It was determined by brains bigger than my own that there were many possible solutions to Alice’s chilly corner of the room, a corner made worse and not better by blasts of hot air from a wall heater. Thank you, Readers!
I decided to go with the air flow deflector, also known as a “heat flow deflector,” because it would be quick, easy, and cheap. I asked my dear friend Thalia if she wanted to go with me to a favorite hardware store.
Thalia
Off we went. It warms my heart just to see the front door of this place because Meg and I have wandered around in a happy daze there so many times, ending up with essentials like shower caulk, picture hangers, food bag clips, etc.
Thalia and I made our purchase and headed to The Place where Thalia explained the air flow deflection concept to Alice. The deflector has magnets. Simply place it on the heater and let the hot air flow up or sideways or anywhere except in the direction of your La-Z-Boy rocker.
Thalia explains air flow deflection to a doubtful Alice.
But Alice was mostly focused on Thalia’s hat. “It’s just so like you, Thalia,” she said. This was true. An extremely cute hat.
Thalia put the deflector in place.
Thalia installs air flow deflector.
Seconds later she pulled it away from the heater because it started to warp and the glue was melting.
Uh-oh.
It was extremely hot to touch.
Plastic is the only material they’re made of, and some online reviewers had warned of the possibility of melting. (However, on my wall heater at home, the deflector is fine, so it depends on the temperature of the air flow, of course.)
We talked of other possible solutions. Alice remembered that, even as we spoke, a shawl was being shipped to her from a distant relative in Iowa who had heard about the heating dilemma.
The shawl led us on to the topic of clothes, and Thalia told a story about her mother, Sophia.
Thalia periodically visits her mother in Los Angeles where Sophia lives in an apartment. She has a lot of friends (she calls them her “posse”), and she loves to shop. Sophia is a vital and happy 92 year-old woman.
Nevertheless, she’s aware of the fact that she is 92. For the past few years, she has kept a dress in the back of her closet that, she sometimes reminds Thalia, she wants to be wearing on the occasion of her funeral.
“And don’t forget the shoes,” Sophia says. “Don’t bury me without my shoes.”
Thalia has agreed. She’s clear on the chosen dress and the importance of the shoes.
But on this particular visit, her mother took Thalia into her bedroom and pulled a new dress from her closet.
“I’m not sure,” Sophia said. “Maybe I should wear this dress for my funeral instead of the other one.” She held it up for Thalia to appraise. “What do you think?”
To help her daughter reach a decision, Sophia took the other dress from the closet and held it next to the new one. The original dress has ruffles at the neck and a pleated skirt; the new dress was more of a classic shirtwaist style.
“Maybe the ruffles are a bit too much for the occasion?” Sophia asked.
Thalia leaned back in her chair. “I’m not sure,” she said. “There’s only one way to tell. Try each one on, then lie down on the bed and I’ll let you know which one looks better.”
Thalia and Sophia dissolved into laughter.
“Sophia has always been stylish,” Thalia said. “That’s the legacy of her early days as a ‘career girl’ at Macy’s in New York City.”
See how lovely this mother:
Sophia in New York.
Sophia in Los Angeles.
Cheered, Alice and Thalia and I returned to the question of heat. Should we try a fireplace screen as suggested by John?
Heating pad, mats, etc., are forbidden at The Place, but I went online and found something called a “Body Bean.” It’s just a bag of saline solution with a brightly colored cover on it and this remarkably hairless man to hold it in place. $10!
Cordless heating pad.
The Body Bean marketing people say you only need to plug it in for fifteen minutes and it gives you four hours of heat. It might feel good on Alice’s back and warm her up.
Or maybe we could rethink all the cords already plugged into all the power strips and try again to reconfigure the room.
But Alice wanted to move on. “Spring is coming,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”
It’s amazing the faith we have in spring to solve our problems (or forget them for a while). And why not, when there are beds of violets tucked under the trees?
Violets.
Photo by Cheryl Ramette.
This is fun:
