Thursday, November 24, 2011

Not A Happy Thanksgiving

Once again, I find myself struggling without an end in sight, without a way to surmount a problem. I get tired of constantly feeling beaten down, of having to fall back on "it is what it is", shrugging, and walking away to less than it was before.

It was chilly in the house this morning but that is often the case on cool mornings now. I checked the thermometer and it's reading 62. Well, that's not good. I can't get the furnace to come on. I have tried everything I know but nothing. We're up to 64 because I have the oven running at 200 and the oven door open.

Carole called to wish me a happy Thanksgiving and found herself trying to long-distance trouble shoot. I did, after 15 minutes of searching, find the model number of my furnace. I took the top door off the front to find the sticker and now, of course, can't get the door back on. It seems to me there is no 'pilot light', nothing that ignites the gas. And, no, there is no gas smell. That's always the first thing I check. I've pushed switches and toggled buttons but nothing. I felt badly for my daughter. She called to just chat and walked into a problem that has me in tears.

David wonders if all the gas use to cook turkeys today has the safety tripped. Once the cooking is over, perhaps the gas pressure will come back up and the furnace will kick in again. The other suspect is the pressure switch itself. It seems to be the most likely piece to break.

I'll just wrap up in extra blankets and clothes and hope, against hope because nothing really works out for me, that the furnace will kick in later. I have $200 to put towards a repair. That's it. It cleans me out completely. I would get paid in a week when I could afford more of a repair. That then gets into what does or does not get paid within the next month. The gas company can't shut off my gas in the winter so I have that going for me even if I can't pay the bill in full every month.

The weather is supposed to be in the upper 50's for the next few days with a chance of snow on Sunday. Next week, it's to be in the upper 30's and low 40's. The girls and I could handle this week. Next week might be tougher. Keeping the oven on helps with that part of the house but does nothing for the electric bill. I guess I can look at it that if I'm not using gas for the furnace, I don't have that expense.

I've been in my robe all morning. It's warm and comfy. I don't feel like a happy thanksgiving at all, but it is what it is. Time to make some tea.

Beverage:  none

Deb

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