HAIL Winter, full of surprises!
A brief but fierce hail storm caught me as I was walking up to buy bread this morning. Oi!
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Readers of yesterday's post were surprised that Israel can be cold. Some asked about our heating system.
.Well, here is mine. This electric radiator is my heat source.
That plus fleece-lined jeans, thermal undershirt and two sweaters, and "fur"-lined hiking boots.
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Jerusalem's stone and concrete buildings are notorious for retaining coldness all winter.
Normally it is warmer outside than inside.
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And at night the radiator is turned off, the window is opened, and I quickly dive under the fluffy feather-filled puch.
A simple old-fashioned hot-water bottle under the blankets does wonders to defrost feet that have half-frozen on the cold stone floor. .
I'm not sure but I imagine new and modern residential buildings have central heating, maybe.
Because of our high altitudes, Jerusalem and the Upper Galilee always have the coldest temperatures in the nation.
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Today's Ynet has a surprising article which begins "The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews . . . is donating NIS 20 million (approximately $5 million) to pay the heating bills of 134,000 elderly people in need throughout Israel, ensuring that they will have a warm and safe winter. This is the first time in Israel that a philanthropic organization is transferring its donation directly to the Electric Corp., which will deduct the sum from personal electric bills of eligible recipients. . . ."
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On my last trip to your beautiful country in March, 2006, there was sleet and a bit of freezing rain, so I know it can get cold there, which surprised me. I hope to be visiting again early spring of 2011. Can't wait!!
ReplyDeletedon from SC
With all the oriental rugs that are made in the Middle East, why does anyone have to walk on cold concrete floors? What you describe are living conditions of the Middle Ages. Stone castles were cold places.
ReplyDeleteDon from SC, shalom. March was that cold? hmm...
ReplyDeleteHope your next spring visit will be more spring-like. Let me know when you're here.
Moneythoughts, haha, you have a point. I do have three small mats on the floor at strategic places. They are easy to take outside and brush clean. If I had a big rug I'd need a vacuum cleaner. I am into simplicity: the fewer things, the better.
Anyway, the bare stone tiles are nice and cool in the summer.
Middle Ages ... my best friends nearby really do live in a house built in the 12th century, by the Crusaders. I lived there in one room for 4 months, it was the greatest place ever!
I was in Jerusalem once for a winter blizzard. Our hotel was scrambling to get "heat for the Americans." To be sure we were not tough enough to deal with the cold.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of funny because I have an electric heater just like your heater. Mine is parked under my desk and when it gets really cold i turn it on low to warm the space under the desk where my legs go. It feels so good.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea it would get that cold from being there in July 2008. Stay warm my friend.
ReplyDeletei think westerners are a bit spoiled when it comes to having heat 24/7. i know when i visit my aunt/uncle in rome the heat is only on so many hours a day at a set temperature. they've no control of it. needless to say i adjust to it when i visit.
ReplyDeleteenjoyed your post as always.
have a lovely weekend.
erin
I've heard from other people that it can be cold there, I like your heating system but it won't be enough for my house. We use hot water bags also really nice for cold feet or neck. Stay warm.
ReplyDeleteOi vey! I'm glad to be wearing a warm Austrian suit coat from Innsbruck while reading your posting today!
ReplyDeleteNothing like the good old ways to keep warm!
ReplyDeleteYour description of how you keep warm is about the same as mine. Except for the electrical heater. I had one of those and it just seemed as if it took forever to heat up. Now a hot water bottle I've never tried. The cat does that job for me.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about the temperature retention of your stone buildings. Yeah, it does make sense. Your heating methods are quite effective although pretty rudimentary. From the sound of the philanthropic organization donating funds for heating bills, these temperatures are a bit below normal, but not unusual?
ReplyDeleteOh Dina, I thought you had a central heating in your house.
ReplyDeleteA new interesting perspective about the weather in Israel. I never thought about heating problems there...
ReplyDeleteThe organization did well paying the bills (or part of it) of the needy.
Thanks friends, I enjoy your WARM comments. :-)
ReplyDeleteChuck, yes, freezing point is not too common in Jerusalem.
January was our hottest January on record. Now we go to the other extreme.
That heater reminds me of the one I had when I was in the US.
ReplyDeleteYou opened the window at night? Why would you? Brrrr ...
But your punch looks warm (and beatiful too).
Keep yourself warm, Dina.
So do the old buildings retain the heat in the summertime? I grew up in an adobe house in Arizona, and in the summers, it was cooler inside, and in the winters, it was warmer. So adobe was perfect for the climate.
ReplyDelete