How many of you remember waking up in the early morning and it is cold. We are talking Bone Chilling cold.
There was not any heat in the bedroom. The only heat in the house came from the kitchen, and then only if you were not the first one up. There were responsibilities that came with being the first person to get out of bed on a cold day. The kitchen needed to be heated up, and the coffee needed to be made.
So, here we are. The covers are pulled up to the nose. The nose and everything above feel really, really cold. If I pull the covers over my head, my breath with warm me up. That lasts only for a short time before I run out of breathable air. So the debate begins.
Sleeping with socks on has a lot of benefits. Feet stay a little warmer during the night, and that first touch of foot on the cold floor doesn’t paralyze your leg. But, what about the rest of you. Pajamas are not nearly enough to keep you warm. (pajamas-really? Nope-we are talking long john weather here). So, here we go in fast order-
covers off-grab pants and shirt -put them on fast-grab the boots and head for the kitchen.
Our kitchens had warmth that no other room in any house ever had. I think it is because we all huddled in the kitchen. And, at the single point in time, we all had the same focus-getting warm.
Waking up in a cold house with a warm kitchen was the anchor point of a stable, protective home. It was home. We actually lived in there.
I miss the opportunity to share those cold mornings in a warm kitchen. Looking back, it was then just another day in life. Yep, we complained and complained a lot, and now look at us, remembering.
short stories 