Cold Heat

I am sitting here, in my office with the regular heat on and the space heater cranked up to “Hi” with my black watch cap on and a hot cup of coffee at hand and I just cannot get to a comfortable warm. Granted my office has a window which opens to the outside ( I call my window, my window on the West) and I am sure that has an impact on the temperature of my office and just how willing I am to remove my self from the proximity of my window on the West.

Last week Dianne picked up a case of “Hotties”, those chemical hand warmers which used to be sold ,only in Army Navy stores and then in sportsman stores but now has crossed the street to the big box stores, at our local Costco. I of course balked thinking of the process necessary to open up these small packets of chemical heat. Not this morning, however, I think the temperature was about 11 or 12 degrees as I launched out the door to begin my journey up to the station to catch my train to work. I had Dianne open one of the packets and mix it up and I was off. I kept the packet of warmth in my left hand which rides in my left packet of my jacket. I have just one “right hand “ ski glove I wear on my right hand which I use to steer my chair. At this point the temperature is not bitter cold, the kind of cold which freezes the nasal hairs when you breath through the nose making those marvelous jets of air like a snorting bull or better yet a locomotive or the cold which seems to cauterize your lungs with each intake of air forcing you to breath some sort of protection like pulling my head inside my jacket as much as possible letting me breath warmed air from my body heat or pull air through cloth like a muffler.

The “Hotties” actually worked—sorta. The packet releases a heat which warms what ever is near by. I suppose the heat/warmth it renders is a radiant heat but I don’t seem to get the benefit from the packet unless I have the packet touching someplace on me. I have found the maximum comfort I got from the small packet was when I placed directly on my cheek or forehead—that felt good as I plowed along through the frigid morning’s air. I have to admit when I had the packet clutched inside my hand in my pocket that my hand stayed warm, warmer then I I had not had the packet but I also found tat when I took returned my hand to my pocket after I placed the packet on my forehead, the region inside side the pocket was still warm. The “Hottie” gave off heat or warmth for a good thirty minutes—because the one used today Dianne gave me when I left the house and it was warm enough for Frank still feel the heat by the time I arrived at the office and that I a good forty-five minutes. I wonder if you had hundreds of packets and you were in the woods and it was truly cold could you like open up a bunch of packets, dump them in your sleeping bag zip it up would the heat transfer into the sleeping bag for a more comfortable freezing experience?

I wonder all this stuff as I watch a Mexican street vendor which has set up his operation outside my window—steam has bellowed out of his cart and people have lined up to purchase hot items, like coffee, tacos or what ever. I know even if I start out cold in my office, the space heater and office hear and the fact I wear my hat all day in the office, I know by 2:00 o clock or so my office will be somewhat toasty. Not so for Pablo, outside my window, I think Pablo is going to be cold until he shuts down his operation at 3:00 pm today and drives away inside his pick up.