Weather's a Comin' In

On my walk along the trail yesterday, I encountered an old man, who said to me, "Weather's a comin' in." It charmed me in it's simplicity and truth. We've reached the end of the fall, the trees have changed and the colder storms are approaching. Now it the time to consider what we can do to make the chillier months more cozy and comfortable.

As someone who spent the first 10 years of my marriage as a struggling student, married to a struggling contractor, in the coldest spot in the nation (hello, Truckee), I thought I knew a thing or two about staying warm in a cold climate and feeding ourselves well, but cheaply. Today I fell down the rabbit hole of endless websites and have learned so much more.

It started with an article on The Kitchn, about Marissa Miller, a chef who lost her job and needed to feed her family on what she could scrounge up, be it from the discount bins or the food bank. She had the knowledge and the skills to pull it off. She says to concentrate on the most nutritional dense foods and be okay with imperfection.

Reading the comments lead to A Girl Called Jack, a blog by Jack Monroe, a woman living in a draughty house in England. Honestly, the coldest I have ever been was in Wales in April. I had never experienced damp like that. The comments here are a treasure trove of good ideas. The tips on keeping warm taught me so many things:

Bed warmers--old pillowcase, filled with grains (from the bulk section of the grocery). Heat in microwave and slide into the bed about an hour before you get in.

Put a robe or sweat pants at the foot of your bed also, to warm for morning rising.

Spread a wool blanket over your duvet, and tuck it in under the mattress--no drafts!

Thin layers of silk, cotton, or wool-- long johns, vests, neck scarves, fingerless gloves, hats (even indoors).

My personal favorite: Drink a cup of warm blackcurrant juice. (why have I never thought of that?)

My husband, Brad was intrigued when I showed him this video of a way to warm a small space cheaply. We gathered all the supplies and lit up our little heater in his office yesterday. It WORKED! Hallelujah! No more freezing fingers and toes as we take care of business in there.