We're Staying Warm

"Are you staying warm?" is a question we hear often. It makes sense. In our locality, January and February (sometimes, March too) is really cold. This year, we've survived the Polar Vortex and an overnight snowstorm that closed our local schools for one week. Through it all, we do keep warm due to planning and patience.

In the fall, my husband installed a propane heater. We hardly use the fold-up table that was installed in our boat, so my husband used it as a secure backdrop for the marine heater. The propane tank is kept outside on the port side deck, and the heater was installed with a vent for fumes, etc. to escape the boat.

A nice stream of heat blows out of the heater, and it's been a wonderful addition to our boat during this winter. And, it's really cozy to lay in our aft cabin and see the reflection of the flickering flames overhead in the saloon.

In addition, we have a few small heaters that are strategically placed on the floor, as we use those as needed. Also, we have a wonderful heated blanket that we turn on before we go to bed so the sheets are warm when we snuggle in - we have found that our dog LOVES going to bed, and he's often in the rack hours before us. Around 7 PM, he hops off the couch, shakes, and then heads to the aft cabin. He stands there until we turn on the blanket, and help him hop up into bed (he's very skiddish about leaping as his paws sometimes slip on the wood floor). A spolied dog, we know. After an hour or so of us sleeping, one of us usually wakes up and turns off the heated blanket and we sleep warmly and soundly until the morning.

Going outside is what's cold for us. We love hearing the weather raging outside or seeing the evidence of how cold is is, while we are toasty warm inside the boat. When we lived on land, we often talked about how weather could happen outside without us knowing it. Being back aboard puts us back into the mix and we are part of the weather each day. We see this is a blessing and having a stronger connection with the world in which we live.

Below are some shots from the recent freeze. Hope you all area staying warm, too.