Heat Watch is still on
Yesterday evening when we got home from a long day in Beijing, I could smell the coal when we exited the Metro stop. Granted, the metro stop is still in the middle of developing countryside, so the coal could be from the small village houses that still stand out there and rely on coal for cooking and heating the kang. Normally it's not a scent I welcome, except that it could have meant the heat was on.
The past few days the radiators and pipes are no longer cold to the touch, though they are still not even close to house-warming. By this time last year we already had our heat, but it was so much colder already, too. It's now just cool enough every day that extra vegetables can be stored in hallways and even outside.
So we wait some more, watching smokestacks and feeling for changes in the radiators. In the meantime, my complaints are few when I have these to keep me warm.
The past few days the radiators and pipes are no longer cold to the touch, though they are still not even close to house-warming. By this time last year we already had our heat, but it was so much colder already, too. It's now just cool enough every day that extra vegetables can be stored in hallways and even outside.
So we wait some more, watching smokestacks and feeling for changes in the radiators. In the meantime, my complaints are few when I have these to keep me warm.
Comments
Several years ago, when Dan and I were in Rome during the month of November...it was quite cold. We were staying in an old, converted convent. We had no control over the heater either. It came on at 1am for 4 hours and then again in the afternoon for 4 hours....that was it.
For us here in Florida....in the hottest part of the summer (Aug/Sept) and the coolest part of the winter (jan/feb)...our electric bill can be as much as $400 for ONE MONTH!!! Spring and Fall are our cheapest bills....we're lucky if it gets below $350!