I  am so happy for you tee!  I've been wondering about the trip to Hawaii.  Have a wonderful time.

Good news and bad news about your son though.  I'm very glad he has a job and is in a Sober Living Home and has been sober.  And, he's no longer in your home. I'm sorry about the diagnosis of cancer.  Hope they got it early enough that the doctors can do some good.  I'll pray for him.

Right now we have snow in our forecast for Monday, so Hawaii sounds especially good!   Enjoy every minute.  You deserve it!

lilyr wrote:

Yikes stusue! We had our first measurable snow a week or two ago, but it didn't last.  I'm glad we haven't had more because we really have a lot of leaves on the trees.  Snow plus lots of leaves usually means power outages.  Not for me because our lines are underground.  Can you close some heat vents in rooms you don't use (or almost close them) so you aren't heating empty space?  I don't have my heat very high, 16 Celsius,but I'm comfortable.

ETA:Oops!  Thast was supposed to be 18C

Lily, my heat is set to 14C (the coldest possible), although I only have the heating on for a couple of hours early in the morning and then another few hours at night.  In between it's been around 13C in my house, which is beautifully warm for me (I have a major problem with heat but none with cold), although it'll get a lot colder inside without any heating in winter when it gets really cold and below zero outside, down to around 8C (I know this for a fact as my burner broke a few years ago and I had to go without any heating for 2 weeks in the middle of a snowy winter until I got a new one).  When it gets that cold I'll generally have the heating on for longer during the day, although it's always off at night (unless it turns itself on to stop the pipes from freezing).

As for closing vents, well, we don't have vents here, at least I've never come across any anywhere I've been in Europe.  We just have hot water pipes going through all the walls (and floors if you have underfloor heating) and then have a heater (with hot water) under each window and on each landing, although I never have any of the ones on the landings on to conserve energy as they're in open areas.  It's just always not super warm going up the stairs and up in the attic, which is also open, but definitely not uncomfortable for me.

My house is beautifully warm for me - well, not going up and down the stairs but in all the rooms it's beautiful and warm - but no one ever visits me in winter as they find my house too cold and can't even take their coats off (although I always turn the heating up when I have visitors).  But in Germany (and France) everyone has their heating set to at least 25C so that they can just wear shorts and T-shirts around home.  I just wear warm clothing with a jumper and warm dressing gown when it's really cold and I'm as warm as toast.  Maybe with a throw rug over my legs when it's 20 below and snowing!  I can't believe people spend so much money on heating (and it's really expensive here), just so they don't have to wear any winter clothes!  I can't visit anyone and I have a major problem eating out as the heat - but especially the stuffiness with everything closed up - makes me really sick.  I also always need a window open in whatever room I'm in, no matter how cold it is outside, even when I sleep.  So I stay at home mostly in winter and don't have any visitors. LOL.


 

Thanks for the well wishes and just waiting to call Uber to take me to the airport, decided cheaper than leaving in long-term parking.  I didn't leave much room in my suitcase to bring back T-shirts for the grandkids but will smush it all in.

Took my son to first meeting with PT to go over exercises to do to keep throat and tongue limber as radiation may cause scarring in back of throat and make it hard to eat.  She was a nice young girl who was very thorough.  I took him to work and on the way home he called to tell me Dr. had called with results of PET scan ~ it was where they thought it was and just a little in a lymph node.  Today he has his appt. with Radiation Oncology and I hate that I'm going to miss it since it's the most important one.  His dad is taking him and doubt he will go in as they are headed to a neighboring town to watch his half-brother coach a girls' basketball team.  Really burns me up that this is not more important but that's why we divorced umpteen years ago.....being a basketball coach, that was always his priority and it was always about him.

 

stusue --  I couldn't handle 25C.  I don't like it that hot in the summer!  If it's really windy (like it has been Sunday and Monday) I'll put the heat up one more degree.  I have quite warm winter clothes and I'm comfortable.  Your house would be a little too cold for me.  Especially with a window open.   I really want to get most of my windows replaced with more energy efficient windows, but that is a large expense.  I am definitely going to get more insulation in the attic next year.  That will help both with heating and cooling.  My ex keeps his house around 14C.  He has a boiler with steam heat (old house).  When I was in Berlin with my one cousin she had borrowed an apartment for her cousin and me to use.  We both had to turn the heat down (in October).  I like it cool when I sleep, so I turn the heat down to 14C.  Since we had such a dry summer I was surprised that we got some lovely colors.

I sure hope Tee has a wonderful time in Hawaii.  Her son is in my prayers.

oscar -- We had a record high on Friday -- 18C.  Then Sunday and Monday it was -3, but the windchill made it seem much colder.  We had very strong wind gusts from the north.  It's still cold today but the wind is back to a normal breeze.

You certainly have a lot on your plate!  I'm so sorry about your father.  You said he doesn't read anymore. Would he listen to audio books? If he's hard of hearing that might not work though.

{{{oscar& family}}}  Alzheimer's is a horrible disease -- especially when the person with it knows that he or she is losing their mind.  And it is so hard on the family.  I think you're right about Christmas.  Could a few of you go to him on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day?

I live in New York state.  Just on the southern shore of Lake Ontario.  I have sliding glass doors on the east of the living room.  Both the living room and dining room face south and get a lot of sun.  It's nice i9n the winter.