With the gas fireplace now officially kaput (and with queries sent to the manufacturer and the propane company), I’m huddled in an alcove between two space heaters, drinking hot coffee and eating warm comfort food.
It’s funny. Fifty-nine degrees feels perfectly decent outdoors. And considering how humans have lived for most of their history (and how some, like Joel, still live), 59 indoors is a relative luxury. Heck, electricity is a luxury. Nevertheless, I’m exercising my prerogative of feeling like a Dickens character. In the snow. Barefoot. Tubercular. Selling matches. (Or was that Hans Christian Andersen? I forget.)
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Another thing the Little Match Girl didn’t have was a DVD player. And I admit its among my very favorite escapes from the cold. And from myself when the hermitting bit gets too intense.
I’d like to tell you that I watch nothing but Swedish art films and the occasional Akira Kurosawa epic from Criterion, but the truth is that my latest warmer-upper is considerably more lowbrow. In fact, it’s so lowbrow that my long-time movie-reviewing comrade (and BHM webmaster) Oliver Del Signore twitted me for stooping to — gasp! — mainstream TV.
Netflix has got me hooked on the ABC series Once Upon a Time.
In my next set of emailed reviews, I plan to make the argument to Oliver that anything with so much Jane Espenson can’t really be mainstream no matter where it airs (Espenson: Firefly: “Shindig”). But mainstream or no, I’m halfway through season 2 (and the show is now in its fourth season, so please don’t post any spoilers!) and I’m totally sucked into it, fairytales, evil queens, true love, and all. (Snow White and Red Riding Hood’s Granny can really kick ass, too. And they’re not the only ones who can.)
It’s no Firefly. Not even close. But this series about a bunch of fairytale characters diabolically “magicked” into a modern U.S. town and deprived of their memories just keeps coming up with something new and entertainingly twisty.
Besides, it’s got Robert Carlyle. He’s a great actor playing a great role here and he’s been a guilty pleasure for me since The Full Monty.
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Hey, I think it’s getting above 60 now, at least in this spot. Guess it’s time to quit whining and go be productive.
One last note: Please don’t forget to use my Amazon links for all your holiday shopping. Amazon is having Cyber Monday sales all week long. And I’m sure they’ll be up to something or another good clear through Christmas Eve.
My Amazon sales have been down for the last several months. I wasn’t about to complain, given that the summer-fall roof raiser was enormous beyond anything Amazon will ever be. But normally, action would be picking up in November. Instead, only a couple of big, last-minute purchases (thank you!) rescued Nov from being the weakest month of the year.
So if you’re keeping buying to a minimum this season (and who could blame you? I am, too) relax, enjoy, be virtuous. OTOH, if you’re buying from Amazon, you know where to begin your shopping expedition. Right here.
DeLonghi EW7707CM Safeheat 1500W ComforTemp Portable Oil-Filled Radiator
http://tinyurl.com/otm9ey3
Get one or two of these, if you can. I heat my whole house with four of them, only using the wood stove when it gets near zero, usually. The oil filled radiators are safe, clean and very efficient. I have one in the office, the main room, my bedroom (most of the basement) and a very small one in the bathroom with the orchids. My average electric bill is below $50. Lower in summer, and a little higher in winter. I keep the rooms I’m actually using at about 60, but none get below 55. It has taken me a while to learn how to regulate them, and they don’t heat FAST, but they do heat well, so I just need to anticipate when I’ll be using a room and turn on/up the heater before hand. Never thought I’d be happy without central heat, but it is far more efficient use of electricity this way.
Buy only those with the on/off key type switches, rather than the dial type. The only one of these heaters I ever had go bad was one of the latter… the dial thing is plastic, of course, and it broke. Still use the heater… just have a pair of pliers nearby to turn the metal stem the knob used to be on.
I’m going to have to let my Visa card cool off for a little while… heh heh But I’ll be back. LOL
And I think you’ll find that space heaters now, are not the equal of space heaters a few years ago.
We had our furnace go out and need replacing earlier this year. To help make it through the few days until the installers came I picked up what looked like my Dad’s old milkhouse heater. Ha! Not remotely as good.
“hecho in China”, of course.
Mama — I have two of those DeLonghis (or maybe one is a Pelonis, but same thing). I pick up space heaters whenever I see good ones at garage sales. They’re great for small rooms — bedrooms, offices, etc. Not so good when you’re trying to heat (I just counted) 650 square feet of contiguous, connected living space. Five rooms with no doors, just archways. And did I mention the insulation is iffy?
