*Winter Survival Questions**

[pitc9]

This was the reading on my thermometer this morning on my way into work:
ZERO!!
All of the schools in North East Ohio are closed again today!

[Freedom]

Thought of another thing we do here in the cold. We have winter curtains and summer curtains. I grew up with this. The winter curtains are heavy drapes. My mom even made one pair of fiber glass lined drapes for the living room. Summer curtains are sheers, lacy, and stay at the sides of the windows. Winter curtains get drawn across to help keep the heat in. I remember spending a week or more visiting aunts, neighbors and friends helping with the change over.

I don't know if many folks do this now. The new vinyl replacement windows help a LOT in keeping the heat inside. And as compared to my mum's generation, more women work outside the home now. I don't even HAVE curtains! Just valances, same ones year round. I say it's because the cats would just climb and shred curtains. (well, they WOULD!)

These cold days, we only put the shades up in the kitchen and livingroom. the bedrooms and bath, the shades stay drawn all day as well as all night.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I came up with a better idea. Since I'm starting to feel bad for all of you and feeling really guilty myself for almost living the "Life of Riley"(in comparison)........why don't all of you come on down to Florida and get thawed out?

Winter and summer curtains? I've heard it all now. Who knew???

Stay warm everyone!!! It's chilly here this morning but certainly nowhere near the dreaded "zero"(or worse ).

[BC_MoM]

It's -33C right now, and "feels like" -43C.

[Maresche]

I love the idea of summer/winter curtains. We replaced all the windows in our house a few years ago but with settling some of them already don't close tight. They wouldn't be expensive to buy/put together and every little bit helps when it comes to saving energy.

Our house also has a zoning system where we can keep different rooms at different temps. For example, our bedroom is kept at 64 degrees while Mimi's room never falls below 68, our basement rarely gets heat or AC because we spend so little time down there. This alone has saved us a boatload over the past 3 years.

[areias]

It is, once again, 55 here. Cold, I'll tell you. It was too cold to go outside this morning..LOL.

[Blue_Frog]

Ahh... but the best part about the sub-zero temperatures? Staying inside beside the fire wrapped up in a big fluffy puffy comforter, with a hot chocolate and baileys and a pile of dogs, watching the fluffy snow fall and cover the trees.

(until you have to get up in the morning and shovel all the no-longer-fluffy-now-super-dense snow off the drive to get to work)

[cyber-sibes]

Thought of another thing we do here in the cold. We have winter curtains and summer curtains. I grew up with this.

Holy cow, Sandra! I forgot all about changing the curtains! I grew up with that too! Maybe it's an east-coast thing? (Mom was from MA)

[areias]

It's now a balmy 65-70 degrees, and I was sweating while out riding my horse. It's supposed to be 75 tomorrow and through the weekend.

[cassiesmom]

It's now a balmy 65-70 degrees, and I was sweating while out riding my horse. It's supposed to be 75 tomorrow and through the weekend.

I think I'll head down to Tampa and see if areias needs help mucking out.

[dogzr#1]

It was a 'chilly' 75 degrees today with party cloudy skies. Wonderful weather for a light sweater and a great day to be outside! I want it to be cold though! Like... having a high of 45 degrees with rain or something. We've had a couple days like that during this past winter, but too few IMO. I wouldn't say that I WANT to switch weather with some of you guys...but maybe you can sprinkle some of that 'coldness' over Texas!

[GreyhoundGirl]

It was a 'chilly' 75 degrees today with party cloudy skies. Wonderful weather for a light sweater and a great day to be outside! I want it to be cold though! Like... having a high of 45 degrees with rain or something. We've had a couple days like that during this past winter, but too few IMO. I wouldn't say that I WANT to switch weather with some of you guys...but maybe you can sprinkle some of that 'coldness' over Texas!

Well, if you are coming shopping in quebec with moi you'll get your share of "coldness" My friend who lives where I bought my belt said it was -39 yesterday, plus the windchill. Yikes! Here today it was a "chily" -32.

[cassiesmom]

Holy cow, Sandra! I forgot all about changing the curtains! I grew up with that too! Maybe it's an east-coast thing? (Mom was from MA)

I too forgot about taking down the summer curtains and hanging the winter ones! They were heavier than the summer curtains to keep the cold out. My grandmother lived in Minnesota when she was little so it might be an East Cost and Minnesota thing that moved to Chicago. I was just thinking this morning I should have heavier curtains on my windows.

[Lizzie]

Thought of another thing we do here in the cold. We have winter curtains and summer curtains. I grew up with this. The winter curtains are heavy drapes. My mom even made one pair of fiber glass lined drapes for the living room. Summer curtains are sheers, lacy, and stay at the sides of the windows. Winter curtains get drawn across to help keep the heat in. I remember spending a week or more visiting aunts, neighbors and friends helping with the change over.

I do this also since I still have the aluminium framed windows the builder put in. I've caulked all around a few times, but I still need to keep them covered all winter. I don't even open my drapes at all during winter except for the windows that face south-east when we have some sunshine. I only heat two rooms in my house so keeping the windows tightly sealed is super important.

I grew up in homes that only had a fire in the kitchen and living room. The bedrooms, bathroom and hallways were unheated and bloody freezing. Funnily enough, I moved from that environment to Greece for a few years and became depressed by the constant warmth. Imagine not appreciating being able to wear only a skimpy cotton dress and flip-flops in December! I need seasonal change.