Five Degrees.

I’ve done it. I’ve realized a personal dream. Twinkies are going. (Thanks to Norma for the heads up). It seems that the company is going bankrupt, and if it is true, and the next few months go the way that they should, I will have done something that many other people may find incredible and stunning.
I will have raised three humans who have never eaten a Twinkie.
The Rhinebeck sweater proceeds apace.
rbback
Those of you who appreciated the obsessive ribbing will also enjoy that the cables on the right cable to the right, those on the left cable to the left, and the one in the middle just moves in and out. Nothing like a little symmetry.
I am starting to have some serious concerns about finishing. I’ve decided to completely neglect housework to make more time…(that should give me another 15 minutes a day). I brought up the winter clothes from the basement, so now everybody has more they could wear, thus prolonging the amount of time I can go without visiting my friend “Mr. Washie”. The only real barrier to finishing this sweater is now my real job. I’ll work on that.
In other news, it’s cold in my house. Really cold. It’s been getting down into the single digits here at night ( that’s Celsius people…don’t freak out. It was 5 degrees here last night, that’s like…about 40F) and the house gets really nippy. The temperatures are coming up during the day, but not for long enough to make it ever really comfortable in the house. (To add insult to injury, there has been a period of time during the day when it is warmer outside than inside.) My hands are so cold that I am actually typing slower. I’m thinking about baking bread to warm the kitchen. We’re letting our bathwater stand in the tub until it’s cold so that the room is passively heated. The poor little children went and found their flannel jammies last night, and I’m wearing layers. In the house.
“Why Stephanie”, you ask… “why don’t you turn on the heat?”. I have several answers.
1. Heat is expensive. I am saving money. Put on a sweater.
2. I am a knitter. This period before I turn on the heat mark the weeks when my art is most appreciated. These are the weeks that I look like a genius for making everybody thick wool socks. They are all wearing slippers. They are thinking about full-time hat use. Shawls and throws are over laps and around shoulders. Turning on the heat ends these days of glory. Central heat is my natural enemy.
3. I am Canadian. There is an unspoken and holy contest among Canadians. This time of year Canadians are gripped in a desperate war against nature. As intrinsically peace loving people, this is really the only serious war we wage. Canadians obsessively watch the weather channel and check the thermostat. We say things like “How cold is your house?” . “Did you turn your furnace on yet?”, ” Last year I made it until Hallowe’en.”. The longer you can go…the colder the house gets, the less heat you use….the more noble the fight.
As the winter approaches, you can’t even give up all at once. I heard a mother in the school yard say “I put the furnace on…but only for an hour. I just took the edge off, you know, for the kids. Bob and I can take it.”
Nobody wants to be first.
I’m not turning it on until somebody has to break the ice in the toilet. Put on a sweater.
sky
PS. The Toronto sky…for Sandy, who is planning beautiful mittens…and wants to see your sky too.

70 thoughts on “Five Degrees.

  1. Toronto Sky – what a gorgeous colorway! And I just finished a Twinkie colored blanket. Yum.

  2. The Toronto sky looks deceptively sunny and innocent, doesn’t it? But Steph’s right,it’s fricking cold. My always shaded house, build before the invention of insulation is so cold I almost caved and turned on the furnace yesterday.
    Then instead, I took the dog and my 2nd Very Harlot poncho to the park. I sat in the sun, wearing poncho #1 and fringeing #2 on my lap. That helped thaw my bones.
    Drinking lots of tea usually helps too, adds few more furnace-less days onto October. It’s the sitting still at the computer that kills me – I miss my old one that actually gave off a considerable amount of heat.

  3. My 3 children too, escaped the Twinkie experience. Hurrah, there is hope for the next generation. Of course there is still a lot of crap out there for them, too.

  4. Hahaha! This is the funniest post yet! “Concerns” about finishing the Rhinebeck sweater on time. Haha! You’ve got a whole week to go, what’s the panic? I cannot stand how beautiful it is. Hey, and it’s not blue.

  5. When I saw the weather yesterday morning that the temperature was dipping into the 40s last night, I decided it was time to turn off the air conditioning.
    I kid you not.

