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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Wishful thinking -vs- reality - by Bruce




The wishful thinking is that the wood stove will get itself going when it is zero degrees outside and 48 degrees inside. The reality is that won't happen until you pull yourself from under those warm covers and get it going. The wishful thinking is that once you get the wood stove going that it will be nice and comfortable. The reality is that wood stoves take time to radiate that nice warm heat so it may be a few hours before you can get it up to a nice comfortable warmth.


It is wishful thinking that your first cup of coffee in the morning will stay nice and warm until you finish it. The reality is that it will get cold very fast when it is only 50 degrees inside. It is wishful thinking to believe that the coffee maker will turn itself on and a cup will magically appear by your chair for you to savor. It is reality that you have to go into the back of the house where the heat has not reached yet and turn it on. It is reality that when you carry it from the back of the house to the front it will have cooled off considerably.



It is wishful thinking that the firewood outside where it is zero degrees with the wind blowing 40 MPH will somehow materialize inside the house where you need it to keep the wood stove going. It is reality that you will have to put on a warm coat, hat, gloves, boots, and grab the log carrier and hike out to get that firewood.

So when you live in the mountains like we do and it is zero outside and 50 degrees inside you are not afforded the luxury of jumping out of bed, running over to the wall thermostat, pushing a button or lever to get more instant heat in the house, then running back to that warm bed to wait until it warms up. If you are used to creature comforts then living in the mountains might be wishful thinking for you. There is no Starbucks just down the road from us. In fact the nearest Starbucks is 45 miles away. If we want a cup of coffee, we make it ourselves and brave the cold to get it. No getting up and putting on a robe, slippers, pour a cup of coffee and open the newspaper to see what is going on. No newspaper delivery here! You sit down at your computer and find your news with stiff cold fingers.

Now it is time to bundle up and take the dogs for a one mile walk down the road. No, the reality is that they refuse to take themselves so that is real wishful thinking. Then when we get back we can get our day started.

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