There are things we do/keep around that I never think about til I talk to someone who is surprised at what I’m doing so I thought I would share this here.
I was talking to my almost 92 year old uncle last night. They are having very cold weather in southwest Louisiana. I knew it was going to be cold there but hadn’t realized how bad it was til I saw on Facebook that almost all the bridges were closed due to accidents and there were people who had been stuck in their vehicles for 5+ hours because of the ice and accidents on those big bridges.
I called him to make sure he wasn’t going outside (he lives on a bayou so his house is up high and most ways to go outside require going down outside stairs that would be icy. He does have inside stairs that will go down to the garage so he can get out or someone could get to him if he needed help.
Anyway, he told me that he had plenty of firewood inside and had no intentions of going out. His dogs will use pads to go to the bathroom. He has a very old chihuahua that has gone blind. He said he worries about him if the power goes out because he would have no way to keep Bandit warm if he didn’t keep the fireplace going all night.
I told him . . he needs a couple of hot water bottles. I remember that my grandma used to put a couple of hot water bottles all wrapped in a “water blanket” in bed with me at night. They only had one fireplace for heat and it was clear across the house from where I slept. So, if I remember that, I knew my uncle would remember.
I told him . . you have a gas stove, heat water, pour it into the bottle, close it up, put it in the little blanket bag it comes with and then wrap it in a towel and put it in Bandit’s sleeping area. He will find it and sleep as close to it or as far away as he needs to in order to stay warm. That made him feel so good knowing he could do that – not this time, but have it for the next cold snap.
I told him . . I’ll get on Amazon, find the ones we bought and have two of them sent to your house. That made him very happy and it made me happy because he does so much for others and I was able to tell him something he hadn’t thought about.
The hot water bottles are great to have, they aren’t terribly expensive and it’s one of those things I would wish I had if I needed them and didn’t have them.
vivoaks says
That’s a great idea! Maybe I should do that for our bed at night! The sheets are always so cold when we go to bed that I make my husband warm up my side of the bed before I get it. Then he rolls over onto his side and complains about how he’s freezing again. He won’t let me put flannel sheets on. At least with a hot water bottle I could warm up the sheets a bit before getting into bed and not have to spend 20 minutes warming up before I can begin to think about going to sleep! Thanks for the idea!!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
That’s why I take a shower and then go straight to bed while I’m still warm. My grandma always had a warm water bottle for my bed. If I could get my feet warm, I was good. If you want to warm up a larger area, what about one of those lap covers that’s kinda like an electric blanket. I have one of those for putting over my lap/legs when it’s super cold but I don’t dare use it with these chewing dogs. I wouldn’t sleep ON it but you could put it in the bed and let it get the bed warm, then move it and turn it off before you crawl in.
Liz says
My last experience with a hot water bottle was a disaster since it leaked! So, I found other ways to keep warm.
You can also use a heating pad to warm up your bed. This would not be good for pets due to chewing issues. My mom had a heated mattress pad and we would turn it on as she was getting ready for bed. However, she had to turn it down before she fell asleep since it got too warm. Another option might be those pads you can heat up in the microwave. It might be just enough to get the bed warm. And if there is a herbal scent, it may lull you to sleep faster.
Don’t forget that a lot of your body heat goes out of your head. So wearing a hat may be a good thing – you see pictures of men and women wearing night caps back in the 1700’s. They knew how to keep warm at night. I would wear a hat while camping or when the cabin took too long to warm up.
I also like to have a glass of water by my bed, so some nights I fix a thermos with herbal tea. Taking a sip or two of a warm liquid is better than the cold water.
ginnyclyne says
When I was living at home with my parent the room my sister and I slept in was an addition with 3 sides exposed to the outside instead of just one or two sides. It was always freezing in the winter. My mother would collect our PJ’s or nightgowns each night and toss them in the dryer so we would get into warm PJ,s before crawling into bed. I have an electric mattress pad on my bed now that I turn on 10 to 15 minutes before going to bed and shut it off before getting into bed but that only helps if the electric is working.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I like the mattress pad idea. Our last dachshund, we taught him to go into the crate by tossing his sheet in the dryer for a few minutes. He would sit patiently in front of the dryer waiting for that sheet. He loved wrapping himself up in a warm sheet.
Becky says
I use those little disposable hand warmers that I buy on Amazon. I tuck one in my cat’s bed on cold nights and he loves it. They’re non-toxic and easy to use. Good of you to think of your uncle!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
How long will those stay warm? I have Reynaud’s and I need some of those to put inside my gloves on the coldest of days. Thanks.
Becky says
They last through the night, 7-8 hours, pretty amazing little things. I also have some larger body-size ones on hand for myself in case I lose power.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Great. Thanks. I’m going to get some of those.