  6. “The longer you can go…the colder the house gets, the less heat you use….the more noble the fight.”
    Does this mean in the case of a tie, y’all compare who has the most digits/functioning digits?

  7. As a fellow Canadian, i can attest to the War On Central Heating. I am ashamed to say that I turned mine on last night–but only LATE last night–when my tongue started sticking to my fork during a midnight snack. I turned it off after 15 minutes though. I swear.

  8. Precision, please, precision (I thought The Harlot was suck a stickler?) You will have raised three children to whom YOU have never fed a Twinkie. Sodium pentathol for three will be required before we have established that they have never =eaten= a Twinkie. (Mom got me as far as junior high. Turns out I don’t like them, even though they were forbidden. A more damning criticism would be hard to find.)

  9. I have that competition with myself every year. It has not been 40 here yet but we are close and my toes get cold. Yes, it is a good time to be a knitter and show that you ‘can take it’. Maybe I should move to Canada.

  10. For the treat, perhaps we could visit the cashmere booth. Unless, of course, you don’t LIKE cashmere…..
    (subliminal message — turn on the damn heat when no one is looking in order to knit faster)

  11. I’ll easily admit I am a “furnace wimp”. Here in Michigan we actually had our first frost the other night, and I hate nothing more than to be cold. It has got to be at least 85 degress before I will even put on a pair of shorts. Yet this is still my favorite time of year, and perhaps, like you said, it is partly due to the appreciation of all warm things knitted. And yahoo about the Twinkies (yuck). When I heard people were actually eating them deep-fried I was convinced it was a sign of the apocalypse. Never have I brought one of those sponges with filling into my home, and my (young)children will now hopefully grow up thinking a Twinkie is just an urban legend.
    And oh boy how I envy your skill-the sweater is beyond gorgeous-the detail and symmetry kick some serious ass.

  12. The heat thing cracks me up. I am a wimpy Illinois person. Even worse, I’m a wimpy Coloradoan from the front range, where it never really gets all that cold for any length of time.
    So, when our thermostat went on the fritz last weekend, and the house temp dipped to 66, you would have thought the end of the world was coming, with the way I carried on. I had to put on sweatpants. And a sweatshirt. And socks. I don’t wear socks in the house!
    Luckily, Mr. Nice Repairman came, and now the house is a nice 72 degrees, the way it should be.

  13. ha! i do the same thing here in seattle. the heat doesn’t go on until after Thanksgiving..err, my Thanksgiving. so, Nov 26 i will turn the heat on…to 55F. my mom started it and i think it’s a good tradition; from Nov 26 until March 1, there’s heat. everyone complains, but i just toss them a blanket/sweater/hat.
    and the sweater looks good. you have, what, 7 days left? 6? pppplleennttyyy of time.

  14. I didn’t want to shatter Stephanie’s illusion that there will BE no more Twinkies, but Roggey’s gone and done it (I tried to leave you a comment, Roggey, to tell you to stop shattering Stephanie’s dreams, but couldn’t get through your comment firewall, as it were). The thing about bankruptcy in the U.S. is it’s all a big fakerooni, Steph. Bankruptcy? Means you just don’t have to PAY anybody. You can still keep collecting, and you sure as shit can keep on making your crappy, artery-clogging “necessities” to clog the grocery-store shelves and people’s shopping carts! Argh, don’t get me started. Oops, you already did.

  15. Hey, I must have Canadian blood in my veins!! “Put on a sweater” is a refrain my children HATE…but hear a lot, along with “put some clothes on if you’re cold” since they tend to wanna wear next to nothing and leave doors/windows open…argh.
    😉

  16. Ah, see? You truly are a woman after my own heart. My Libra-ness makes it imperative that things have symmetry. I am, however, trying to grow as a person, so my current project will (gasp!) have assymmetrical stripes.
    Central heating? Bah! I grew up in a cabin with no electricity nor running water. Wood heat was the only way to go. Now I indulge in turning up the heater the moment I notice the chills. I toughed it out through my entire childhood.

  17. I think everyone from cold climates does that – I’m from Michigan, and I don’t turn my heat on until I absolutely have to. I live in southern Ohio now, so my goal is to not turn on the furnace until Thanksgiving, maybe later, since it doesn’t get “that cold” down in these parts. (Living in a 3rd floor apartment really helps with this.)

