« to everything there is a season | Main | the spirits of 1776 »
October 27, 2005
steam heat
In this our new East coast home, we have steam heat. Or should I say sssssteam heat, hissing at us like serpents from behind thin sheets of decorative and hammered tin. The walls, they are ALIVE! Although we had a man come round to be sure that the entire system wasn't going to blow the first time we turned it on, it did blow up or at least in two of the rooms it did. Oops! At least no toddlers were in the vicinity when the scalding sulfur geysers did erupt.
My husband, a man known for his all-consuming yet short-lived obsessions (the WWF, velour track suits, WWII-themed Playstation games) is currently transfixed by the heating system. He bleeds air from the radiators daily. He disappears to the basement. He travels to hardware stores near and far to replace hard-to-find parts. The other night, we were lying in bed and, apropos of nothing, he whispered "I love the steam heat." Cold-weather folk everywhere agree: steam does make a nice heat.
Today a woman from California Closets told me the closet in our bedroom was too crappy to make into a fancy, with drawers and shelves and so forth type of a closet. "To be honest with ya, you should save ya money and go ta Tahget." It was refreshing to have a salesperson be so brutally honest, especially since she had driven in from another state (Massachusetts - fifteen minutes away but still). But now aforementioned husband wants to buy a table saw and rebuild the closet, perhaps outfitting it with steam heat so our clothes will stay warm for winter.
Speaking of things that hiss like demons and then blow up, the Bean had a very impressive meltdown the other night. It's surreal having a toddler because you find yourself saying stuff like "It is NOT okay for you to hit Mommy with your huggy monster OR throw raisins at the kitties." Then you have to try and not laugh as you dole out whatever punishment that particular crime merits. Bean hadn't had his nap on this one day and was so toddler tired that he began furiously sobbing and then couldn't remember why he was mad, which made him cry even more. We tried putting him in his room so he could have alone time, which sometimes works, but he was too upset for that. Instead, he lay down next to the dinner table and sobbed facedown into the rug while my husband and I ate dinner. I felt bad that he was so upset, but still I ate his spinach. I can't help it, I love me some leafy green veggies, especially when they're steamed.
Posted by Max at October 27, 2005 12:56 AM
Comments
Steam heat is the best...and men just love the puttering with radiators and such. I miss that now that I live in TN (used to live in northern Michigan). Now I have a Heat Pump and....well....it just isn't the same.
Posted by: Weetzie at December 20, 2005 10:44 AM