This weekend is going to be brutal for sleeping, the coldest we’ve face yet. It’s threatening to get down to 19 degrees during the night, and the worst we’ve face is like 28, maybe 26. We’re a little worried. We went out and got Kate a ski-mask and gloves, some nice thermal leggings, and some thermal socks. She’s very happy right now. We also found a set of hand, foot, and body warmers that will help if we don’t manage to get indoors. So hopefully, she’s all set.
My problem is that I’m claustrophobic. For me, sleeping at night is a careful balancing act between being warm and not abandoning the car in a panic. I had a dream the other night, it wasn’t even a proper nightmare, that I felt like I was drowning. I flailed awake, shoved my blanket and pillow into the backseat, and started driving off in a panic. Fortunately, Kate was still awake at the time, so my freaking out didn’t cause a seizure.
Sometimes, once in a blue moon, I can sleep with my coat on. I do sleep with socks, sometimes even my shoes, and a sweatshirt, and even that relatively little amount of clothing is too constrictive. So I’m a little worried about myself. I might borrow a pair of Kate’s socks for the night and try to wear my coat. Or I might go to McDonald’s and just try to stay up if it’s too bad.
I really wish we could get a little battery powered heater this month, but I have a feeling it’ll be useless. Anything powerful enough to overcome 19 degrees would probably be a dangerous fire hazard in a car. Ah, well. We’ll make it through. We don’t have great options, but we do have options.
Next month, though. Maybe some better blankets. The ones we have don’t trap heat very well.
Car Dwellers 