Taking the Chill Off

The past few mornings have been chilly, not cold enough to warrant our wood stove and definitely not cold enough to warrant turning on our expensive electric heater.

My mom came from a generation where the focal point of the home was the kitchen. If she wasn’t watching television (which she rarely did) or not creating a piece of art or working in her gardens, she was sitting in the kitchen, usually with a cigarette and a cup of coffee.

On mornings such as the one we’ve been having, she would say, “I’m turning on the oven for a bit, just to take the chill off.”

In a small home where the kitchen is oftentimes part of the living area, a few minutes with an open oven door on a chilly morning is all I need.

I turned on the oven yesterday morning just to take the chill off and though I don’t smoke, I sat and enjoyed my coffee, silently thanking my mom for the warmth on a chilly morning.