  18. I haven’t had the heat on yet, I wear sweaters and shawls (my Harlot original – ha!) and put on lap blankets and I am only slowly edging up towards considering maybe someday soon putting on socks again (which clothing item I have not worn since May).
    I. Am. Canadian.

  19. Heating is for wimps. Besides, today and tomorrow are supposed to be really nice (about 15 – 21C) so that’s warm. I’d just have to shut the heat off again if I’d turned it on. I have finally closed my windows though. As much as I love waking up to a cold nose but toasty body on the covers, going to bed freezing is not so enjoyable. And I changed my fans the other day too from summer blowing-on-your-head to winter circulate-and-send-down-the-warm-air. It can get a little nippy in here but that’s what handknit socks, sweaters, and slippers are for. And that’s why afghans were invented.
    But yes, when it comes to ice in the toilet, I, too, will turn on my heat. Or maybe when this baby arrives. I suppose a little warmth for him might be the kind and loving-parent thing to do.

  20. I can proudly say that I have never given my kids twinkies, either. Or HoHo’s or Ring Dings …
    They even lecture my mother when she tries to feed them unhealthy, nonorganic things. heh heh
    But (I’m admitting shamefacedly here) I tried the deep fried twinkie at Maryland Sheep & Wool this year. Okay, 6 of us split one, so we each had one bite. It’s actually better than regular twinkies. Though that’s not saying MUCH.
    And, this past weekend, I tried deep fried dill pickle spears. Yep, that’s right. Truly a Southern Delicacy! 😀
    Can’t wait to see the sweater at Rhinebeck! For I *know* I shall!
    Jen

  21. “My hands are so cold that I am actually typing slower.”
    Hah! That’s what knitting fingerless gloves and wristwarmers are for! Typing with gloves on just doesn’t work as well but oh oh fingerless gloves and wristwarmers! So perfect for indoor typing! I live in a “turn on the heater for a ‘cheap’ vacation or company” house. Of course, I’m Californian, we’re cold wimps. You can justifiably laugh at my definition of cold being less than 65 degrees F. Then mock me more for having TWO midweight down comforters on my bed. Go ahead. I hear you laughing. I’d need thrum wrist warmers.
    Not being much of a sweets person and knowing the preserved food is scarier than Joan River’s face lifts combined with Goldie Hawn collagen lip injections, I don’t think I have ever had a twinkie. I might have but I honestly don’t recall. Never had a moon pie. Perhaps the people pushing for naturalized citizens to be amended into the constitution (USA constitution) so they may run for Presidency should set the bar at 20 years of citizenship and a minimum of 25 Twinkies, 20 Ho-Ho’s, 250 Big Mac’s, and 15 Entenmann’s products (the little doughnut people) eaten within that duration.

  22. We here in Maine have the same heating war (and, no, we are not part of Canada–although a shocking number of Americans believe this). One friend believes it to be a holdover from our Puritan founders. Thou must sufferest.
    Sadly, I came home last night to a warm house and am hence disqualified. My husband is from southern Florida. He doesn’t get it at all.
    Harumph.
    The Rhinebeck sweater is loverly. And much closer to being done than the little number I’ve been working on for months.

  23. They may have eaten Twinkies at the rink/mall/school, but they probably did *not* like them.
    Go to Crappy Tire and get a little space heater to warm your late-night knitting aura, just big enough to envelope you and the chair you sit on. (Desperate times, you know…)

  24. Hi! I used to live in New Brunswick and I remember as a teenager going through one winter without ever putting the heat on in my room. Now I live in Paris (France, not Ontario) and my “bellow” neighbours already have put their’s on. Now I’m frying like bacon and eggs. Lovely start of Rhinebeck!

  25. I am Canadian. However, what were we thinking inhabiting so far north?? I also have am inordinately hard time keeping warm. I fully appreciate all the reasons to hold out on turning on the furnace – but I have to at night -I absolutley cannot sleep if I’m cold. And you can’t wear woolens to bed. But we’ve never done Twinkies in this house – so are we redeemed??

