There’s a learning curve to cold weather living. Now, I need to define cold weather as when you have to turn on the heat. Around these parts that generally happens mid-October. We keep our house chilly not because we unduly enjoy shivering, but for two good reasons: it costs a lot to heat a house and it doesn’t benefit the environment to do so with too much zeal. The cost aspect goes without saying. It costs more to live in the colder seasons. At night our thermostat is set to 62. That’s fine as long as you’re in bed under tons of blankets, but I’m a habitually early riser. Most of my writing is done before work, when the house is at its chilliest. I bundle up with several layers of pajamas, a stocking cap, and fingerless gloves. The part that requires relearning each year is the exercise bit.
Before going out for a pre-work jog, I do some light calisthenics. I can’t really do these in my pajamas, though, because they can raise a sweat, even in winter. Besides, I have to go jogging later, so I need to get my exercise clothes on. Every year I have to remind myself, when do I make the switch? I don’t enjoy stripping off my warm clothes to put on some chilly ones so I tend to put it off until the exercise mat starts to call loudly. As the sun rises later and later, as the solstice approaches, jogging gets later and later (with a slight reprieve when we pointlessly end Daylight Saving Time). There comes a point when I have to start work before my jog. I can never remember when that happens—November? December? It will mean altering my routine, particularly if I have any early meetings.
I used to wonder why, in older films, especially those set in Europe, people were shown sitting around their houses in woolen suits and vests, full-length dresses with shawls. As a homeowner with a low thermostat, I had an epiphany. They did it to keep warm. Europeans often describe American houses as “overheated.” I haven’t had any European guests lately, but I doubt they’d say that about our place. Our daytime temperature is 64. Outdoors, that’s getting to be jacket weather. My European colleagues don’t mind wearing puffy vests and jackets on Zoom meetings. Heating a house in Europe is much more expensive than it is in the colonies. In the dead of winter it’s not unusual for me to be wearing five or six under-layers during the day, and fingerless gloves at work. The thing is, I need to relearn this each year. Winter’s on its way, so I’ll do my best to be a good student with my chilly lesson.