Back to being sick. Meg has a miserable cold/sinus deal. I relapsed on the digestive thing. Have become intimate with the commode. I took Wednesday off, sick as a dog. Spent the entire day (after going to school to put in lesson plans) in bed.
Thursday, I was a little better but decided to take the day off just to recupe some. It's a good thing I did! Got a call from my attorney saying that I was expected with him in court at 1:30! (This is an ancient divorce deal that has been going on for the past two years.) So...off I trudged to the City-County Building in Indy. Got back in time to pick up the children, take them to supper, get home in time to change Ryan's clothes for his Christmas program at church, and attend the program. Meg and I had an altercation that didn't make for a real pleasant time, but once home again, I got lunches ready for Friday, etc....then discovered, as everyone was in bed (and I was on my way there), that the house was getting cool. Hmmm...the pilot light for the furnace was out. No biggie. I relit it, but it didn't ignite the burner. By now, it was 10:00 PM, and I knew that we were going to get up to a cool house.
Friday, I was up at 5:00. Turned on the "fireplace" (which is a space heater) in the living room, then started the water distiller in the kitchen (which gives off considerable heat). Lit oil lamps for additional heat in Meg's and the children's bedrooms. Interestingly, it was only just below 70 degrees in the house at the time. Then it was decision time. Do I stay home and try to find someone to repair the furnace? Could Meg stay home? No matter...I had to go to school to put in lesson plans anyway...only to find that one of my classes had put the sub in tears the day before, and there were lots of subs that day. Meg was likewise somewhat stuck, so we took our chances to wait for the end of the day.
Ham radio to the rescue again! On my way to school, I was talking to a couple of radio friends, one of whom is a heating/cooling guy (Jim). The other (Adam) is a very capable and dear friend who said he would be at my house at the end of the school day--and was! Adam put in several hours working on the furnace, found a part at a hardware not too far away, drove there and back, put in the part, got the furnace going, and went on his way. He would not take any money for his efforts (which irritates me some). The part was pricey, but when you consider that I would have had to pay for that AND labor had the heating and cooling company that I called ever called me back, I am extremely grateful. Hey...this is Indiana, and it has been COLD since before Thanksgiving! Gotta have heat! (Even without heat all day, the house was only at 65 degrees although it never got over 30 outside. Amazing!)
The furnace in this little bungalow is the original, installed when the house was built in 1968, which makes it 40 years old. Time for a replacement? Jim--the other ham--armed me with the names of several capable friends who do furnace replacements reasonably. We will look at that after the first of the year.
In the meantime, I continue to be thankful for all of the help and support that I have had through the years from a "hobby" that has proved to be better than having a husband in the house!
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