Thermal fluctuations

Summer temperatures along the northern Pacific Coast have been fairly even. Upper 60s in the day, upper 40s at night. An easy, predictable, twenty-degree cycle (unlike the big daily temperature swings in the desert). My “down alternative” quilt has been perfect under these conditions, and by perfect I mean I haven’t needed to think about my sleeping temperature at all.

However, the other night I woke up after a couple of hours because I was too warm. Okay. I switched to my lightweight blanket. That was better.

 Then I woke up later feeling just a little too chilly. I thought, “I’ll simply adjust my perception. The chill is like having air conditioning, right?” 

But I knew the night would continue to cool down until sunrise. I had lazily dumped the quilt on the floor, so I pushed the blanket aside and pulled the quilt over me. Of course, without my body generating heat the quilt was now cool, but in a nice cool-side-of-the-pillow way. And it warmed up quickly.

My struggle with the right bedding (and clothing) is usually an early spring/late fall thing as the seasons try to make up their mind. But the middle of August is late summer, and even autumn isn’t that different from summer in these parts. It must be me; an old geezer thing. Oh yay.