Strange (Indoor) Weather We're Having...

I've found that cold winter temperatures bring about strange indoor weather patterns.

Since moving here from California, I've discovered that when it's cold outside (I mean really cold like -10F, not California cold like 45F), you're not so inclined to open up the windows to air out the house. Now, I like fresh air; I like to sleep with the window open. During winter, however, that's not really an option. The furnace is on almost constantly, recycling the same stale, dry air throughout your firmly sealed house. What do you suppose is floating around in that stale, dry air (and lots of it)?

For one thing, dust.

An evergrowing accumulation of dead skin cells, animal dander, dust mites, and other such lovely things that form a thick coating on everything because it has no place else to go. The mirrors, the TV, the table tops, the book shelves, and computer screens begin to take on a dull, gray finish and you eventually realize there's nothing wrong with your vision. You also realize that you now have to dust every day or your lungs will look like your TV screen.

But that's not all. Within this same atmospheric cesspool are germs, germs, germs. We bring them in from school, church, Walmart, friend's homes; and then they take up residence on doorknobs, countertops, and everything else that we touch. The problem is, we tend to contract those germs more easily and get sick during wintertime, not because of the cold weather, but because of the warm dry weather in our homes! It's true! Ever notice how your sinuses tend to dry out during the winter months? Mucous is what your body uses to flush germs out of your system. In a warm dry house where other people's cold germs have made themselves at home, you pick them up on your hands and then you touch your nose. Bingo! You get sick.

Then, there's "winter lightening." It's that snap-crackle-and-pop that goes on 24/7, but is most noticably at night, when you're tossing and turning in bed. It's dark, but you lift the blanket and see a dozen or so little sparks of light. Snap! Crackle! Pop! It's in your bedding, your clothes, your hair, your carpeting, and your cat. Those little dryer sheets are worthless, unless you can throw your whole house in the dryer. We finally found some anti-static spray at Radio Shack. We sprayed down the carpet, furniture and mattresses; and washed and dried all the bedding (with a double dose of dryer sheets). Then we were relatively static-free --- for maybe a week.

Now I understand where cabin fever comes from.