Skip to main content

Fear of the Cold

According to my weather app, it is nine degrees with windchill advisories. Our furnace is churning and has been for over an hour, which may mean it needs servicing or that we just need to change the filter. I am under two blankets and drinking a cup of hot coffee and it's cold.

Exactly one year ago I wrote about how frightening it can be to be a young child out in the cold waiting too long for the bus. Today there is a two-hour delay, which I hope will allow for the temperature to go up a bit before kids have to go out. I hope the buses make sure they don't zip through the route too quickly, stranding kids as they did last year.

I will drive my daughter to school. I have that luxury. Many do not. She has a new winter coat this year, warm clothing, a hat and gloves. Many do not. Unless our furnace is truly broken, she will come home to a warm house. She will eat a relatively well-balanced evening meal. And--you get the drill--many will not.

In Oakland Mills our local schools have been collecting winter coats and hats and gloves. Our schools and community together have been collecting food for our hungry neighbors. The Columbia Association Youth and Teen Center is sponsoring a clothing giveaway soon. Does anyone help with heat? I know that the group (formerly known as "Christmas in April") helps people with needed home repairs, which might include better insulation, or patching holes that let in cold air. But what about heating assistance?

I passed a friend's house on the way home and noted that it was almost completely surrounded by vans from their heating company. I smiled because I knew she had finally found someone to come out and fix their furnace. For most of us, the only obstacle we would face in restoring adequate heat is getting the repair people to show up on time, or getting a timely appointment during a cold snap.

There must be groups that help families who are cold, right? Fill me in. This is something I want to know more about. When our neighbors are cold, they need more than kind words.

*****

Hint Number 4 for Friday's Giveaway: truly American/authentic Latin influence.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more