Richard’s Almanac: Cold comfort for senior citizens

There’s a legend that is heard in northern Vermont about how the old people dealt with the extreme winter temperatures. Ten, 20, 30 and even 40 below zero temperatures are not uncommon in the depths of winter.

The older individuals who really were not able to hold their own under these circumstances would be frozen for the winter. They’d be asked to go into an outbuilding — maybe the ice house — and then be taken and thawed out in the spring.

Well, I’m not ready to pack myself in the icehouse, but I sure feel the cold this winter and the past few weeks have been almost intolerable. It seems that it’s becoming more and more difficult to become comfortably warm. And I am not trying to save a few bucks on heating expenses. I keep the thermostat set at a civilized level and I frequently have the fireplace roaring.

But the cold weather still creeps in. It’s not bad when I’m out in it, but when I come in after a walk or completing an outdoor project, the cold sets in. I have been told that this is the lot of the septuagenarian and beyond. As we age we need warmer temperatures. It’s generally agreed that no senior should set a thermostat lower than 68 and it should be higher if necessary for comfort.

I know that 90 is the accepted senior citizen swimming pool temperature. We just need to be warmer to do things we did when we were young. I know that I find a pool set at 82 to be very uncomfortable.

We old folks suffer from a number of age-related ailments like arthritis, diabetes, poor circulation and other problems that can cause our sense of touch to not be as acute as it used to be. We do not want to tumble, we do not want to get frostbitten, we don’t want to fall victim to any of the dangers associated with cold weather. And always dress appropriately.

I have learned how to pick out the best vegetables while wearing my gloves!

So for those of us here for the winter, comfortable living is a challenge but not insurmountable. Cook roasts and soups and pies. Foods that warm your core and also use the oven, which will keep the kitchen warm.

And to those who fly south after Christmas, good luck to you and we’ll see you in the spring.

You’ll be tan, but we’ll be stronger.