Ahh...the joys of winter in Iowa. Since Groundhog Day has come and gone, we are (hopefully) on the downward slope of winter. Already the days are growing longer, which gives us hope, even in the face of 50 mph winds and -30º windchills.

This winter has been a more typical winter (some might even call it "old school" winter) and we have become spoiled in the past few winters.

I think that is what is making this winter wear on us more than others. The extremes in cold are hard on everything, from man to beast to machine. So, we end up spending more time indoors and our furnaces run and run and run. The high utility bills cut into our available spending money, so even going out to see a movie or shop is reduced to renting a film and -- you guessed -- staying home.

Even the most loving families can become strained spending so much time together, so we need to become more creative with the ways that we spend our time.

Winter is the perfect time to find a good book, or series of books to read to take your mind to a different place. I spent part of last winter reading a trilogy by Bernard Cornwell on King Arthur. The three books: "The Winter King," "Enemy of God," and "Excalibur" were wonderful escapes. Haven't been that lucky this winter, and have chosen to use the "opiate of the masses" -- television -- to get through this winter.

Dumb idea.

The writer's strike has reduced the meager offerings of shows worth watching down to nearly nothing. We watch a lot of old movies at our home. Turner Classic Movies is on a lot, and even there, the pickings have been slim. There was a documentary on producer Val Lewton, who did a string of low budget but quality horror films for RKO studios in the 1940s. "Cat People" and "The Leopard Man" were the most successful. Lewton literally worked himself to death, dying of a heart attack at the age of 47. I had heard of, but never watched these films and they were all well done.

The home that I grew up in was built in the early 1900s. We had a gravity fed fuel oil furnace and no ductwork. Each room on the second floor had a floor vent that could be opened to allow the naturally rising heat to come in. Needless to say, it was cold in the winter.

Blankets were a much sought after commodity, piled on to the point where it seemed, in the imagination of a child, that the weight of the quilts could stop your breathing during the night. The covers would be pulled all the way to your nose, so your breathing could serve as an extra heat source.

Due to the age of the house, there was a large sewer vent pipe that went from the basement through both stories of the house. In the upstairs bathroom, the pipe was exposed and frost would form, depending on how cold it was and how hot we ran our baths. I think if the hold homestead were still around, the frost this year would be heavy and descend about a foot.

Many a winters morning was spent on the grate of the old furnace, trying to warm up and get ready for the day. The force of the heat from the furnace would usually blast you off of the grate pretty quickly, and it became a source of competition (what doesn't when you have siblings?)

Back in those days, board game marathons of Monopoly, Sorry and Clue were the way we passed the time when we couldn't go outside.

I hope you have found your own way to deal with "cabin fever" and cheer up, the first day of spring is only 44 days away.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.