Warm Comfort

Warm Comfort, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I bought this dog years ago for my daughter. It has a warm / cold bag inside that you can heat in the microwave so the dog turns into a sort of warm comfort. My daughter never took to it.

My cat, at the age of 15 is a heat seeker. I decided to try him with this dog and it was instant "friendship." He cuddles up contentedly.

Jan13/10: Warm

Jan13/10: Warm, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Each time I go out I pile on the layers from winter undergarments to my indoor clothes to the jacket, scarf and hat you see here. Sometimes my jacket hood is up with the snug collar velcroed shut leaving just my face exposed. We complain about the cold, the ice, the sleet, whatever there is. It's easy to complain when there is really little to complain about.

I watched the news with the devastating images from Haiti. I saw our Governor-General, Michaelle Jean, herself from Haiti, cry as she spoke of the tragedy. I sit in my warm home, with light and heat and clean running water and am reminded how good my life is. I will go to a warm bed tonight, in my well-built house and sleep under as many blankets as I want while so many suffer in Haiti and have always suffered from lives of extreme poverty.

Tragedies like this bring out the best and worst in people. Many donate money. On twitter someone posted that his son was being deployed to Haiti. Countries are sending resources and people to help.

Also on twitter someone said that it was good people died - it would ease the poverty as the "wealth" could be spread among fewer people -as if that is what will happen. A religious woman I know felt God was passing judgement on Haiti. I don't understand this attitude.

The inequalities in this world are enormous. How fortunate I am to have the clothes I need and more to keep me warm when the mercury dips down, a sturdy roof over my head and to live in a country where my medical needs will be taken care of.

Day 328: Warmth

Day 328: Warmth, originally uploaded by susanvg.

When the day is coming to a close and there has been little opportunity for a photograph, there are always the cats. My two senior felines, know how to get their needs met. They burrow into blankets as if in a sleeping bag and survey the world from their cosy nest.

As they get older, they spend more of their day sleeping, finding all the warm spots in the house, be it under blankets, in a sunbeam or under a lamp. They frequently curl up together, sharing their body warmth. I think there is nothing quite so relaxed as a sleeping cat, nor so relaxing as curling up under the blanket with them for warmth and a rhythmic purr.