  26. I tried to slowly lower the temps in my house without my family going into an uproar, but finally installed a computerized thermostat so it is what I say it is. But even in the winter Vancouver (WA not BC) doesn’t get really cold anyway.
    I will admit to having a heated mattress pad though. Came in handy when we would deliver papers at 2am and could climb back into a warm bed.

  27. Usually I am a total wuss when it gets cold but this year I find I don’t mind it too much. I didn’t close the screened bedroom window until the other night. And in the 20s tomorrow? Good thing I haven’t packed away the shorts.
    Lovely sweater.

  28. WHAT??? Twinkies aren’t good for you?
    Next thing you know, you’ ll be saying that chocolate isn’t one of the 4 main food groups…
    And living in Boston area, we also have a competition to see who will be the last to turn on their heat….
    I closed all my windows last night, but haven’t yet cranked the furnace…getting close to that time though…

  29. I did put another quilt on the bed last night, but the heat is not yet “on” in Ottawa.
    I have never fed my kid a Twinky, but I must admit he is not a Jos. Louis virgin. After all, he is Canadian! Long live Vachon!

  30. I am a southern girl. I have water-skied off of horses tails because it was “mean” to make them go faster than a walk on land in August. I lived in the snow-belt of NY state for a while, where it was below 0 when I left for work (at 4am) for 5 months straight. I am now back in the south where we know from heat.
    It dropped to below 40 degrees Farenheit where we are last night.
    So I turned off the air conditioning this morning.
    Ha.

  31. But Lene’s FINNISH-Canadian, no? Her Red Cross blood donor card reads “antifreeze.”

  32. I like Twinkies. But then I also like Peeps.
    Deep-fried Twinkies on a stick are a bit much, though.
    I was going to second the suggestion to wear fingerless gloves, when I realized: you have those lovely thrummed mittens now! Put your hands in them long enough to get too warm, then take off and resume knitting. Repeat as necessary.
    Oh, and hot drinks are good too. 😉
    Signed, the woman who hates cold but is so cheap with the heating that she once managed to drive out an even chillier roommate by wearing hats and hiding out in her room with a small space heater rather than pay to have the main heaters turned on.

  33. Good news-I think Twinkies last forever, so any extras they made will be around till they get eaten-they don’t decay. Although whether or not they qualify as “food”….maybe you can burn them to stay warm? THERE’s an idea!

  34. Yep, same heating situation here in Wyoming. I’ve been gearing up for another season of ‘follow the husband’ as he sneaks around, turning up the thermostat, and I sneak around behind him, turning it back down, until I get caught and threatened with d-i-v-o-r-c-e…..It started getting colder here in August LOL, which is great for knitting. Nothing quite like the distinct possiblity of freezing to death to get your knitting in gear…..

  35. The sweater is gorgeous, love the symmetry.
    We have a system here – first morning it is under 50F the heater goes on. Stems from our first winter together, when it was 47 degrees in the house and you could see your breath. No way could I make it to the ice-in-the-toilet stage. My piano tuner said I was his only client whose piano went SHARP! Still, I try to make it to Nov. 1st, and keep the thermostat set at 65 degrees. Not hardy Canadians, my family.

  36. Heat:
    I am a minnesotan, and lived in very old very drafty, badly insulated houses for most of my childhood. Water froze in my room at night in most of dec.jan.feb.
    I kid you not.
    I hate heat, and my perfect house would be in the low 60’s, but now the upstairs roomates control the thermostats and they crave heat and often my apt(with more radiators) is in the 80’s during winter, so last week, when it dipped to freezing at night and the heat came on, I opened the windows, and probably will do this until spring.
    Fingertip free gloves are perfect for knitting and smoking and writing. A down conforter is perfect for sleeping

  37. Wow, it’s not hard to believe how many people read your blog, it’s so entertaining! I love your wit. The whole heating war thing is hilarious…

  38. I am in total agreement with your #2. I get cozy just thinking about it.
    You never told us how your daughters reacted to us blog fans suggesting they wash their own clothes. They probably hate us now.

  39. I’m of Canadian heritage, so this must explain my daredevil tactics in heating. I like to wait until the cold is unbearable, then make an event of turning on the heat. I love the sound and smell of the radiators going on for the first time. Such anticipation. Will they work? Explode? Leak? Oooh, I can’t wait!

