methods of warmth.

Lately it has been absolutely freezing. not freezing in the sense of wind chills below -20, but freezing in the sense of 30 degrees and no indoor heating, a cold that chills you straight down to the bone. It was tolerable before, when we had wood for the bukhari and space heaters to unthaw next to...Mussoorie is now facing an electricity crisis which means that space heaters cannot be used at all, and the wood is at an all time low. Excellent. The past week has involved us trying to come up with ways to keep warm, and we have at times been forced to get pretty inventive. Here are the methods to our attempted warmth...
METHOD 1: In attempt to be proper scavengers, we purchased an ax in bazaar, this way, after we gather sticks and stumps illegally from the forest, we have a way to make them somewhat bearable in the stove....

...We are slowly, but surely mastering the art of axing.

METHOD 2: Sitting on top of the bukhari in attempt to absorb any possible bit of heat: note the hat and gloves, we don't ever take them off, and no, we are not trying to start a new accessory trend..
METHOD 3: the classrooms have gas tanks attached to some sort of heater, growing up without gas tanks around, I am still learning how to use them...the other day, I accidentally left the gas flowing with no flame, three of my students almost passed out on account of the fume intake. Also, one prep period I graded papers in front of the heater, bad idea. I was loopy for the rest of the day..

METHOD 4: hot water bottles. we have found this to be our saving grace, especially during the nights, it's pretty astonishing how quickly a bed can warm up with 6 wool blankets and 1 hot water bottle. Lauren and I are currently in the process of designing a full body hot water bottle suit that will help us never get cold (patent pending)

METHOD 5: wear as many layers as possible all the time. This usually involves a minimum of five shirts, three socks, thick hiking boots, a hat, gloves, hand warmers, two pants and NEVER showering for fear of those few minutes of excruciating cold that will follow. We have also found that alcohol sweaters are a very efficient means of warmth..

METHOD 6: staying in bed as much as possible. We have found that bed is the most efficient way to stay semi-warm. We usually venture in around 7 and stay until school the next morning..(some of you may have noticed my extreme involvement in facebook lately...this is due to finding ways of staying busy from bed)

My journal has never been so updated..

Note the computer, within reach..no need to leave!

Those are our current methods; suggestions for improvement or new methods are most welcome, and appreciated..we can only live like this while maintaining our sanity for so long....

The one nice thing about the cold weather is that we got snow and it is absolutely beautiful! Free entertainment is also provided by the students, many of whom have never seen snow before and therefore, have no idea how to walk, function or play in it..Woodstock is probably the only school where snowball fights are encouraged and involve staff and students alike..

In India, there is no such thing as four wheel drive. This is a very exciting thought when walking on the roads..