Some of the coldest weather we’ve had in years is moving in for a short visit here in Maine. The hot tea will be flowing.

I was shivering one morning this week and was gently reminded of my childhood growing up in a small rural village in upstate New York. My father was an auto parts salesman and clerk until he was let go right before Christmas one year. My mother was a housewife. So, our limited funds on my father’s salary, became even more limited.

That winter, we had to save money and reduce the use of our heat throughout the house. We shut off heat to the 2nd floor, which meant my two sisters and I would be sleeping downstairs with our parents. We only had one-bedroom downstairs, so the use of two couches and a temporary mattress that would be hoisted up and moved out of the way each morning were our winter “bedrooms”.

At one point, we may have even just turned the heat down completely, I cannot remember. I just know we had a LOT of electric heaters in every room. During one extreme cold snap, I remember sleeping on a cot in the kitchen. We removed the oven door, turned that on and slept around the open oven in the kitchen. We used the oven like a fireplace or another electric heater huddling around it to eat breakfast. Dressing in layers and wearing mittens too bed was a thing.

The only shower and bathtub was UPSTAIRS, however. We’d run up into the freezing 2nd floor, and turn on an electric heater in the small bathroom, tightly closing the door, an hour before taking a shower or bath. I do remember at one point lugging jugs of boiling hot water upstairs to bath in. I can’t remember if the hot water was turned off, or it was just to supplement what little hot water we DID have. Yeah…that was fun.

My parents did the best they could during that time. My sisters and I had a roof over our heads, albeit a leaky one, food on the table, and clothes on our backs. And we had humor…lots of humor.

So, as we’re faced with bitterly cold temperatures and wind chills this weekend, I will remember how difficult those times were and remember those who aren’t as fortunate to have decent heating systems, wood-burning stoves, money to afford heat. I’m thinking of the homeless man I gave some cash to a few weeks ago. I hope he’s able to find a warm shelter to stay safe this weekend.

It sounds like the perfect weather to stay in the flannels and snuggle in with some Lapsang Souchong tea this weekend!

STAY WARM AND SAFE EVERYONE!