Ice Flowers

Nov 25, 2022

Our resistance is broken. Until recently we had forced ourselves to return to our bone-chillingly cold rooms, at least to sleep. But yesterday morning the windows were covered with ice flowers and no one could bring themselves to go back there in the evening. So we got our mattresses and blankets and made ourselves comfortable in the fireplace room. In the course of the night it cools down noticeably there, too. But in the morning we throw a few logs on the embers from the day before and the room fills again with thick warmth and coziness. Hans is the only one who still sleeps in his own room. I don't know how he can stand it.

We' ve collected firewood diligently in autumn. We were confident to get through the winter well. But if our consumption doesn't drop, we won't even make it till Christmas. Leo and Till can't help but cast meaningful glances in Jin's direction at every opportunity. She defiantly acts as if it didn't affect her. But I suspect that she does secretly reproach herself. It was Jin who pierced holes in our oil tank with a kitchen knife in spring. We were out of oil and Jin was determined to settle the matter. Never again should fossil fuels be burned in our house. The rest of us acted upset, but secretly we admired Jin for her consistency and drive. We agreed to upgrade to a heat pump. However, it turned out that craftsmen who install heat pumps are rare and busy. We finally got an appointment in June 2023.

In the summer, when it was hot and dry, the idea of us snuggling around our fireplace in the winter had something almost romantic about it. In the meantime, I think we have to concede that we made a mistake. Mistakes happen all the time in life, but they're not all the same. Some are ugly. But there are also beautiful mistakes. That's what our song is about, which will be released next week. More about that next time.