We have been getting a lot of use from our car heater. By early December we were visited by snow squalls and below freezing temperatures. The foul weather did not stop me from taking a car ride with my lovely wife, Joan. After we had driven a little while I began to feel ‘hot’. So I reached over and turned down the car heater fan. Soon the car was at a comfortable temperature, but not for long. Joan began to feel cold so she reached over and turned up the fan. So, I turned it down the temperature. She countered by turning up the fan and temperature. Get the picture?
Odd thing about this is that our conflict isn’t on how to set the controls for the car heater; it is a matter of dressing properly for a cold ride. When I go out I like to bundle up in a sensible, warm parka, with a knit hat and gloves. Even with 26 degree weather. My wife wears a long sleeve cotton shirt and a skirt that does not possible go below her knees.
Let’s take a look at our combined efforts to keep our house warm. I like to keep the thermostat at a very cozy 72 degrees. It seems my significant other isn’t aware that the perfect temperature for a human dwelling place is 72 degrees. For instance, the other night I awoke at about 3 in the morning from the sound of my very own teeth chattering. I opened my eyes to see icicles dangling from our ceiling fan. I rushed downstairs to see what was up with the furnace.
Someone had set the temperature to 50 degrees! I properly adjusted the thermostat and returned to our bedroom. As I eased into bed, I glanced over at my snoring wife, but I couldn’t see her. I followed the nasal roar to a small hole in the deep pile of blankets, quilts and bed spreads. It was like a cocoon made for arctic explorers and somewhere inside was my wife.
The lesson in feminine logic is clear: When outside in a car, dress half naked and turn up the heat all the way. When in the privacy of your own home, dress like Nan-nook and turn off the heat. Get it?
Now please excuse me while I scrape the frost from my monitor screen.