Cup O’ Joe: Falling into another season

Although fall officially doesn’t arrive until Saturday, with the arrival of the Autumn Equinox, my eyes tell me something quite different. Trees in southern Aroostook have slowly been making their annual change from green to warming yellows and reds for a couple of weeks now.
    Fall is by far my favorite time of year. Aside from the leaves changing colors; children go back to school. Thoughts start turning to the holidays in the months ahead. And of course, there is football.
But this year, however, my mood is different. I must admit, I have more of a sense of foreboding for the coming cooler temperatures. While I normally welcome the arrival of sweatshirt and fleece weather, I know all too well that it also means the time to fire up the furnace is not too far off.
Seeing as how the oil tank has not been filled since the end of last heating season, and fuel prices are more exorbitant now then they were last February/March, it is going to be a painful hit to the wallet for many households in The County this year. At last check, the price for heating fuel was hovering very near $4/gallon, which translates into $400-$1,000 to fill an oil tank.
My wife and I came from opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to home temperatures. I grew up in a house with a wood stove cranking, walking around in a T-shirt, because it was overly toasty at 76 or higher. My parents continue to heat their house in this manner, which is probably why our kids love to spend time over there in the colder months. My wife, on the other hand, grew up in a setting where her home was always cool for one reason or another, and learned that to keep warm meant piling on the layers, or curling up with a blanket.
We have always been frugal with the use of heat in our home. Some tell us we are too extreme because we do not turn the heat up like others. During winter, the heat is set at about 66 degrees during the day, while at night; it gets turned back to 58. It makes for a crisp morning for sure, but buried under a pile of blankets at night, it’s perfectly toasty.
During the day when our children complain, we tell them to put on a sweatshirt or sweater. Having a home with hardwood floors, while nice to look at, are not the warmest in the winter months either. That’s why our home has essentially turned into Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. When I arrive home in the winter, I grab a Patriots sweatshirt or fleece and find my pair of comfy slippers and am perfectly content.
Of course not everyone can live this way. Those with infants or elderly can’t live in such a manner and because of that, they are likely to build up ridiculously high heating bills this coming winter. Fortunately, there is an assistance program offered by the state for low-income families. LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) provides assistance to qualifying families. To see if you qualify, visit www.mainehousing.org.
What are some of the ways you are planning to keep warm once the temperature drops?
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.