The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Okay, I'm kinda busy--recharging 'm not an impulse buyer in any way shape or form. I rarely buy something significant without careful consideration and research. Okay, I'm cheap-- `nuff said. But last weekend, I made an impulse purchase, with virtually little or no thought. I know it's been a mild winter, and we're now into the month of February, and it feels like late fall out there. But it's still cold, just not bitterly cold. My bedroom has traditionally been cool. There's no ductwork upstairs in the farmhouse so the only heat that gets up there is the warm air that makes its way up the stairwell. We're not talking a blast of hot air by any stretch. Over the past couple months, I have been using a little heater to take the edge off the room, especially in the early morning when my feet hit that cold floor. But last weekend I fell victim to impulse. It was partly co-worker Kevin's fault. He mentioned in passing how he saw electric fireplaces selling at unbelievable prices. Something cheap... er, inexpensive? Hey, I'm all ears. I took a tour to the store to check out the sale items. Not one fireplace that was on sale turned my crank. They were all little ones, with tiny little 22 inch fireboxes. They looked like they belonged in a doll house. But there, on the other side of the display was my `beauty.' I was smitten-- full size, solid cherry wood mantel and front (veneer on the sides-- can't have it all I guess.) It was everything I'd ever imagined in my bedroom-- within reason, of course. One problem, it wasn't on sale. Grumbling to myself I left, then returned after I decided I was worth something better than a `sale item.' Okay, I bought it. Since co-worker/best friend Kevin was in the area (the fool answered his cell phone) I called him to my aid and he arrived with his truck like Tonto to the Lone Ranger. (I ain't no A TED BIT Ted Brown fool, having him deliver it to my place meant I had a hand hauling the 210 lb. puppy up the stairs-- those very `steep' stairs.) By 6 p.m., I was curled up in my favorite swivel rocker in front of the `fire' with the warmth of the heater making my bedroom cozier than it's ever been in my life. I stayed there for a bit... okay, I was only there for two full days-- I DO have to work once in a while ya know. The heater is programmed to increase in the evening, and shut off in the morning, conserving hydro-- not much of an issue as the brochure claims it costs 8 cents an hour to run both heat and flames for the 4,500 BTU heater. The heating is the icing on the cake. The real appeal is the atmosphere it projects-- warm, cozy, almost dreamlike, as the flames flicker and dance, and I battle to keep my eyes open. I recently read how a bedroom is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place where one escapes the stress and demands of the world, a place to rest and re-charge one's batteries. After this past weekend, I'm a believer. I can hardly wait to get home at night, curl up in my easy chair to watch TV or listen to music. So if you're trying to get hold of me, it may be something of a challenge. You see, I'm busy, recharging my `batteries'.