Mary, Kevin,
All I can say is thank God for the invention of the furnace! We have a fireplace, and I love it, but it's pain in the A** to bring in the wood, light the fire, etc. I can't imagine that being a necessity!
I can relate to cold being relative! We have pretty hot summers up here, and when it get's below 50, we turn into a bunch of whining wussies, too!

Tim