of me makes me much warmer than just bundling the top half and wearing long underware. It also is much more practical because you can still roll up your sleeves to do things like dishes. It leaves your arms free-er to move, too.

HTH

-Nan

[Rose in BC]

We are experiencing the strong arctic outflow winds here and today when I was running it was sunny but windy and cold (-9 C which I think is about 15 F). Truthfully, it's so dark here most of the winter that I'll take the cold for a few days (it's supposed to last a week here) in exchange for some sun. And running on dry pavement beats running through snow/ice or worse slush. (It's supposed to get colder as the week progresses so I don't know if I'll be running at that point.)

 

But I have to say our house is not drafty -- we replaced windows a few years ago and it has made a huge difference. Layer on the sweaters and don't forget your slippers, maybe that'll help. And I always take a hot bath before bed for a final warm up.

 

But I do feel for you because I hate being cold!

[I talk to the trees]

If and when the wind stops for a while, it may snow, followed by more wind that blows said snow into large drifts blocking doors and driveways.

 

!

 

As someone who lives only a couple hundred yards from a Great Lake, let me tell you: I feel your pain. I *really* feel your pain!

 

BTW, how'd that concert go?

 

-Robin

[Garga]

The main part of our house stays at about 64 degrees all winter, but the backroom, where we homeschool, gets colder.

 

I use long underwear under my pants and that's helped. Also, I wear a turtleneck tucked into my pants under everything else. If I don't tuck it in, I get a draft up my back. (but LOVE the above post about wearing construction overalls!)

 

For Christmas, I'm going to get a jaunty hat that can be worn inside--like a pageboy hat or something. It's too cold in the house and I need a hat!

 

I already wear a knit hat to bed, much to dh's chagrin.

[Michelle in MO]

the wind is almost wild now, and we're under a winter storm watch for Sunday through Tuesday. I can handle snow and even sleet, but please, no freezing rain! We had a horrible ice storm two years ago, and it was miserable us and brought devastation across our state!

[Harriet Vane]

It is warmer in Mass., but there are days when the wind comes off the lake and blows right through the walls. What helped me enormously was to get some of those quilted construction worker overalls and wear them all day. Covering the bottom half of me makes me much warmer than just bundling the top half and wearing long underware. It also is much more practical because you can still roll up your sleeves to do things like dishes. It leaves your arms free-er to move, too.

HTH

-Nan

 

Right there with ya. :cheers2:

 

My house is 110yo. The windows are therefore also 110yo, single-pane, and rickety. There is a constant draft. We do put plastic over some of the windows but can never seem to find time or energy to do all of them. They're huge, too, which makes them both VERY drafty, and very overwhelming to cover.

 

I spend my days either wearing men's light water resistant pants OVER my jeans and long underwear, or I wear a quilt knotted around my waist like a sarong. I have toyed with the idea of buying a quilted mechanic's coverall--reading your post makes me think I should follow through.

Edited December 14, 2008 by strider
spelling error

[Liz CA]

 

must soon remove some layers of clothing, unfold from my fetal position, and venture out to sing in a concert. After which I will come home and take another hot shower. And drink a hot toddy. And eat more chocolate Kisses, while sitting three inches in front of the stove. Meh!

 

Girl, you need a Jotul - woodstove that is. They heat the place up so you have to open a window. We are in for some pounding tonight and temps in the teens. My Jotul is going full blast and very soon I will slurp some hot chocolate with just a teensy little bit of Baileys...

[Starr]

My dc wear quilts like shawls or viking cloaks depending on the mood. I'm envisioning all of us with quilted overalls. We would make a darling group photo! :lol:

[dragons in the flower bed]

Oh yeah. We used that stuff when we lived in upstate NY in an old house with drafty windows and doors. You could see the plastic moving in the wind too. It was cold!

 

Oh! That is where I live, old house and all, and guess what I just saw when I went in to the kids' room to put their electric blanket over them?

 

It is cold here. Very, very cold. I want insulation for Hanukkah.

[Lizzie in Ma]

While we have replaced some windows, the huge bow window that is our main light in the only living space may as well just be wide open to the outside!

I closed the thermal curtains last night and left a seltzer in the windowsill. This morning it was colder than the one in the refrigerator!

If only the wind wouldn't howl, the stove could keep up.

:grouphug::grouphug:

[Nan in Mass]

Half my windows are louvered!!! I hated them when we first moved in, but by the end of the first summer, I had changed my mind. I can open the entire window, not just the top or bottom, and leave it open the entire summer (except thunder storms with wind). My husband devised some sort of storms for them, but we really need proper old-fashioned ones that hang on the outside of the house and that requires special hardware and a building project, and... The

[Tammyla]

:grouphug: Stay warm, I am not a fan of being cold especially inside.

 

Weather proofing our imperfect home has helped a lot here, but I need the heat up & on. I thought a newer home wouldn't have so many issues, but our house does.

[Nan in Mass]

Half my windows are louvered!!! I hated them when we first moved in, but by the end of the first summer, I had changed my mind. I can open the entire window, not just the top or bottom, and leave it open the entire summer (except thunder storms with wind). My husband devised some sort of storms for them, but we really need proper old-fashioned ones that hang on the outside of the house and that requires special hardware and a building project, and... The wind comes right through the wall, though, even with the insulation we blew in. It blows a fine grit into the house that bothers our eyes and stuffs up our noses, among other things. It snows down through the holes where the pickwick pine meets the ceiling. I remember going in and finding it all over my son's quilt one morning. He slept in the upper bunk. Later, he stuffed in kleenex. The things we put up with in this house. It isn't even a house, really - more like a flatroofed shack... but I love having the lake right there and it is waterfront that we can afford in an area with astronomical house prices. As the building inspecter said when we bought the house, "Look at it this way - it is in terrible shape, but how much trouble can you be in? You could rebuild the whole thing in a weekend." And we have done some things, like when we reroofed, we rented a blower and blew insulation into the walls. That project didn't go exactly as expected LOL. My bil sawed the hole for the skylight in the wrong place, for one thing. He was on the roof with the sawsall and my husband was in the livingroom and watched the blade come down through the ceiling in the wrong place and start moving along. The worst part was that the sawsall was so noisy that my bil couldn't hear my husband shouting at him to stop. And when we blew the insulation in, we didn't realize there was a hole in the ceiling of one of the only two closets in the house and we filled up the coat closet with shreaded newspaper. We were dusting it off our winter things for years.

 

I find that a silk scarf around my neck helps keep me warm and is pretty comfortable, too, and nothing is better than a wool sweater. It isn't sweaty, it moves with you and isn't bulky, and it is warmer than pile or cotton. I layer them if it is really cold. We have a down puff and a heated mattress pad. I'm waiting to see how our new woodstove does in a nor'easter. On the coldest days, we homeschool in my bed with the quilt in the middle over our legs and the heating pad on. The bedroom is tighter than the rest of the house, if we shut the door. I guess the few bad days balance the good ones homeschooling in front of the fire roasting chestnuts or down on the dock paddling our feet and feeding crumbs to the fish.

 

I'll think about you all when it is cold and dark this winter and feel a bit warmer. : )

-Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Ok - that was strange - my post was doubled and half the first one got eaten.

[KidsHappen]

Do you have snow in the eaves yet? I feel for you hon. Hope things warm up for you soon. :grouphug:

[PinkInTheBlue]

Can I just say I'm SO glad not to live anywhere near where you do?! We've had a couple of days with highs in the upper 50s and I think I'm going to freeze my tail off! I am a complete cold weather wimp and proud of it. Sympathy to you Colleen! I would be miserable.