Cold Days Bring Special Pleasures
I feel sorry for people from warm climates.
I mean that sincerely. They miss out on so many simple pleasures. These pleasures counterbalance the small inconveniences of a cold climate, such as death from hypothermia.
For instance, I recently came up with a brand-new simple pleasure. We have a 2-foot-long baseboard heater in our bathroom, too small to actually heat the room. But the towel rack is right above that heater, and I had long noticed that at least it kept the towels nice and warm. Nothing is better than a nice warm towel after a shower.
Yes, there is something better. About two weeks ago, I was suddenly seized by the inspiration to spread out my bathrobe and hang it upside down over that towel rack.
So now when I get out of the shower, I can wrap myself in the most luxurious warmth imaginable. Maybe people in California or Florida can do the same thing, but it wouldn’t be the same. You cannot get the full pleasure of a warm bathrobe unless the air temperature in your bathroom is under 48 degrees.
In my house, this frisson is matched only by another simple pleasure: standing on the floor. A large part of my house (not the bathroom) has an unusual kind of heating system, called radiant floor heat. Hot water is heated and circulated through pipes that are imbedded right in the concrete slab. This means the floor warms up, which gently heats the entire house. So whenever my toes are on the verge of frostbite, all I have to do is stand on one of three or four particularly toasty spots, and - well, my knees buckle, it feels so good.
So I got to thinking of some other simple pleasures of a cold climate, and I came up with the following:
The cocoon-like sensation of lying in bed under a mountain of down comforter.
A steaming bowl of chili after a bout of sledding.
Spending a Sunday in front of a fireplace, reading a novel while the snow comes filtering down.
A midnight walk (or ski), with the moonlight sparkling off the snow.
Sitting outdoors in a hot tub, stars twinkling on a below-zero night.
Jumping out of the hot tub, making a quick snow angel, and jumping back in.
The pure warmth of winter sunshine, pouring through a southfacing window on a zero-degree day.
The stinging cold of subzero air on the face, followed by the rosy spread of warmth back into the cheeks.
The fuzzy feel of flannel sheets against the skin.
The pleasure of getting into a warm car after having the presence of mind to park it where it caught the winter sun.
The sparkle of snow in the sunlight as it falls from a high branch and drifts through the air.
A hot, hot shower, shortly after enduring the beginning stages of hypothermia.
Wrapping frozen fingers around a cup of hot tea.
The satisfaction of having skied (or jogged or snowshoed) hard enough to work up a big-time sweat even in below-zero weather.
Crawling into bed after having the foresight, 20 minutes earlier, of turning on the electric blanket.
Switching off all the lights and reading by the glow from the fireplace.
Having the time, the inclination and the appetite to bake homemade bread.
The unbelievable blue of a below-zero sky.
Watching the snow drift softly down, and knowing that you don’t have to drive anywhere.
The secure feeling of wrapping yourself in an afghan, knitted by someone you love.
The lazy-man’s satisfaction of knowing that there is no yard work to do, and even if there was, you couldn’t do it anyway.
The pleasure of saying to acquaintances on the west side of the Cascades: “No, actually I prefer to have a real winter, as opposed to that incessant drizzle you get over there.”
And finally, let me nominate the following as the No. 1 all-time simple pleasure: huddling around the fireplace, planning that vacation to Hawaii.
After all, a warm climate has its share of simple pleasures, too.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Jim Kershner The Spokesman-Review