  40. Here I’ve been thinking that you’re such a great mother & I find out that your children have been Twinkie-deprived all their lives? Yeah, they’re pretty lousy, but still, how can they have never even tasted one?
    I don’t think I’d survive your northern climes. Here in the tundras of north Florida, our daytime temps have been in the mid to upper 80sF, with night time temps in the 60s. Brr. I expect we’ll be firing up the heat sometime in January. But the A/C’s still cranking full time, for now.

  41. Good grief, Steph. I live (eight blocks) SOUTH of you and I’ve already turned on the heat. My general rule of thumb is that when my nose is colder than the cat’s it’s time to turn on the heat. But then again, I wear wool socks in summer so I’m probably not a good judge of temperature.

  42. I feel like this is some sort of Heat-aholics anonymous meeting. I, too, avoid turning on the heat b/c of expense and the fact that I live in an 80-year-old pre-insulation drafty house in the metro Halifax area (read – cold and damp climate). This year I swore I wouldn’t give in until after the Thanksgiving weekend.
    HOWEVER, that being said, my husband has been on tour with his band since the end of September, so there is no one in my house to snuggle with to keep warm (come on, how do you think we maintain population here? – it’s not because we’re sexy in our big puffy winter jackets and scarves tied up to our eyes; it’s the need for warmth – we have entire groups of people we call Blizzard Babies)… So, last week I turned on the heat. The furnace raised the temperature in the house three whole degrees to a balmy 65 farenheit.
    My step-mother hates this. She loves heat. My father now heats his house with a natural gas stove. It was so hot there last Christmas, my husband and I slept with the window open – in New Brunswick – it was well below zero at that point. I swear, it was so hot and dry in there that I watched my skin dry up and white flecks fall off before my very eyes!

  43. Never eaten a twinkie?! Well, perhaps, in the long run, it is best, as they are so utterly addictive (especially the deep-fried ones that can be purchased at the state fairs).

  44. LMAO – you so remind me of my sister. Her house was so cold last year, her liquid Tide FROZE!!!!!
    Me like Florida, me like hot – me like heating. Me also wearing sandals when Germans have started wearing scarves and find that I can’t explain myself. Even when it was rainy and chilly, I was saying “but it’s still August!” Canadian genes? Maybe.
    It’s probably why I keep walking around after the Irishman turning the heat off…
    Sweater looks gorge!!

  45. I’ve never eaten a Twinkie. Guess I better have one soon, or not.
    I turned the heat on yesterday for a bit because I was so cold I couldn’t read. I wore the wool socks, the new Clapotis, the sweater and I was still cold. I’m a wimp, a poor Canadian, but I was warmer.

  46. fyi, i’m 22 and have never eaten a single twinky. of course, hostess cupcakes are another story…
    what’s behind your rhinebeck sweater? it’s quite pretty.

  47. When we were building our first house, in New Hampshire, a skunk moved in for awhile before we did. When the furnace was installed, it sprayed it. For the first winter there, every time the blower kicked on, you knew how mad that skunk had been that we didn’t let him stay where it was nice and warm.

  48. Don’t worry about not feeding your girls twinkies. I’m sure I’ve eaten enough in my life to cover all three of them, and probably you, too!
    As for the heat thing… I whine about it being cold when it dips below 60F. Hardy northern stock I most certainly am *not*. 🙂

  49. Dear Harlot – I just wanted to thank you for all of the lessons on Being Canadian. See, the Budgie and I are working on moving, and now feel far more prepared. Imagine how horrified we would be were we to turn on the heat too early once we are in B.C.? I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit we did turn it on just last weekend – but alas we are still in the U.S. and We Did Not Know. Your blog, and the lessons therein, may be our only hope for blending in successfully. We are Eternally Grateful.
    Many thanks,
    gaile

  50. The water may not have frozen in our toilets, but it sure was frozen this morning in the outside tub that the cows drink from! I laughed my ass off watching the calf try to get a drink and not figure out the whole ice thing! HA And yes, there was heat here this morning. The glory of having a wood furnace. And a husband that is an early riser to start the fires burning! Only last week I sat dressed in sweats, wool socks, a sweater and my Very Harlot Poncho knitting. Desperate times call for desperate measures. So much for the plan of not burning any of the wood until Halloween.

