April is the Cruellest Month

from The Waste Land T.S. Eliot

April 21 2008. It's minus 7 the ground is covered in 2-3 feet of hard, crunchy underfoot, dirty snow. More snow, soft and clean is falling from the sky. Inside it is 16 degrees. I'm snuggled against the baseboard heater wearing my flannel pajamas and slippers. We ran out of firewood three weeks ago.

The house depends on the radiant warmth from the fireplace, down in the basement, to keep the floor warm which in turn keeps the rest of the house warm. Baseboard heaters are just supplementary for when it's like minus 20. Today I can't even hope for sunshine, through my windows, to warm me.