Hi readers. Thanks for coming by for a read.
I think our ancestors would most likely consider us a passle of sissies. These old houses have seen a lot of extended periods when the outside temps didn’t get up to freezing. Bound to have. And in those days they were relying on steam radiators, fireplaces, and lots of blankets.
Well heck. I think yesterday it got into the 20s F for the first time in over a week. And if it’s going to get into the teens today there’s no sign of it. The ‘central heat’ here, combined with my electric radiator heater are just about able to keep the indoor temp up to 61 degrees F. That’s not the level of warmth I find inspires me to take a badly needed shower, to I tried using the Coleman 30,000 BTU tank-top heater to get things nearer a welcome taste of clean.
Nothing doing! The carbon monoxide detector kicked in before it got up to 65 degrees F.
This wouldn’t have been a problem for my granddad living in his tarpaper shack out in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. He’d have been just trying to keep the 2.5 gallon galvanized bucket he kept by the door for drinking water and to dipper into a washbasin from freezing solid. If he could manage that a bath could wait until spring.
But Walter E. Hudson my old granddaddy, didn’t much like bathing anyway. “Do it too often and you’ll wash off all that protection.” I’m guessing the people who lived in this house probably subscribed to the same doctrine.
But I have it on good authority we’re looking at some serious global warming, coming soon. So I’ll plan on a shower then. And try to keep an adequate supply of clean underwear.
Thanks for the visit.
Old Jules
So Far From Heaven 
Yep….. back in them days we walked through 6 feet of snow, uphill for 25 miles both ways, just to get to the lake so we could cut 300 pound blocks of ice to drag back to the adobe….. so’s we could break it up into small ice chunks which we’d smear all over our naked bodies so’s we could bathe…….and we loved it……..damn a bunch of today’s sissified snowflakes and their %$#@##$ pussified climate control……..#MAGA.
We were in the middle of a seven year drought [back then they pronounced it ‘drouth’]. So those 300 pound blocks were just really cold sandstone. Had the advantage of not melting so’s they could be recycled. Old Jules
Cold here in Ohio too. Right now it is 15* with temperature falling to near 0* tonight. This old house I rent has more cracks for the cold to seep through than our old corn crib had. I’m watching for that global warming to hit about anytime now.
I don’t know why those old timey folks didn’t build better houses is what I figure. Old Jules
cold here in northern alberta too. like 40 below zero a few days ago.
seems every time the sun comes out the chemtrails try to hide it.
40 below is cold enough for most usual purposes. I’ve never seen 40 below except in Korea. Walked guard in 30-40 below a number of times….. the wolf-hair on my parka became a cactus of icicles out in front of my face because I had the frame pulled in with only my eyes exposed. Nothing to compare to taking a leak outside at -40.
I complained about the minus 20 F last week in Nebraska, to my friend on the phone in Nova Scotia. He just laughed and laughed. His thermometer read minus 30…Celsius.
No dadgummed respect when it comes to one-upsmansip. Gracias. Old Jules
My heat pump is valiantly trying to warm the house to 68. It just keeps running and running ’cause heat pumps are worthless when temperatures are in the 30’s or below and, right now, it’s about 18 outside with snow on the ground here in GA. Not complaining….I’ll just put on more layers.
At least we’re getting enough cold to keep the insects from over-wintering, I reckons. Gracias, Old Jules
“Baby It’s Cold Outside” brings back memories of T-99 Nelson and Sweet Moma Cotton doing a live duet at the old Rhythm Room in Houston. I didn’t record it, but her’s a link to a T-99 posting I did some time ago — https://kenneturner.com/2016/04/02/jimmy-t99-nelson-at-houstons-rhythm-room/
That’s some good blues. About a million years ago I used to go to some dive bar down near Texas Southern and listen to Lightnin’ Hopkins. Different world. But when I think of Baby, It’s Cold Outside the Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark 78 always insists on itself. https://youtu.be/4XTDzgKdHAY