Last winter, I closed three of the “rooms” off with plastic to limit the heated space. That worked — though the closed-off rooms then got damp and moldy. I’ll do it again if I have to.
This morning I had the two oil-filled heaters, my Amish electric fireplace (still makes me laugh), and two small but powerful little Pelonis ceramic heaters going and was still pretty cold. But definitely it’s not that bad. lee.n.field is right that space heaters have improved a lot. They’re still not for big open spaces, though.
Fortunately I have large south-facing windows and after about noon, the sun helps a LOT. Today (unlike yesterday) that pretty sun is actually producing some warmth.
How to survive in a cold house? Think like a hunter sitting in a cold tree stand all day, or an ice fisherman sitting on the ice. And dress like they do. Layers, thermal underwear, heavy socks, boots, a hat, even gloves in the house. I have found an electric blanket helps too, as it puts the heat right at your body so you don’t have to turn the space heaters up so much.
I agree with the recommendation for the oil-filled heaters. I think they are much safer than the ones with fans or visible heating elements – with pets I have to think safety, what if they knock it over?
Central heating is overrated, and, IMO, a relic of a more prosperous recent past for all of us. With energy costs rising, heating only the spaces you are using makes more sense.
Wuss. 🙂
Remember the trailer, and keep on keeping on.
I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t subscribe to Netflix. On Turkey day, watched many episodes of Breaking Bad — quite enjoyable. And I hear all the time from friends about Game of Thrones, Dexter, etc. The last thing I need is yet another luminous screen to sit in front of.
Temperature is funny thing. In November, 50F seems pretty nice. T-shirt weather even, for brief periods, as long as the sun’s out. In August, it’d feel a mite cool.
Good luck with that fireplace.
I added “Once Upon a Time” to my Netflix list thinking my 7 year-old would like it, since it’s all Disney princesses and stuff. I forgot that in her world, if it’s not animated, it doesn’t exist. So, after a few months I kinda, sorta accidentally sat and watched the first episode and got hooked. I love it- and it took me a season or more worth of shows to realize Emma was on “House“, another guilty pleasure. Plus, I enjoy some of the funny little things they sneak in (“Ashley”/”Cinderella”, and how the characters are “related” and connected. Fun show.
Stay warmish.
Thanks for the warmish wishes, Kent.
And yeah … all that little stuff they sneak in. I love that. Things like the “crocodile” who took Hook’s hand and Red Riding Hood actually being the you-know-what. (Sorry, people who haven’t seen the show, but it’s fun watching to find the many clever twists and references they come up with.) And Dr. Hopper being Jiminy Cricket. I think my favorite sneaky reference so far is the characters associated with Alice in Wonderland having names lifted from The Jefferson Airplane (who, for the youngsters in the crowd, created the song “White Rabbit”).
The name of the character who is actually Frankenstein is so good only a deep movie buff or a serious detective would likely make the connection. I enjoy it that you actually have to work for some of these things.
And yeah, the way that everybody’s turning out to be connected to everybody else … and the way even the darkest villains have poignant backstories and true loves …
jed — I hear ya on the temptations. FWIW, I tried Breaking Bad and Six Feet Under and couldn’t even get through the first episodes. Game of Thrones … I got through two and thought it was just too nasty for words despite really liking Peter Dinklage.
The only other one that could get me hooked is The Walking Dead. I’ve watched four episodes, but I’m not sure I’m ready for a zombie marathon.
You can really waste a lot of time with these things!
Too bad you didn’t like Game of Thrones. I thought it was quite good.(remember, it’s not porn, it’s HBO) ; )
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/its-not-porn-its-hbo_n_3901852.html
Although, Peter Dinklage’s character had a great speech at his “trial” that is, In My Not So Humble Opinion, NOT TO BE MISSED! Very much a big GUILTY PLEASURE watching him Snark Out! Hoooo, Boy!
On another note, too bad I’ve already done my Christmas shopping, but I may get a couple of small orders for myself before Christmas. Although the gift I may give myself this year is likely to come through E-bay.
The little electric lap blankets that Costco sells for $22 are a great way to stay warm when you are sedentary and are much more affordable than heating the whole interior space.
R — Hm. Thanks. Didn’t know there were such things as heated lap blankets (gads, the market is a wonderful thing). I’ve got an electric mattress pad I’ve been using for the same purpose.
Fortunately, the weather is slowly starting to warm again and that’ll help, too.
