Things That Warm Your Cockles...

We've been in this extended cold spell, along with most of North America, for far too long. The thermostat clicks every 10 to 12 minutes, signaling the kicking-on of the furnace, which signals the whirling-dervishing of the gas meter, and I'm going to need a good stiff drink before I open the next gas bill. But this is, after all, northeastern Pennsylvania in January. Can't ask for a heat wave.

Want a temporary warm-up? A cup of cocoa with melted mini-marshmallows floating on the top. Real cocoa, not the powder in a packet kind.

Or cinnamon toast made the way my great-aunt Pru used to make it. Toast the bread, spread liberally with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, and a few minutes in the warm oven, (there's an additional warm-up). Slice it in three slender strips and savor. Once again, however briefly, I'm a six-year-old with a cold, and Auntie, childless herself, knew how to comfort her nieces and nephews.

How about this for a warm-up? Chicken noodle soup - not that stuff in the red and white can - but the real thing, simmering on the stove, while a pan of brownies bakes in the oven.

Don't you love the way the windows get all steamy and the drippage runs down the pane when you go on that Geeze-it's-freezin' cooking spree? Sure, you do. Go on that cooking spree, I mean. I can't be the only one.

Maybe you like the way it feels to put on a sweatshirt straight out of the dryer. Or socks.

If you have a fireplace, (I don't), you could toast your tootsies while you snuggle up with the Times' Sunday crossword. Wrapped in a cozy afghan. And maybe nodding off for 20 minutes or so.

Me? I got the warm-up of all time last night. Looked after my two youngest grandchildren for a couple of hours. We played a game, and we had ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. And then a bubble bath, which is their very favorite thing. As I was putting on my shoes to leave, the eight-year-old hugged me and said, "We're really lucky girls, Grandma. Know why? Because we have you for a Grandma."

If that doesn't warm the cockles of your heart right through February, maybe you better get started on that chicken soup.