The 15th of December is our usual annual holiday.  It is the date that for the 50th year we are turning in the heat.  It used to be all the 18 apartments in our building who participated in this rejoicing.  The hot water pies under our floors would be turned on and we would no longer be walking on cold floors.  This form of heating went out of style long ago as people began using air conditioners and thought it was cheaper to heat the specific areas they used.  Before those days, we had kerosene heaters, we would take outside  to ignite and then crowd around them all evening.  Later there were gas heaters, and they were also local but less smelly.  I used to make my cholent on the heater.  

But one night, when my daughter was small and suffering from pneumonia, I fell asleep in the chair by her bed and was awakened by the smell when the gas cord disconnected from the wall spigot.  I rushed to open the windows so i could see by the rainlight what was going on – and though there was no moon – only storm – i could see the cord wriggling along the floor.   

When I moved into this apartment the heated floors seemed to me the height of civilization.  It is not dry, like AC, but almost unassuming.  Almost normal.

it isn’t that expensive either.  And all the others who had their pipes removed are rarely invited in to our place….