Columnist Carl Kline: Warmth important on cold winter nights

Posted 1/22/24

It was 9 degrees on a recent morning, with a wind chill of 12 below. Apparently, we’re coming out of the worst cold so far this winter, with projections in the 20’s and even 30’s this coming week. Given our changing climate, maybe we will have spring in February this year. Wouldn’t that be a South Dakota first.

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Columnist Carl Kline: Warmth important on cold winter nights

Posted

It was 9 degrees on a recent morning, with a wind chill of 12 below. Apparently, we’re coming out of the worst cold so far this winter, with projections in the 20’s and even 30’s this coming week. Given our changing climate, maybe we will have spring in February this year. Wouldn’t that be a South Dakota first.

The bedroom is probably the coldest room in the house. Built in 1890, our house uses hot water heat with a radiator in each room. The one in the bedroom makes noises whenever the thermostat is turned down, or when the furnace is turned on, but it doesn’t give off much heat. I’m sure it could be fixed. Maybe it just needs to be bled. But I’ve always said I like to sleep cold, and I’m not quite ready to change my mind, at least as long as I have warm covers.

Which brings me to my main subject this morning — warmth.

On the bed to cover me on these winter nights is a sheet, a blanket, a quilt and a quilt. Two quilts. But the top one is the one I want to talk about. It’s old. It was made by my grandmother, Rose Wallace. Rose adopted my mother as an infant. She used to say she found my mother on her doorstep one morning; but of course that wasn’t true. At one point I sought and found the original adoption records in an Erie, Pennsylvania, courthouse.

Grandma Wallace lived with us as I was growing up. My earliest memories include her and she was part of my life until her death my last year of college. She wasn’t very physically active as she had broken her hip; it didn’t heal well and she walked with a crutch. But that didn’t keep her hands from being busy, and one of my most frequent memories is of her sewing with needle and thread and focused attention on the next stitch.

The quilt in question is 6 feet long by 6 feet wide. It is made up of multicolored squares, each 1 1/2 inches square. The stitching is done by hand with the backing sewn on the edges and attached with periodic ties. The time and effort that must have been required makes it priceless. And, it is warm! I want my 6-foot frame hunkered down in the bed so it covers me completely! Here is proof that someone can provide warmth for several generations that follow!

There’s another quilt with history and warmth. It’s stored in the chest at the moment. It was on the bed last winter. It’s a star quilt. It was given to me at a Coming of Age ceremony in the Rosebud Reservation. I was surprised and honored when the young honoree walked over to me with this beautiful gift. It was made by her Lakota grandmother. Several times, when visiting the family, I had been reminded of my own grandmother as she was busy sewing. She never spoke to me and I assumed her English was limited, as she always spoke with family members in Lakota.

Then one day I went out of my way to do a favor for the family, especially supporting her grandson in difficult circumstances. As I returned to their home with him, she called me over to where she was sitting. She began to tell me stories and her story (all in English), and I was entranced and speechless for a long time. When she finished, I thanked her and felt the warmth of a new relationship. That warmth remains in the quilt, even after her departure to the Spirit world.

And it’s not just quilts. We sometimes forget that we can provide warmth to others, even in the most difficult of circumstances. I so appreciate people who greet you with a smile. It warms me. Especially since smiling is not a natural tendency for me, unless something is obviously humorous and laugh worthy. I recognize this as a flaw in my make up. I’ve even considered putting a smiley face on the bedroom ceiling, so when I wake up in the morning I’ll see it and smile. Still, I’m grateful for others to whom it comes naturally and resonates warmth.

Words can warm. It’s interesting how, especially in rural South Dakota, conversation often starts with the weather. And on cold days, it’s like we can’t have a warm conversation until we retire the obvious cold all around us. Just talking about it warms us up a bit. Recognizing reality always brings a bit more warmth and comfort than denial and ignorance.

My hope is that these words and reflections might share some warmth with those who read it.

Or perhaps it will stimulate some thinking about what warms us in the direst days of winter. For me, today, the sun is shining and our south-facing windows in the living room will warm my back and make me smile; until dark and grandma Wallace’s quilt.