Baby It’s Cold Inside

Recently our normally temperate climate experienced an unusual cold snap, complete with lots of snow and high winds. Unfortunately, our furnace chose to give out during said cold snap and our house temperature dropped precipitously. Even more unfortunate was the fact that there must have been several such furnace issues in our immediate vicinity because I was forced to wait a full 24 hours before a heating technician would be available. The final indignity? My hubby was on a golf trip and I was on my own.

At first I was resigned to bravely stick it out. You know, chin up and all that sort of thing. It didn’t take long, however, for misery to set in. It was so cold that I had to layer up. I couldn’t bear to get out of my pajamas so I wore them 24/7 with a hoodie and housecoat over top. I wore 2 pairs of socks and yes, I needed gloves. And as much as I wanted to take one, the thought of a shower was unbearable.

And When You Can Barely Feel Your Hands and Feet?

Thank goodness we have a gas fireplace and a heating pad. So I pulled back a heavy rug, rearranged some furniture up against the fireplace, plugged in the heating pad, burrowed under several blankets and prepared to spend the night on the sofa. I’m not sure, but I think I got no more that 3 hours of sleep, and there was still at least another 12 hours before I could possibly expect the Technician. (His estimated arrival was rather vague.)

However, there was a certain satisfaction in knowing that I was basically trapped and could legitimately opt out of any and all commitments, so I took full advantage. Besides, leaving the house to find warm refuge seemed like self inflicted torture, so there was nothing else to do but give in to the misery, cover myself in blankets, turn the heating pad on high and binge TV. Of course to soothe my mounting anxiety it was necessary to also eat as much junk food as I possibly could, knowing full well that I would ultimately regret every bite.

He’s Here!

After what seemed like an eternity, the technician finally arrived. He was pleasant and efficient and within about 45 minutes, he informed me the furnace was up and running. I thanked him and waved him on his way as I prepared to bask in blessed heat spreading throughout the house. And then, disaster struck…

A loud, piercing, beep beep beeping alarm suddenly went off. It was deafening and I panicked. I could see that his truck was still in the driveway, but I could also see the exhaust. The truck was running and he was preparing to leave. I am not exaggerating when I say that I flung open the door, ran out in the snow in my stocking feet, and began banging on the side of the truck. After 24 hours of inhumane suffering, there was no way I was going to let him leave me with that screaming alarm ringing in my ears.

Carbon Monoxide?

The technician sprung into action and I followed him to the furnace room, as he speculated aloud on potential issues. But the alarm was so loud that the only thing I heard was “maybe carbon monoxide.” Well that was an unfortunate choice of words. My brain was already anxious and I had visions of another sleepless night for fear I would die of carbon monoxide poisoning. (I freely admit that I am an over thinker)

Then as he was waving a carbon monoxide detector all around the furnace area, the alarm suddenly stopped. We looked at each other in both dismay and relief, except that he now wanted to make sure that it wasn’t related to something he had done, so another half hour of time was added to our bill.

A phone call to my husband confirmed that this had happened before and it was unrelated to either the furnace or the carbon monoxide detector. Phew…

Wait, There’s More!

As he prepared to leave for the second time, I asked the technician how long It would take for the house to warm up. With a straight face, he told me 3-4 hours max. When hubby phoned a few hours later for a status update, he told me it would take a day. (FYI, we have radiant in floor heating, the water in the pipes heats up verrry slowly and it’s an old system.) I didn’t ask how long a “day” was. I had been cold for so long that at this point it didn’t matter.

Besides, after all my trials and tribulations, there was ultimately a happy ending anyway. The house is now toasty warm and I didn’t die of carbon monoxide poisoning. I’d say that’s a win all around.