- continued from Frigid (part 3)
Again, I found myself missing my personal prodigal. If he had not been seduced by the temptations of evil, there would be no waking up to 45 degree (7.22 C) indoor temperatures or searching through closed suppliers for un-findable parts. My personal prodigal [fanfare plays] would not tolerate that kind of nonsense. He would buckle down and use his circuitboard-repairing super-powers to save the day.
That not being an option, I verified that Al's company accepts credit cards and let him know that he should order my new circuit board as soon as possible. Neither one of us had any idea how long it would take to get the part or find time to install it, so I gave him my cell phone number and told him that Anne and I would be at my parents' house until mine was warm again --he could get my key from my neighbor to get into the house and make the repair when the circuitboard came in.
I had Al help me disconnect my washer from its water supply so that I could drain the water from my pipes, then I sent him on his way. But before he drove off, he brought in two, temperature controlled, electric heaters to keep my house warm enough that my pipes would not freeze. I felt a little silly for having had him disconnect my washer for me. But I figured it would do no harm to drain the pipes. I would turn off my water main and open all my faucets before I left. It's better to be safe than sorry, after all.
After Al was gone, Anne and I proceeded to get busy getting the house as ready as we could, as fast as we could, for us to be gone for a long while. Mostly, that involved emptying out the fridge and taking my succulent houseplants over to my neighbor, but I also needed to pack my suitcase and take care of some other miscellaneous items (eg. putting out the garbage). We were ready to go by lunchtime, so we left the dog at home for a few minutes while we ran out for a very quick bite to eat then came back to collect him and were on our way.
Somewhere between 3 and 4 hours later, we rolled into Mom and Dad's driveway. They had already left for my brother's annual New Year's Eve bowling party, but the garage was open for us and we happily entered the house through it. Oh, sweet relief! Temperature-controlled furnished living areas! Anne and I removed our coats and turned on the television while we basked in the non-coldness.
That night, after missing the bowling party we made our way over to my brother's lake home to ring in the New Year. Appetizers, tacos, mixed drinks and birthday cake were our late-night fare, accompanied by a large gathering of family who all shared champagne after counting backwards to midnight.
Two days later, on Friday, we found ourselves again at my brother's house. I wanted a picture of the ice fishers on the lake behind his house to share with my friends from Texas. Besides, my nephew had volunteered to change my car's oil and I wasn't about to refuse a free oil change. (Oh, but he did not change my oil for me. My brother did that. Yay for brothers!) I was just pouring myself a Coke when my cell phone rang. It was my next-door neighbor.
I thought, "Uh oh. What's wrong now?"
It had only been one business day since Al had diagnosed my furnace and, the last time I talked to him, he was having trouble locating the part he needed to fix it. So I was reasonably sure the neighbor was not calling about with happy news. Our conversation went something like this:
"Hello?"
"Hi. It's your neighbor."
"Hi. What's up?"
"I'm just calling to let you know that the repairman is putting in your circuit board right now. You can come home whenever you want. Your house will be nice and warm when you get here."
"Really? So soon? Thank you so much for calling to let me know!"
And that is the story of how my furnace broke when it was 1 degree outside. It is also the story of how my furnace was repaired during the holiday season and within 48 hours of my distress call, when just about everyplace was closed.
Have you subscribed to the "A Writer's Blot?" feed? Blogger has a free feed service so that you can keep up on new posts. Use the subscription links in the right side panel to add Author Beth Durkee's personal blog to your feed.
Again, I found myself missing my personal prodigal. If he had not been seduced by the temptations of evil, there would be no waking up to 45 degree (7.22 C) indoor temperatures or searching through closed suppliers for un-findable parts. My personal prodigal [fanfare plays] would not tolerate that kind of nonsense. He would buckle down and use his circuitboard-repairing super-powers to save the day.
That not being an option, I verified that Al's company accepts credit cards and let him know that he should order my new circuit board as soon as possible. Neither one of us had any idea how long it would take to get the part or find time to install it, so I gave him my cell phone number and told him that Anne and I would be at my parents' house until mine was warm again --he could get my key from my neighbor to get into the house and make the repair when the circuitboard came in.
I had Al help me disconnect my washer from its water supply so that I could drain the water from my pipes, then I sent him on his way. But before he drove off, he brought in two, temperature controlled, electric heaters to keep my house warm enough that my pipes would not freeze. I felt a little silly for having had him disconnect my washer for me. But I figured it would do no harm to drain the pipes. I would turn off my water main and open all my faucets before I left. It's better to be safe than sorry, after all.
After Al was gone, Anne and I proceeded to get busy getting the house as ready as we could, as fast as we could, for us to be gone for a long while. Mostly, that involved emptying out the fridge and taking my succulent houseplants over to my neighbor, but I also needed to pack my suitcase and take care of some other miscellaneous items (eg. putting out the garbage). We were ready to go by lunchtime, so we left the dog at home for a few minutes while we ran out for a very quick bite to eat then came back to collect him and were on our way.
Somewhere between 3 and 4 hours later, we rolled into Mom and Dad's driveway. They had already left for my brother's annual New Year's Eve bowling party, but the garage was open for us and we happily entered the house through it. Oh, sweet relief! Temperature-controlled furnished living areas! Anne and I removed our coats and turned on the television while we basked in the non-coldness.
 |
| Ice fishers on the lake behind my brother's house |
Two days later, on Friday, we found ourselves again at my brother's house. I wanted a picture of the ice fishers on the lake behind his house to share with my friends from Texas. Besides, my nephew had volunteered to change my car's oil and I wasn't about to refuse a free oil change. (Oh, but he did not change my oil for me. My brother did that. Yay for brothers!) I was just pouring myself a Coke when my cell phone rang. It was my next-door neighbor.
I thought, "Uh oh. What's wrong now?"
It had only been one business day since Al had diagnosed my furnace and, the last time I talked to him, he was having trouble locating the part he needed to fix it. So I was reasonably sure the neighbor was not calling about with happy news. Our conversation went something like this:
"Hello?"
"Hi. It's your neighbor."
"Hi. What's up?"
"I'm just calling to let you know that the repairman is putting in your circuit board right now. You can come home whenever you want. Your house will be nice and warm when you get here."
"Really? So soon? Thank you so much for calling to let me know!"
And that is the story of how my furnace broke when it was 1 degree outside. It is also the story of how my furnace was repaired during the holiday season and within 48 hours of my distress call, when just about everyplace was closed.
The End... for now.
Have you subscribed to the "A Writer's Blot?" feed? Blogger has a free feed service so that you can keep up on new posts. Use the subscription links in the right side panel to add Author Beth Durkee's personal blog to your feed.
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