Heat

We stayed at the Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway recently, a place we’ve visited many times before. We expected the mountain air to be cooler, but the temperature was drastically lower, from somewhere in the sixties the day before, to freezing when we checked in. Brrr.

I rarely touch a thermostat. I simply put on a jacket or socks when I get chilly. George, however, is a thermostat guy who constantly monitors and adjusts, whether at home or elsewhere, so I keep hands off.   Which is what I did during our visit. I should add that the Peaks of Otter Lodge is an old hotel with baseboard heat and window air conditioner units.

I noticed George went to bed wearing two shirts and long athletic pants, which was unusual. Then he asked me to find an extra blanket. There wasn’t one, so he went to sleep thoroughly swaddled in the bedcovers. I kept the chill off by leaving my socks on.

In the morning, after a long night of shivering, George turned on the window air conditioner.

“Why are you turning that on?” I asked. “I thought you were cold.”

“I set the temperature high,” he said. “Trying to get some heat.”

Which, of course, we didn’t, since it was only an air conditioner.

“Why don’t you adjust the thermostat?” I asked, pointing it out on the wall near the bathroom. He walked to it, looked, and moved something on the little box. We heard the heat come on.

Then he turned to me, a confused look on his face.

“Why didn’t I know there was a thermostat?” he asked.

I shrugged.

We stared at each other as I took off my sweater, heat already filling the room.

“Old and stupid,” he said, shaking his head.

Yes, old and stupid. And finally, warm.

1 Comment

  1. Susie
    Apr 29, 2016

    ha! a senior moment for sure!

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