BRRRRRRR When I first checked the temperature/wind chill this morning the actual temp was -11. The wind chill factor was -30. I heard on the news that temps in Alaska were warmer than in NE Ohio!
My day didn't start out as I had planned - you know snuggling under a pile of blankets knowing you didn't have any set agenda; no specific place to be at a certain time. Those kind of days are rare. Anywho - I woke up, looked at the clock and it was 5:30 (the internal alarm; that is my daily wake-up time) and thought "ahhhh, I can sleep a couple of more hours". I felt a little cold so I reached for the extra afghan I've been keeping on the bed for just such occasions. I was getting all cuddled and tucked in and had this thought, "If the air on my face is this cold, it must be time for the furnace to kick on." I waited and waited and waited - still didn't hear the furnace. My next thought was "OH S _ _ _!" I jumped out of bed, grabbed my warmest robe and headed to the thermostat. I keep it set at 68. The temp in the house was 63. I heard the motor but there was NO HEAT.
Being the independent woman I am I knew exactly what to do . . . I called my son-in-law, the family heating/cooling specialist. Honest. He's certified and everything. Got his voice mail so I left a message.
I had no choice but to go into survivor mode. I built a fire (don't they always do that on survivor?) in the fireplace. I turned the furnace off, went down to the furnace room and looked the situation over. The light bulb came on! The one in my head . . . I remembered what to do! Warning: There may be technical jargon used and understood only by us survivors.
My outtake is a PVC pipe on the front of my house with the opening pointed up. It is under the overhang and only gets snow in it when it's windy. This is the third time it happened. The first time it happened, the service person I called explained it all to me and even let me hold the bucket! He rigged it up so I could fix it my self (long as I have someone to hold the bucket) and save myself $90. What I needed to do was wiggle the coupler around so I could separate the pvc pipe in the basement and aim the open end at a bucket. Then I needed to go outside and pour hot water in the outtake pipe, melting the snow, which would drain into the bucket. I couldn't budge the coupler. My hands aren't big enough to get a grip around the pipe. So, I stoked the fire and I waited until 7:15 and called my DS. He's taller and has larger hands. With a lot of wiggling and a little jiggling he got it loose. I put the tea kettle on and he went out to melt the snow and I went down to hold the bucket. (since I am the experienced bucket holder, I couldn't see wasting my experience by going out in the sub-zero temps to do the melting). It wasn't long before the pipe was cleared and the water drained to the basement. I went up and restarted the furnace and VOILA` - I had heat. I think the coldest it got in the house was 56.
What an adventurous way to begin the day! I'm thankful for my fireplace. I have often toyed with thoughts of converting it to gas. I don't because at least once a year I need it for heat and wood burns much hotter than gas. I'm also thankful for my wood pile. I am also thankful for my DS and his strong hands.
Time for lean cuisine again. A protein shake would take the edge off my hunger but I'm not sure I can drink something so freezing cold.
Ciao, everyone.
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