Again!

The condo I live in is made of tissue paper. The furnace is going on almost constantly, trying to keep the space at a barely warm 69. The floor is like ice, both the fake wood planks and tile in the bathroom.  Getting out of the shower invokes memories of my childhood, living in an old drafty house with no heat other than an old potbelly stove in the kitchen.  Waking up wearing my school clothes since it was too cold to change in the freezing room. Then, urinating on myself since the toilet had a sheet of ice in it,  I had to hover above it or my cheeks would freeze on the real porcelain seat, and there would be splashback from the ice. At least the toilet hasn’t frozen here. Yet

So here I am again.  How did I end up reliving my childhood and be in the same type of apartment as in Spain? Wearing a coat inside again?  Never getting warm? Whose f*** idea was this anyway?

Taking a shower every day? Well, between the heating-induced dehydration and skin like someone vacuum-packed me, leaving me wrinkled and sunken from lack of moisture, taking a shower gets skipped every other day. Before and after is followed by ample Amazon deliveries of body oil, coconut oil, and Vaseline to slather on myself to combat the flaking dry skin turning me into an alligator.

12 cups of water a day isn’t helping either.

You would think that since I’m on the 2^nd floor, the heat might stay in my unit longer, thanks to the heat being on upstairs and downstairs. Nope, paper walls…

Like Spain

The air whistles through every window, door, and baseboard. I have an electric blanket that follows me from the couch to the bed and back. Thick wool socks prevent my toes from freezing on the ice floors.  The humidifier going constantly to help my dry eyes, is never enough. The fireplace gives the illusion of heat, as does the candle on the coffee table. Psychologically, it makes me think it’s not as cold as it is. Until the bill comes, or Im warming the bed with the electric blanket before I get in and realize my arthritis is stiffening me like a two-by-four.  And people wonder why I’m cranky, sleep deprived and day drink. Just kidding. Not.

My recent electric bill was almost $200 for my small 500 sq ft home, while friends with much larger houses pay less.

Now what? Move? What a hassle. This place is from 1980, for the rental price, I’d end up in the same type of place; old, thin-walled, and close enough to each neighbor to hear them snoring or getting warm the old-fashioned way, with a partner.  When the animals start, so does my book on tape. That’s all I’ll say about that. But im kinda stuck here for the moment. If I could win the lottery, maybe I could join the ranks of home ownership again. Ahh, dreams….. to have privacy, heat, a Costco card, that would be divine.

Funny I never grew up wearing pajamas. Just slept in whatever I wore that day. But now, ive got 3 pairs of pajamas that are fuzzy and warm.  I’ve been converted. It’s either that or lose a finger or toes to frostbite at some point. So, I dutifully sleep in them and with my wool socks.

Somewhere in Texas

Reliving my frozen childhood