"I was here first."
"I want the hot spot too."
Oh, the hot spot. Every home has one. The favored spot on a cold morning. In our house the "spot" is behind the love seat in the family room over the heater. We have a bazillion heater vents in our home but I guess this one is the best. Every morning Easton lays on top of it and covers himself with a blanket. If it's a weekend the spot is used on a first come first serve basis by all of the boys. Words are exchanged and sometimes it is shared.When living in Connecticut the hot spot was the kerosene heater in the kitchen or the hallway. Whenever the heater was blasting you could find at least one of the Homer kids warming their cold hands and toes. We would gather around and share time together. Even Mom would hang out with us. You could adjust the flame to make it really hot. I loved watching the flames dance in the glass. I have fond memories of my childhood "hot spot." It not only warmed my outsides, but my insides as well. My heart was warmed as time was spent together with siblings. We always stopped at the hot spot after coming in from a cold outing. Standing, warming, talking, rubbing hands together and laughing.
Growing older I still can appreciate the hot spot. I love watching my children cuddle in warmth--bonded by the heat. And my favorite hot spot now is when I steal Stephen's heating pad that he uses for his back. If he leaves it for a moment I capture it's warmth until he returns. Then he says I can use it if I need it. Knowing he will share his hot spot with me warms me up on the inside.
aw, cute!
ReplyDeleteOk. so why did we have a kerosene heater? I know it was to save money and all that, but isn't it a little bad for our health to have that thing blaring? Growing up our hot spot was the heating vent in the kitchen where the table was. Prior to 1991 when we put wood in, there was the kitchen table and carpet on the floor. Brad would hover over it with his yellow blankie and steal all the heat. I can't think of anything more uncomfortable for me now. I hate heat blaring on me, hate the hot air. It's very claustrophobic. I don't even like heat blowing on me in the car. Pretty weird I know. Bren is the opposite of me, so sometimes my car window is open and all the vents are blasting on him. it's 82 today.
In the Royal Lane house our hot spot was the heater vent right by the front door. It was not the comfortableist of spots, but we would cuddle there with our blankets and make a dome and try and not let air out. You also got the benefit of the warm sun coming through the front window. Oh how I loved laying on the floor when the warm sun was shining through our big windows.
ReplyDeleteNow we are always looking for the Cold spot to keep us cool.
Janelle--very good thought. Do you think that kerosene thing is even safe? Do they even sell them now? I remember Dad lighting the wick and sometimes the flames would shoot out through the glass doors. The top got so hot that I remember putting a saucepan on top filled with water and spices--it filled the air with a cinnamony clove smell.
ReplyDeletethe kerosene was not safe. But we were careful. The house was not warm - there wwere many drafts, and the electric heat was VERY expensive. So Dad got the heater as a supplement. It's the damp cold that gets you everytime.
ReplyDeleteI miss our hot spot!
ReplyDeleteWe have one of those too, they fight over who gets to sit by the heat vent in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI sat by the heater outside the jack and jill bathroom we had. I would huddle with my blanket and wait for my turn in the shower. Our heaters don't produce enough heat that my boys would want to sit on them. They fight over the fireplace.
ReplyDelete