Perhaps I have ruminated on this before. First we complain that it’s too hot, then we complain it’s too cold. We complain that it’s too cold for June and too warm for October. I am sure it’s been the same thing for thousands of years, well, at least hundreds. But when it turns cold, and I firmly continue to deny myself the warmth of the Observatory wishing to remain at Mitchell House as long as possible, it always gives me a renewed look at what it was like for the Mitchells and others in the nineteenth century and earlier – heck, even later – at least before improved heating systems in the 1930s and 1940s.

I grew up with good old-fashioned radiators in a Colonial Revival built in the 1920s. I LOVED the sound of them clanging on and the steam sounds – I had great ones too in some of my dorm rooms at Mt. Holyoke that dated to the 1920s. The sound was comforting and cozy. Sometimes, not always that warm because my Dad was a lover of keeping the heat down as he didn’t like it hot (I think it kept the germs at bay, too). My memories of coming home from school in winter are my Mother sitting at the breakfast table with her cup of afternoon tea, her cowl-neck sweater her grandmother (my Other nana you may have read about here in this blog) made her when my Mother was in her late teens, pulled up over her nose, only being lowered to sip her tea. Her hands firmly wrapped around that HOT mug.

Imagine only having a fire in the kitchen and maybe the sitting room to keep you warm – the rest of the house almost stone cold – or at least only getting a limited amount of warmth from the chimney mass and heat rising through the house. Not terribly warm. Most houses did not get much above 40F and I’ve read accounts of wash rags freezing on lines inside the house after dishes were washed. Eek! But then, people were used to that so it’s hard to think of stepping into that from what we have but for the Mitchells to do the opposite – shocking but I am sure would be delightfully welcomed.

I still long for the banging and steam sounds of the radiator. The old 1700s tavern my family has lived in for many, many years now has an oil fired furnace – fan forced heat. Not the same – the banging of dampers in the system doesn’t compare. And it’s always dry in the house – steam radiators added some wet to the dry air of winter.

Yeah, complain, complain, complain. Baby, its cold outside.

JNLF