Another Kind of Winter Warmer
I’ve so loved reading all of the Winter Warmer recipes shared by everyone at AAR. I plan to try out a number of them over the next few months (first up, Melanie’s potato soup). But I find I’m now in the need of a very different type of winter warmer.
A little over a week ago my apartment complex came through and installed a lot of energy saving devices in all of the apartments. As someone who tries to be energy efficient, I was very enthusiastic. I came home one evening to discover a new “low flow” shower head, new pipes (wrapped with some kind of insulated stuff) under the cabinets, energy-efficient light bulbs, and a programmable thermostat. Having only dealt with an old dial thermostat before, this programmable thermostat was a revelation. It came pre-programmed for optimal energy savings, set for cooler when people are assumed to be at work or sleeping.
I always thought I was being energy efficient in the winter, keeping my apartment cool; one night of shivering with the pre-programmed settings on the new thermostat let me know just how wrong I’d been. Clearly the vague settings on my old thermostat (lines where roughly 50f, 55f, 65f, 70f, etc. would be) were horribly inaccurate. Obviously, I had been keeping my apartment much warmer than I believed. (And it should’ve been a hint that I didn’t need anything on my bed other than a quilt at night.)
Turning up the heat at night just doesn’t seem right. I’ve tried various solutions but have finally concluded it’s time to invest in a few new blankets. My old blankets are showing their age, thanks largely to my cat Princess having discovered their storage space in a closet and making them “hers.” I don’t want an electric blanket as that would seem to defeat the point of energy savings. So what kind of blanket to buy? Fleece? Wool? Cotton (surely that can’t be warm enough)? Or something else. And where to buy them?
Way too many years ago I got some wonderful suggestions from AAR readers when I was desperate for new soft sheets. I’m hoping you have some equally great suggestions for blankets. I would love any suggestions you might have both for blanket materials and places to shop. I’m hoping to head to the stores tomorrow. Thanks in advance!
–LinnieGayl
