A Smily Moment

I have a tragically amusing tale to relate...well, maybe not tragic per se, but amusing to me.

Today, I broke down and turned the furnace on...the house was 62 and there was no sign of sunshine breaking through the clouds for to take advantage of passive solar energy through my windows...and it made me think of something my MIL told us last Thanksgiving.

First, let start off by saying that I love and respect my MIL, regardless of how insane she makes me feel. She is, after all, the woman who married a man with a 2-year-old son and an ex-wife with major health issues, both physical and mental, took said 2-year-old and loved him and raised him with never a question that he was her son...

Second, let me say that it was about all I could do not to have my beverage come out my nose at the end of this story when it was related to me.

We were sitting over a meal, and BB had bumped up the temperature on their thermostat as it was very chilly in the house and the kids were still cold, even in their winter clothes. We figured it was better to turn up the temp than to dress the kids in their winter coats, hats and gloves in the house during our visit.

MIL said:

"You know, I read a story about a family that spent outrageous amounts of money seeing their doctor and picking up prescriptions and OTC medications, as they were sick all winter long, each and every winter. One year, about 3 years after switching to a different doctor, the doctor finally began questioning the mother about their living habits, how much sugar, how much caffeine, how much outdoor activity, how much sleep, what type of food and on and on. After hearing that all things dietary and lifestyle were normal, he scratched his head, completed the examination, and prescribed yet another round of antibiotics for the bronchitis, and just as he walked out the door, he said to her 'Do me a favor and set your thermostat at 64 this winter. Don't touch it, don't move it from there. Germs don't seem to like temps cooler than 65, so let's see if that helps with these illnesses.' She said ok, and the following spring, when she brought her boys in for their check-ups, the doctor was pleased that they hadn't been back with more illnesses since that last talk. She asked him why it worked and he told her again about the germs not being in their prime environment at that temperature, and he told her, during the summer, set the A/C around 74, and in the winter, leave it at 64. That's why we keep our house cooler than most people do! That way, we don't get sick!"

Now, this sounds like an ok thing to do, but the part she left out, that I found out later, was that the family lived in the Upper Peninsula and kept their thermostat at 78 in the winter! They would go out into the frigid winter cold, and come inside to summer-like temperatures!

What made me laugh after the fact was that the family also didn't do any physically active sorts of hobbies, no sports, and ate a pretty bad diet. They had also decided that since it was chilly in the house, they'd have to do things to stay warm, so they started cleaning out closets and drawers and attic and basement, the kids each lost weight, and decided to start playing football and hockey, and the mom grew a garden since she wasn't spending the spring recovering from tons of sickness...

Needless to say, turning my furnace on to warm the house up to a whopping 69 always makes me chuckle and think of that story...

I hope that your day, whether gloomy or sunny, brings a smile to your face as you recount something silly, or plan for something special!!