FoxTrot Classics by Bill Amend for February 12, 2011

She must be nuts!!

That is too cold!!!

‘Good luck’ indeed.

Where do they live that it gets so cold their TV screen glazes over with ice?

Probably NE Derkins. It was zero out yesterday morning without the wind chill.

I know I’m a Scott, the dog pulls a blanket to her bed.

Hey, my mom didn’t turn on the heat in the winters. The heat kicked on automatically at 55 so the pipes didn’t freeze.

Half of NYC apartment tenants don’t get to control their heat, and we usually get the minimum allowable heating (68 during the day and 55 at night). It doesn’t always feel that warm, though.

So is Mrs. Fox just being green by keeping the heating down, or is she just cheap? That seems more of a dad thing, to me.

I don’t know about a dad thing. I’m a mom. Wear layers. Though we use carisen to help heat.

It’s mainly her idea of being both green and frugal, Erwinbert. That said, I think she’s carrying it just a little too far if she’s got the thermostat all the way down on 25 degrees F!

I worked for a small radio station once where the heating system broke down and we found frost all over the equipment when we arrived in the AM.

Fortunately the gear didn’t mind the cold, the station was still on the air, even if the staff had to wear their winter coats, hats and gloves inside until the HVAC guy got the furnace fixed.

I have always liked to keep it cold. I’m trying to keep that habit, but lately my my hands stay cold. A hazard of age. (55).

LegalEagle, you’re right about Mrs. Fox being cheap to an extreme. However, you’re exaggerating how cold she keeps it. Its actually closer to 37F. That’s warm enough to keep water from freezing, but cold enough for frost to form. I also like the Sunday episode where Paige is lying in bed under an enormous pile of blankets and Mrs. Fox asks, “So tell me princess, if were to place a frozen pea on the top would you still feel it?” Paige replies, “Ha, ha, I just wish you’d let me raise the thermostat.” And Derkins, in addition to my earlier mention of frost forming at 37F, I live in a desert in SE Utah and the last few nights its gotten cold enough to frost windshields. They could live anywhere in the US outside of Dixie.

Why doesn’t Jason just righ the thermostat to add an extra 30-40 degrees or so… I’m sure he could do it!

Wouldn’t the tv screen heat up enough not to have frost though? The back, for sure.