Wednesday, October 15, 2008 8:07 PM CDT
COLUMN: I can see what the temp is in every room, even during the night
By PENNY WEAVER, Night News Editor
pweaver@jg-tc.com
If you’re on my Christmas list, by golly, this year you’re getting a thermometer and a flashlight.
I just moved. Lock, stock and barrel — there’s another one of those strange sayings that pop up in everyday language — I’ve moved into the city limits of Mattoon. Watch out, baby!
To say, however, that “I” moved is hardly accurate. It took roughly five women, two strapping men, three lanky teenagers, two trucks, one SUV and one trailer to get both me and my junk from one house to another. And that’s just the moving — never mind the “settling in” part.
Buying a house is totally worth that four-letter worse-than-a-curse-word word (“move,” in case I babbled too much and you lost track there). But boy, there is no better way to find out how much junk you have than to move.
I lost count of how many thermometers we found. I definitely have enough for each room in the house, and a couple outside. My family and friends started teasing me about it.
“Here’s another thermometer!” someone called out from the kitchen. In the bathroom, one of the handy temperature-telling gadgets was placed to rest temporarily behind the sink faucet.
I’ve got my reasons — and they’re logical, darn it. In the house where I enjoyed living for several years, warmth was provided by electric baseboard heaters, which can be quite handy in saving energy. After my two dogs died — in 2007 and in April of this year — I saved a lot by keeping most rooms quite cool and only turning up heat in the room I was using at the time.
Naturally, the reverse is true for when it’s hot outside — you can connect the dots. Hey, I’m trying to stay concise here.
But before that, I was concerned about my Pug, Henry, being cool enough in the summer and warm enough in the winter. My Rottweiler, Koeby, was more suited to temperature extremes — although, really, how extreme can it get inside the house? But, being a Pug, Henry couldn’t handle too much heat or too much cold, especially since he was an old guy.
So for those reasons, I had a thermometer in almost every room. OK, now that I think about it ... in every room.
Whew! It took much too long to explain that. Perhaps there is something to the giggles emitted from my “moving crew” each time we found another thermometer.
At least no one was around when I put my magnets back on the fridge Tuesday — including one with ... well, you know. But it’s a St. Louis memento in addition to being a temperature-gauging device, so give me a break.
The other thing I got a lot of flak for was flashlights. Now, in my mind, you simply cannot have too many flashlights. I keep one on my night stand, a spotlight on top of the fridge — hey, it’s handy on the way to the basement — and others scattered around hither and yon.
Sorry; that’s a little wordy, but I just wanted to insert “hither and yon” into today’s column.
Apparently I have more flashlights than the average person, though, judging by the ribbing I’m still getting for the numerous flashlights we unpacked. Humph. See if I let anyone borrow a flashlight Saturday evening during our family wiener roast.
But my family and buddies who helped me move can tease me all they want about whatever they want. They were so awesome in helping out.
What’s that saying? “No man is an island,” or something like that. I’m a pretty independent person. I like to be able to do things on my own. Some would call me stubborn and, well, on some days I’ll admit that I am.
I know my family and friends are happy to lend me a hand, but I stubbornly — um, I mean, independently — want to handle things alone. I enjoy helping others, but it’s tough for me to accept assistance. I guess I just don’t want to inconvenience anyone.
At the same time, I never feel inconvenienced if a friend asks me for a favor. I guess that’s what you’d call a double standard.
But where would any of us be without each other? What would be the point of life without family and friends? It’s wonderful for us to be there for one other when things are good, and it’s party time or celebration time or R&R time, but it’s a true test of our human bond to step up and hold out a hand to a loved one when there’s work to be done.
The whole “moving experience” did, I have to admit, “move me” in other ways. I see how blessed I am to have such a great family and wonderful friends who are there to sweat it up with me just because, apparently, they like me.
I wonder how long I can keep foolin’ them?
Now don’t get me wrong — this doesn’t mean that I like the process of moving any more than I ever have. I’ve vowed now to be like my mom and say, “The next time I move, they’re taking me out feet first.”
But it’s always nice to be reminded to count one’s blessings. The Big Move has gone pretty well. We got everything from Point A to Point B, and I’m starting to get organized again. I was feeling pretty good about it Monday.
Then I realized I forgot one thing at my former home.
That’s right: The thermometer in the fridge. How’d ya know?
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Techno-less wrote on Oct 16, 2008 6:55 AM:
I can also add to the list the flashlight that belongs in my car and the small one that I keep in my purse. I have given flashlights away as gifts, especially after finding a fantastic new one. These gifts usually come with a large package of batteries. I periodically check the status of flashlights in stores to see if something better has appeared. I admit it. I have a flashlight fetish. But I rarely remain in the dark.
George Carlin once said that home is where you keep your stuff...so you can go out and get more stuff. How profound this is. Each person has their own little fetishes which cause them to amass quantities of items that we lovingly refer to as our collections. There are those among us who even build additions to our homes so these collections can have space of their own (after having taken over the rest of the house.)
I have several collections, including the flashlights. I have amassed so much that many of my acquisitions have ended up in permanant storage boxes. I probably don't even remember what they all are. I have enough books to read steadily for the rest of my life. I could decorate four houses for Christmas. I could brew enough tea in tea pots to provide a cup to everyone in town. But I will still pick up a new item simply because I do not have that one yet. Sometimes I did but I forgot that I did.
There have been times when I decided to pare down to a more simple living space, to have less stuff. But just the thought of giving up any of my treasures makes me run for cover. Before any of you begin to scoff, you probably should examine your own home spaces to see what you have latched onto and held. Everyone has something. It is part of what makes a house a home. So I will hang onto mine for a while longer.
Just don't ask me to move! "