2008-12-31

New Year's Eve

Yesterday, I finally got the new furnace installed, after eight days with no heat.

On the night before Christmas Eve, we'd had a lot of snow. Then, during the day on the 24th, it started to rain. I'd already got the driveway cleared and then the plow went by -- twice. I was digging out from that before it had a chance to freeze when, around the corner came a young man (late teens, maybe) running with a shovel in his hand. He knew me from my work at the convenience store but hadn't realised I lived so close. He wouldn't accept any payment for his help.

He also told me about the local people with snowblowers clearing the sidewalks. I had initially been impressed by the speed with which our sidewalks were cleared -- except that the 'walls' of snow were neatly cut verticals, not pushed clumps like a sidewalk plow would do. Turns out, there's a blind woman in the neighbourhood who likes to go for walks. I'd seen her a couple of times in the summer. Each owner of a snowblower clears the sidewalk as far as the next house with a snowblower, so that she can get around without difficulty. These are the kind of people who live in my new neighbourhood.

At the convenience store, I'm continually impressed by the young people who get change back and immediately ask where our "charity box" is.

Now, I'm off to bed, so that I can be alert for work tonight. It should prove interesting.

I wish all of my readers (both of you) the best for 2009, with love from the Sonneteer.

2008-12-26

Well, so much for that idea ...

I had hoped to put down about half of what my ex gave me on the house but, now, I'm glad I held onto it for the moment.

Monday night, I realised that my furnace had died. I wasn't able to get through to the people who schedule the technicians until late Tuesday morning. Wednesday (Christmas Eve), the technician came. He hasn't seen one of these furnaces for about fifteen years. Apparently, it was on borrowed time. Tuesday afternoon I shopped for a new furnace. There was a possibility that I could have had it installed today, but they would have been here by eight if it was happening today ... so I guess it's tomorrow. That's okay, too, because I still have some large boxes to move before the installers get here.

Unfortunately, because of all the kafuffle involved with the furnace on Wednesday, I was awake during the day and unable to attend my planned holiday celebrations in the evening before going to work. I needed to sleep instead.

Yesterday, I went to see my Godkids and give them their gifts. They are so wonderful and I love them all so much. They gave me a lovely scarf in blues and greens. It's long and thin, so it can be folded widthwise and still be long enough to pull the ends through the loop -- as is the current fashion.

So, here I sit at my computer, huddled in my duvet, eating the last of my latest tortiere experiments. I have a heater going in the 'furnace' room, to keep the pipes from freezing in the two bathrooms and laundry room. Upstairs, I have the oven on with the door open while I'm here, but turn it off before I go out.

All in all, not a great week, but the visit with the kids more than made up for everything else.