By Rosie Preston
My small family recently sat down to discuss how we would heat our house. I think we finally settled the matter, in more ways than one. We have a central heat/air unit, but I feel like the temperature gets too cool before it turns back on. I grew up with the toasty feel of a gas furnace. My family bought gas heaters because they were not connected to the power box.
I’ll never forget my daddy always saying that everyone on Noccalula Road (or the other hilly roads) people must travel in the snow. Since we are not accustomed to snow. I often find it funny that everyone in the South needs a backup gas heater. Todays’ inside gas heaters are safe, to a degree. We’ve tried to teach out grandchildren not to touch the fire. Thankfully, so far, they are listening.
People need a generator during a snow or ice storm. Most of the units have three plugs where you can choose to plug up your freezer, your TV and just about anything else you may need to protect during this frosty weather. Black ice on the roads is so hard to see, which I found out a couple of years ago! The answer to that problem was to wear my chug-a-lug boots, which were a gift when I went to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1999.
All of the above may sound a little lame, or you can join all the people continuing to go to work despite no being ready for the weather. The children who attended my sister’s daycare did not have any problems, except for their little faces! After the children had been at the daycare for a few hours, my sister decided it was time to take them out to play! I thought, oh no, we have to put all that extra clothing back on them! I must assume that it was a humorous sight, because all we could see was the children’s eyes after they put on their snow hats.
This recent temperature change effected the Deep South. We’ve needed the first responders to keep going when we cannot. I’m very thankful for all they do! I’ve found instances of police and sheriff deputies carrying many first responders to their jobs.
Every winter, I think I will be better prepared. We all need to have extra blanket in our cars, along with flashlights that blink in case we get stranded in cold weather.
The other day, my doctor told me that because of the different parts that bring snow, we in the South do not prepare. However, I personally added two gas heater in our home in case the power goes out. The 2010 snowstorm stranded us in our home for three days!
It’s hard to convince people that we live in a neighborhood that is surrounded by shade and that we have underground springs that continue to remain iced over until the real sunshine arrives to relieve us.
Right now, I’m cold as I sit in my den and write. I’m using gas heat, then my roommate will come along and without thinking about my toes being frozen, lower the temperature since the cold doesn’t bother him. Towards the end of the day, he went to Lowes and bought one of those lock box controls to cover our thermostat. I may have to start wearing a blanket around me while he cuts firewood for an outside bar b que. I thought that was something a family does during the warm temperatures. I lost the battle about keeping the thermostat on, but everyone should be comfortable before dinner is served. Towards the end of the day, I’m sure that we’ll have adjusted before our house will be comfortable to or all of us.
Keep Smiling, Rosie
Contact Rosie Preston at rosie.preston@yahoo.com.