Happiness is a Hot Water Bottle

[desayunoencama]

I have an electric kettle, which can boil enough water to both brew a pot of tea (right now I'm having a green tea with bergamot that a friend gave us as a wedding gift) and fill my new hot water bottle, which has done wonders for helping ease my back pain.

It's such a simple thing, the hot water bottle, and cheap, too (this one set me back a mere €2.50 and came with a cute fuzzy casing, even). I don't know how or why I've never had one before.

Comments

[drpearce.livejournal.com]

They'r not that common in the US, maybe that's why -- I saw my first when we moved to Canada when I was a kid, and when we moved back here, it took my wife forever to find one -- as a matter of fact, I think my mother in law brought us one when she came to visit.

[desayunoencama.livejournal.com]

I know, the kettles are so practical and yet so unknown in the US. Weird.

[drpearce.livejournal.com]

oops - never mind -- I was talking about the kettle, and you weren't. Gotta quit scanning at work.

'Cause...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

You're older than you ustta be, but not as old as you're gonna be...

They used to be used a lot with sick kids and the elderly, slightly more recently than bed warmers. They have two shortcomings: 1) The water doesn't stay hot. 2) The water constantly tries to escape.

The electric heating pad has replaced it in most cases. They don't leak or go cold.

Re: 'Cause...

[desayunoencama.livejournal.com]

I'm not crazy about electric heating pads or electric blankets. For one thing, electrical hazzard, etc. And pesky cords always get in the way, too.

The water stays hot long enough, I think, and then you just change it after a few hours.

You probably shouldn't have direct heat for such a prolonged period of time (ie longer than the water stays hot), anyway.

[zoe-trope.livejournal.com]

There are hot water bottles everywhere in Denmark. Not sure why they aren't more common in the states -- probably more energy-efficient than electric heating pads.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

I've had one since 1984 when I discovered their existence. They are fantastic, aren't they?

[zevinboots.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I might need to look into getting one, especially since it's starting to get cold here.

(Er, which means it's dropping below 10 degrees Celsius at night, says the former New Englander who cannot quite believe that he's already gotten spoiled enough to whine about the "cold.")