TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY
Posted by Tim Bryce on January 8, 2016
BRYCE ON LIFE
– We may not be cognizant of it, but we do adjust the temperature to suit our comfort zone.
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I’ve noticed as we get older we become more sensitive to temperature. In our youth it really didn’t bother us. If it was cold, we put on a sweater or sweat shirt; if it was hot, t-shirts were the order of the day. We didn’t think twice about going outside on a snowy day to play. Now we do. Thanks to arthritis invading our joints along with muscle spasms, we become much more aware of temperature and constantly seek a comfort zone on the thermostat. This probably explains why so many people from the North migrate to the South in wintertime.
Seniors who prefer to stay in the North during winter, are inclined to keep a tight rein on the temperature dial. To illustrate, my in-laws in Cincinnati had a big house. Yet, in winter they kept the temperature in the 80’s. It was so warm inside, you would be sweating while it was frozen outside. While other houses had snow on the roofs and around the houses, my in-laws’ roof was warm and dry, even crispy. The radiating heat created a greenhouse effect whereby there was a dry three yard perimeter around the house where foliage flourished and the grass remained green. It is a strange sight to see Crocus and Daffodils in full bloom when it is -30 degrees outside. There was no need to shovel snow near the front door as the cement was so toasty warm, you could walk barefoot outside.
In the summertime, it was just the opposite as the house became Ice Station Zebra. They kept it so cold, you could see your breath and the windows were frosted requiring the occasional scraping and use of ice picks.
Spring and autumn represent the awkward months as people go back and forth clicking between the furnace and the air conditioner. These seasons are favorites for the power companies.
Down here in Florida, we have learned to live with the heat as our friends in the North have learned to live with the snow. As for me, I’ll gladly take the sweat of the heat as opposed to the discomfort of the cold. I lived my first thirty years in the North, and I remember too well the layers of clothes to be worn outside, shoveling driveways, and being forced to stay indoors. In Florida, I wear comfortable shorts year round, particularly when I do yard work. The grass may slow down during Winter, but you still have to mow your lawn all year, such is the price for wearing shorts, which I happily accept. As an aside, if we learn a rare frost is in the offing in Florida, we cover our plants outside with old bed sheets. Northerners visiting our area during this time find it amusing to see our plants “put to bed” for the evening.
Even in Florida though, we become very sensitive to the temperature as we get older. Most of the time we are not cognizant of it. For example, my daughter recently came home for a visit and complained how cold it was in the house. Frankly, I hadn’t thought about it before she made the observation. I then walked around the house to make sure there was no frost on the windows requiring scraping.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see: timbryce.com
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Copyright © 2016 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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Francis Dryden said
In my 73 years I have lived (north to south) from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (although mostly Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) to Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico in the south… One thing I found for sure is that it is a lot easier to dress when you are cold than to undress when you are hot. I haven’t had to mow lawns, shovel snow or other such chores as my Father taught me as a young fellow not to do tasks that you wouldn’t do for a job… I loved my Father and his wise advice.
I now live in a perfect climate… I am at the same latitude as Hawaii and the same altitude as Denver, Colorado… one can golf COMFORTABLY 365 days a year… the key word here is comfortably. As for those menial tasks of mowing lawns, cleaning house, tending the swimming pool… we get all three done for less than 600 Pesos per month (less than $35 USD) and I certainly would never do that work for that money (less than most kids allowances). Our 2,000 sq. ft. hacienda in a gated community with its own pool and furnished only cost $140,000 USD and, like all houses here, has NO furnace OR air conditioner… neither are required in our incredible climate. Nobody plans anything around the weather… it’s boring!… the same everyday cooling at night for a great night’s sleep.
You mention “Snowbirds” going to Florida Tim but from April to October this area is full of “Sunbirds” escaping the heat of the southern US and our own resorts at the coasts… Lots of Florida plates by the way! A question you don’t hear down here is, “What’s the weather like?”, because it is Eternal Spring… nice ring to that huh?
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