The Electric Blanket
Today begins the winter solstice but for most of us, we won’t notice or feel any different. We have warm homes and don’t slow down regardless of the outside temperature.
Winter was not a happy time for me growing up on a rural farm. There were long days of staying inside with not much to do. My Grandparents used this time to rest similar to how the trees drop their leaves and prepare themselves for spring and new growth. As I have gotten older, I understand it, but back then I considered it boring.
We did not have central heat so many hours were spent sitting in front of the fireplace just watching the flames. Usually, these were quiet times and not filled with a lot of talk. The silence would only be broken by the sound of popping or sizzling noises from the firewood. You didn’t move too far away from the fireplace because the old wood floors were cold and the other rooms were not heated. If you went into a bedroom it felt like you had stepped outside onto the porch.
I didn’t appreciate my Grandfather’s job then which was to get the fire started in the morning. You never left a fire burning at night for fear of waking up to a house fire so the fire was allowed to burn down and the embers were banked under the ashes before going to bed. This process didn’t put out heat but it kept the embers hot making it easier for him to restart it in the morning. He rose early to make sure we had a warm room when we left the warm covers of our bed.
One of the best Christmas gifts I remember getting was an electric blanket. The blanket got turned on a few minutes before bedtime. My sister and I would make a mad dash from the warmth of the fireplace to the warmth of the electric blanket. We considered that blanket a luxury. I can’t imagine kids today finding an electric blanket under the Christmas tree and appreciating it the same way that we did.
I still think about those cold nights particularly when my central heat comes on and how I know the house will be warm when I wake up in the morning.
