Cold Weather

This is one of the coldest days we have had so far this winter. We have had trouble warming up the house and I am going around swathed in a warm hooded robe and slippers. Usually this house is easy to heat and in fact gets a little too warm when the wood stove is going. We elected to not light up the stove but I guess we will get it going pretty soon if we still feel cold at noon. That's when we usually turn off the electric heaters to save on the electric bill.
We are thankful that we don't live in the midwest, though, where cold weather really means cold. I remember walking home from a neighborhood party late one night and arriving home with both feet frozen. I didn't want to wake up my parents (since I was home later than I should have been) and simply went to bed to let my feet thaw out under the blankets. At that time it was thought that frozen hands and feet should be thawed out by rubbing them with snow. (Bad idea). My method actually was the best way to thaw out, but I couldn't walk for a week and had to miss a week of school. My feet turned black because blood vessels had burst from being frozen. Once I was O.K. again I made sure I took no chances with the snow or cold.
Although cold, it is a lovely day today and the sun is shining in my windows and everything is sparkling outside.