This is How Cold it Is in Chicago

I wore fleece-lined jeans, my fleece jacket, my husband's fleece jacket, his L.L.Bean down coat (rated to something like 300 below zero), his fleece-lined earflap hat, and lined boots to walk the dog. (See, my daughters, I am an equal-opportunity borrower of my family's clothes. I have this habit of wearing their coats, too.) And I was starting to get cold after about 3/4 of a block.

The downstairs part of the house wouldn't warm up to more than 61 degrees for several hours after the heat went down for the night.

My brilliant idea: jury-rigging coverings over the many windows in my old house. In the living room 13 (it's a sunroom and living room) and dining room (3). No draperies, but instead levelors to let the sun and outside in. Not so helpful when the temperature is below zero several days in a row. I nailed three nails into the molding above the windows in the living room and dining room. Then strung twine from nail to nail. Clothes-pinned quilts and embroidered tablecloths to the lines. Martha Stewart, look out.

Comments

FairyGodKnitter said…
Good idea except that if I put nails in anything, more cold air will come in. I've resorted to wearing four layers and cranking the heat in the inner rooms of the house. I take little warm up breaks every now and then by standing in the dining room by the wall grates. My niece is running a ski lift in this weather and she swears by 5 minutes cold/10 minutes warm. And forget about walking the dogs, there is too much ice. I've got them restricted to 6 times a day that I'll open the back door.
Anonymous said…
Up in the Minnesnowter we buy kits from the hardware store with special plastic to put over your windows! It's brilliant--essentially heavy sheets of plastic wrap that you attach to the windowframes with special tape, and then you use a hairdryer to shrink wrap the plastic against the window. No drafts, no problem.
Janet said…
I think that I did the plastic/blowdryer thing when I lived in an old house in Ohio. Thanks for reminding me - I'll take a look for those, since I'm out of clothespins!
Unknown said…
But I'll bet you give Dad's coats back!

- H
Janet said…
we shall see. . .