  51. My kids (21 and 19) have never eaten a Twinkie in my presence either. What they do at college (Twinkies included) at least I cannot see.
    The worst thing about a Twinkie, selon moi, is the way the sugar is still granular in the “filling”.
    It bears as much resemblance to baked goods as does Dairy Queen poutine gravy to proper poutine.
    Feh.
    October in Bucks County Pa. is the nicest time of year: gold and yellow and green, warm in the afternoon, cold in the evening, so you can have the windows open and still snuggle, and LOW HUMIDITY. For much of the rest of the year, it’s like Kuala Lampur. And, yes, I do know it’s not called that any more.
    So, Steph and Lene, erm, did we ever see Monsieur Benoit on CBC the other Sunday?

  52. Steph, this entry cracks me up. My XDH used to complain all “winter” about my Bad Canadian Blood (I’m half Canadian). But if it was 40F down here I would definitely have my heat on. I would have it set at 60F. My mother, the Canadian, loves the cold and never wears anything more than a windbreaker for a coat. In fact her nickname is HotMamaBabe!
    We dont have much in the way of winter down here on the Texas Gulf Coast.

  53. The “heat wars” are a fond game of sorts for poor graduate students in Pittsburgh too… I’m much more of a wimp though, my rule is that if it gets below 60 (about 15C) in the house the heat goes on! If the cats are curled up like armadillos and have their tails over their noses, it’s a sign I can stop torturing myself.
    As for Twinkies… I grew up the daughter of a dentist. I didn’t taste my first Twinkie until high school–phooey! Today I kid myself that my home-baked brownies, cookies, carrot cake, etc. etc. are much healthier. Heck, I use organic butter and free-range eggs–they have to be! (Don’t delude me.)
    Great luck with the rest of the sweater!

  54. Hmmm… I’ve never seen a Twinkie let alone eaten one. Do we have such a thing down here on the East Coast? BTW I’m older than your kids in fact I’m very slightly older than you.
    I still have my windows open here; I closed them briefly on Sunday during the rain. It went down to 1.9�C last night, was a wee bit nippy. My house has electric heat so never gets toasty warm. The ocean is just beyond the trees so we get the Atlantic wind & damp sea air as well as the cold. Cotton flannel sheets, wool blankets piled 3 deep and a down comforter will get me through the winter. I never turn the heat on up stairs only on the bottom two floors.

  55. Hey, I’m Canadian too, and from Ottawa, no less, so I do know my cold. But I have to say I have no problem with turning on the furnace when the temp. in the house drops below about 18C. My feeling has always been that Canadians, like most northern peoples, know how to dress for outside cold, and can survive the harsh outdoors, but also understand the benefits of indoor heating! The igloos of the Inuit, for instance, were/are often warm enough that everyone strips almost naked when inside, and only suits up in the wonderful outfits for going outside. It’s middling countries, like England, that don’t know how to heat a house properly, so are always cold. I’m toasty warm outside when I’m properly dressed and moving around, but I turn into a block of ice when I sit still and don’t move, no matter how many blankets and sweaters I have on. Our furnace was on yesterday and I’m not ashamed to admit it! (But I turn it down overnight — that’s when it needs to be cool, so you can snuggle under the comforter).
    Sorry for the long comment — apparently I have Views on this subject!

  56. I laughed out loud when I read your blog entry about your “cold house”. As coincidence would have it, I wrote something very similar on my blog about 10 minutes before I read yours. Yes, in our household it’s a personal challenge every year to see how long we can “hold out” before we turn on the furnace….

  57. Heh. They tried fobbing Twinkies off on us Aussies for a while. Their Evil Plan failed cos everyone who tried one thought they were disgusting and refused to have another (much like the retsina that a guest gave us that tasted like paint stripper – we had that for three or more years. It brightened the brass sink hole up no end when we poured it out…). The Yanks also tried to get us to eat Hershey’s. I’ve never seen “chocolate” sit on a table in the middle of 20 uni students for a whole day and then get thrown out cos noone wanted to eat it. Truly impressive!
    As for the heat? If I am cold, I put it on. Cold means about 12 degrees or less, which is a proper Melbourne winter. Dunno about this snow on the ground and hard freezes stuff – doesn’t happen here.