Insulation helps… lots and lots! My basement room (bedroom, sewing room and gun table all in one) is about 500 sq ft. It does not heat quickly with the oil radiator thing, but it does heat the whole room. The trick is to keep the heater on low, even when you are not present, so all of the “things” in the room stay warm. The thermal mass of things, as well as the walls, absorbs lots of heat at first, making the process of warming the room lengthy if it gets really cold. Rooms with high ceilings really benefit from a ceiling fan, else all the heat is at the top of the room at first.
I have an electric mattress pad on my bed, but can’t stand to sleep with it on. I leave it on low during the day, and then climb into a nice bed at night. I don’t feel any actual warmth, but the sheets are not cold either. My feet are very sensitive to both hot and cold, so it works for me.
As for the electric lap blanket, I’d have a hard time with that. I get up and down so much that I wouldn’t want my warmth tethered to an electric outlet. LOL I have good “sweat suits” and plenty of sweaters and fleece pullovers to layer. Wool blend socks and sheepskin boot slippers do a pretty good job keeping me warm even with the room temp. so low. I actually worry about my orchids and some of the other tropical house plants much more.
I really hate to bring this up, but, what if the power goes out?
The Rule of Threes doesn’t help if the 2nd and 3rd alternatives aren’t sufficient. And if you’re still shivering, they aren’t. Might be a good idea to keep an eye out for a used woodstove, in case this happens again?
In the mean time, do you have any smartwool socks? It’s amazing how much warmer your whole body feels when your feet are warm.
Another option, since you mentioned south-facing windows: http://www.instructables.com/id/Foil-Solar-Panels-for-Windows-VERY-Easy/
Ellendra — I’m covered if the power goes out. Two portable propane heaters with enough little propane bottles to get through close to two weeks. 🙂 Also — fortunately — most power outages around here are caused by Pineapple Express storms that bring rain and high winds but unusually warm temperatures. We had a whopper in 2007 (equivalent to a category 3 hurricane). It took the power down for four days and I think I burned all of 3 little propane bottles. ‘Course I was in a smaller, much better insulated place then. But if it happened now, I’d get out those plastic sheets and live in one small room for the duration.
Dunno about smartwool (will have to go look that up) but yes, wool socks are my friends.
Solar panels in the Pacific NWet? Dunno about that, but come to think of it I do have some nice south-sloping roof surface. Thanks for the link!
Ohhh, I see. The panels hang inside the windows. Clever. I’d hate to block out the sun, but if they actually reached the kind of temps their developer claims …
“The trick is to keep the heater on low, even when you are not present, so all of the “things” in the room stay warm.”
Yes, I’ve noticed that all the space heaters are decent at keeping the room (or the objects in the room, depending on the type of heater, of course) warm. They’re just lousy at getting the room warm. So I’ve started keeping more of them on at night than I’d like. The electric bill won’t be happy, but the mornings won’t be cold for so long.
Ack! That’s that show my wife uses to chase me outta the living room!
Ellendra, I think those panels are snake oil. They cannot possibly do better than simply letting the light in the windows.
There are other kinds that use wall space, those make some sense. See this:
http://rimstar.org/renewnrg/window_covering_solar_air_heater_furnace.htm
But you have to be very good at sealing leaks.
However the very best return for dollars spent is almost always insulation. No point in collecting more sun if you can’t keep the heat in.
Claire, I’m guessing you have an unheated attic with insulation just above the ceiling. This is one of the best possible setups, but the level of insulation in older homes is usually inadequate. Fortunately it is very cheap and easy to just buy some cellulose insulation and blow it into the attic to make a nice thick layer. Be sure there are no air leaks into the attic too, around light fixtures and similar. You don’t want a wet attic.
The internal fires do not burn as hot in old people, that’s why they often end up moving south. I think cold feet is one of the worst things because your whole body ends up feeling cold. Hunters used to wear battery-powered socks, that sounds like a solution for you, Claire. Here are a couple examples:
http://www.amazon.com/Terramar-Battery-Sock-1-Pack-Large/dp/B00BJ5GD42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417714765&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+powered+socks
http://www.amazon.com/Cozy-Products-CF-Battery-Powered-Reusable/dp/B0009HMFPC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417714765&sr=8-2&keywords=battery+powered+socks
I suggest NOT using that plastic sheeting, because it will rot your house. Also, mold is not good for people. We had some sheeting up for fixing a room and I was amazed at how much water ran off those windows – right into the walls below. It even pooled on the floor. Now I know why I had to repair the siding in that area. Keep those rooms cooler, but not so cool the condensation becomes a problem.
This kind of kit does help pretty well I think:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-E-O-Indoor-Window-Insulation-Kit-3-Pack-V73-3QPD/100135637