And boy it got damn cold in here. See the proof for yourself! Between last Friday through the Tuesday before Thanksgiving the temperature inside dropped from 60 degrees down to 44. [That's 15c to 6c - I need love and understanding from my peeps worldwide too!]. All the while waiting for a 2nd furnace part replacement - 2nd in just two weeks. This time the fan motor had failed and of course the one I needed was not in stock.
To add to this load of goodness, we had a once-every-25-years cold snap here in the Seattle area. Honestly, the combo of record cold weather and a broken furnace was starting to sounds like a bad dream or stereotype or something. But it was my reality. Record cold? We hit an official low of 14F (-10c). For us that's downright dangerous - we aren't equipped to deal with cold like this around here at ALL.
And then it started snowing. Beautiful, fluffy white snow. I had to pinch myself to remember this was pre-Thanksgiving, not January or February - our more typical months for snow if we get any! I'd been looking forward to getting out of the (cold) townhouse here and get into work, but the steep hills and my car (and my driving ability in snow) weren't a good mix. Thankfully, I can work from home.
Funny things happen when your house gets damn cold. It's rather surreal, for the power is on - I could still take hot showers, do laundry, watch TV, cook - I just didn't have any heat! Far different from our big snowstorm/blackout of 2006 where there was no power period. After a couple of days a strange, hibernation instinct welled up deep within me. And I burrowed. I burrowed deep in my bed with my wonderful polar fleece electric blanket, polar fleece PJ's, thick socks and a knit hat. Probably looked like a homeless woman in my own house! I knew the furnace fix was coming soon, and between the treacherous roads and getting a few things packed up to stay elsewhere was just too much hassle. So I rode it out. And I ate a lot of hot soup too.
When the repairman showed up last Tuesday (the same one who came out a few days prior when the 2nd part failed) I'd forgotten I was wearing my colbat blue Snuggie - a Christmas gift from one of my brothers last year. Ah, the polarizing Snuggie. Don't knock 'em, people. They WORK. I opened my garage and the repairman laughed when he saw me - oh my God, you're wearing a Snuggie! Yes, I was. Get over it and fix my furnace. Hilarious!
So, it's been an expensive end of the year, but I'm glad the fridge and furnace crap outs didn't happen when I had guests. The fridge died a day after my friend M stayed with me on a visit from Hawaii and the furnace Part Deux was just a couple days after my Silpada Jewelry launch party. Phew! I'd thought about doing a follow up open house that Saturday but I'm glad I didn't. Things happen (or don't happen) exactly as they're supposed to. No fridge = not enough cold. No furnace = too much cold. How much time we spend getting things just right for our own comfort!
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