  58. I think Roggey and Norma are right…filing bankruptcy is just a way to keep making money while not having to fulfil your obligations to your workers, despite their collective agreement. I’m happy to say I’ve never had a Twinkie either, or a Big Mac.
    And here in the balmy southernmost tip of Canada, I turned my furnace on yesterday. Shameful, I know, but living in the hot south has made me soft.

  59. Rams – Danish, actually, which is a way more temperate climate than Finland (or Toronto) – we have two winters: a white one (temps rarely less than -10C) and a green one (Danish ‘summer’ is consider real warm when it hits 25C, usually it’s in the hig teens/early twenties). However, I did spend the first 20 years of my life sleeping with the windows open, during both the green and white cold season. So basically, I’m fine as long as it doesn’t get above 25 or below -15. 😉

  60. Thank you, my dear, for a glimpse of your Toronto sky. It is fascinating me that every one posting sky pictures has blue. Yes, I KNOW that sky is universally blue. But not one cloudy, rainy day outthere!
    Does this bode well for us Rhinebeck treckers? Time will tell.
    🙂
    Thanks for playing……

  61. When we moved to the house (Vancouver) we tried to get by without a furnace, just gas fireplaces. Come December we gave up.
    Li

  62. I grew up in Minnesota and I recommend turnning on the heat before you have ice in the toilet. why? Because if your pipes freeze you’ll have a flood–and cleaning up after the flood will really really really cut into your knitting time–forget wearing your latest cabled obsession to Rhinebeck.
    PS. I hate to throw cold water (no pun intended)over your child raising accomplishments, but don’t you think you might just have raised 3 humans who have never eaten a twinkie (did you know “twinkie” was once derogatory gay slang for a blond gay man?)in your presence?
    Love the blog, dear
    Valerie

  63. Lynne – about the disgusting-ness of Twinkies? Whereas I agree with you wholeheartedly, I feel compelled to add this one thing: Vegemite.

  64. I like Twinkies. But I come from the land of the mighty Tastykake, which elevates the level of commercially produced baked goods to an art. A nice Butterscotch Krimpet puts the Twinkie to shame.

  65. I can honestly say that I have never eaten a Twinkie, Ho-Ho, Ding Dong, or anything of the sort. I just do it now so I can say I’ve never touched any of that stuff, sort of like I’ve never seen Titanic, Forrest Gump or ET.

  66. Lovely balancing act on the sweater…
    …I think I can trump the twinklessness in terms of childraising. My 13 year old son asked, the other day, “What’s a food court?” – of course, living 90 minutes away from the nearest mall makes it easier to raise them right…

  67. I love your BLOG, have often read it but have never before made comment.
    First of all, Rhinebeck is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The color is lovely, the cables are fabulous, and it’s great that it’s “real” knitting, and not done on broomstick sized needles.
    Second, I’m 53 and am having a perpetual personal summer, so my dear husband and I are wrestling over the thermostat here in NW Ohio. Perhaps I should make him write out the check for the heating bill!
    Third, like one of your other readers, I was raised on the ambrosia of packaged Philadelphia snacks – TASTYCAKES. They are primo!!!! Not only have I never, in 53 years, consumed a Twinkie, but if I find out that any of my 4 children have, I might faint dead away. Along the same vein, none of us has ever seen that sickeningly sweet Twinkie of a movie, “Sound of Music”, either.
    Knit on,
    Bonnie

  68. I also am Canadian, from Northern Ontario. Not only have I been through Winnipeg’s coldest December on record (in boarding school, it was -40 to -50 for a long time, in fact, the fire alarm went off during my physics exam, and we all had to herd outside with no coats. In our kilts and kneesocks. With a windchill factor of 2400 – that’s “exposed skin freezes in less than one minute”, and yes I can vouch for the fact that it does) but I have stood on the corner of Portage and Main when it was -40! Woohoo! Gotta love the fact that Canadians have school closed due to cold – not snow, cold – and can also have the main highway (ie the TransCanada) closed for a day due to a beaver dam flooding it out…

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