Spring

Okay, I'm going to admit it but that doesn't mean I'm giving in........

I've been fighting a head cold for several days now.  Today, it seemed to have settled in quite nicely with a scratchy throat, sinus production and fatigue.  But I'm NOT giving in!

I could take the easy route and blame this cold on the woman who showed up for the Kawartha Field Naturalists hike on Saturday.  She looked and sounded awful and she left long before the hike was over.  But no, it's not likely that it was her as I stayed well away from her when we talked.

Nope, it has to do with this time of the year.

Ah, you say, allergies.  You are right, allergies can be a problem at this time of year but that is not what has caused my problem.  Nope.

So what does spring have to do with this head cold that I'm fighting?

All winter long, the wood stove pumps out glorious heat, filling this drafty house with warm air.  I am comfortable wearing a t-shirt; my feet are bare.  As spring arrives, there is less need for the fire to be on all day and the fuss of getting a fire lit from scratch makes me decide that it's time to stop burning wood, to save it for next winter.  So that's what I do but, at this time of year, the house is colder inside than the air is outside.  And I haven't adapted.

I haven't yet learned to dress more warmly.  So I sit here, with my bare toes and arms turning blue.  I have to go outside to get warm.  And that makes me even less likely to light a fire.  After all, isn't it ridiculous to be heating the house when it's so gorgeous outside?

Do all houses go through this coldness in spring?

This house is over 140 years old.  My previous house was 135 years old.  The stone foundations of both help to keep the house cool in summer.  Unfortunately, that same stone foundation keeps the house cold in spring.  Does this happen in younger houses too?  Am I the only idiot who resents heating the house when it's warm outside?

Anyway, today was a perfect day.  It was still cool enough outside that I did light a fire.  And with the stove going, I made a soup and roasted a sweet potato.  I should have baked muffins to freeze for the summer but, alas, this not-cold kept me down.  Instead of baking, I napped.

You see, my wood stove is also a cook stove.  During the winter, I am able to leave a pot of tea on the corner, keeping it warm all day long.  I bake bread in my wood stove and later I toast it for breakfast in that same wood stove.  In winter, all cooking is done on or in the wood stove.  It's incredibly efficient as the wood that is cooking things is also heating the house; no electricity is used for food preparation.

In summer, the only baking I can do.......well, I don't do any because whatever I want to bake would have to be small enough to fit in the toaster oven, the only oven I have.  Cooking takes place on the barbecue or the electric stovetop.  Neither is as efficient or easy as using the wood stove.

And that is another contribution to my current state of health.  I'm not eating properly because it's too cold to want a salad and I resent having to use electricity to prepare my food.  The soup today is going down well - I've just finished my second bowl.  And I'm hoping it's cool enough tomorrow, and I'm am ambitious enough, to light a fire in the stove.

Maybe the muffins will get baked tomorrow.