Freezing Weather!

Today, we returned to work after the Christmas break to find our pipes frozen. We truly didn't think about it when we left on Thursday evening. We need to leave a trickle of water going in the taps over the weekends. This cold weather and this old building don't mix too well.

At home, it's been so cold that I don't want to do much, save wrap up in a quilt and sleep. I have projects to do, chores I could do, and so on, but I just want to sit by the space heater, wrap up in a quilt and sleep! I'm sure part of it is my sinus infection and being sick, and that takes energy, but the rest I'm not so sure...

I can't seem to stay warm after dark in my house. I have 2 space heaters - one in the living room, and one in my bedroom. My furnace is going all the time, and I just changed the filters. I do that every month, anyway, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to do it again. My cats want to be on top of me. When I'm up and about, they want to be next to the heater, but the rest of the time, they want to be on top of me, where it's warm.

It's so cold in my office, that my feet are freezing, even in heavy wool socks and shoes. I don't want to go into the kitchen or bathrooms where there is no carpet, because the cold comes right up with the damp through the concrete foundation and flooring.

In summer, the place stays kind of cool, but I have to screen out the sun. In winter, I don't know what else to do. I want the sun coming in, but after dark, it's like the cold just seeps in from every crevice.

I have triple-layered drapes in my bedroom. One layer is thermal, and they wrap around to the sides (all 3 layers). That room is either the coldest or hottest in the house at night. If the door is open, it's the hottest room - about 5 degrees above the thermostat setting. If the door is closed, it's about 5 degrees below the thermostat setting. Before you ask, yes, the vents are open for the heating ducts - for the bathroom and the bedroom, which are a suite.

Last winter, I noticed that the bedroom was cooler, which I generally like for sleeping, but this freezing weather has made it very unpleasant. I'm currently running the space heater for about 30 minutes before bedtime to warm up the room. I have to wear sleeping socks to bed or my feet freeze during the night. I've added another blanket to the bed, and had to make a fold in the sheets and blankets for my feet so I don't feel confined.

The cats? They sleep in the living room next to the heater or on top of me. They are cold, too, and they have long hair!

It will be nice when the weather warms up a bit. This weekend the weather service is predicting 60 degree days, but you never know.