Things Heat Up - or They Don't

In 2010, we replaced our original 1886 ("Burns wood or coal!") octopus furnace with a "high efficiency, modern" model. Not a day goes by when I have not cursed its inefficient, loud system; our old furnace may have been temperamental sometimes, but gravity heat was amazing.

My father-in-law, who is housesitting, told us yesterday that the heat was struggling to stay above 60 degrees, and today it was red-tagged after we finally found someone this afternoon to come take a look at it (kind of a struggle from 1,200 miles away on the day after Thanksgiving). The fact that a 10K furnace lasts only 15 years — SUCKS. 

We start the drive back tomorrow and will arrive Sunday night to...a lot to handle.

These 4-to-5-figure housing expenses a couple of times a year (this is on top of a huge landscaping debacle at Summit just last week that will that will likely cost 8-10K to rectify) are getting really stressful.

But I am incredibly grateful for friends: for Jessica, who brought my FIL a plate of Thanksgiving dinner last night, for Jennifer who walked to the store to get a furnace filter for us as we tried to troubleshoot from here, and for Jason and Dan who brought over space heaters, took my father-in-law (who can't currently drive) out to get some supplies, and generally got things set up there and then called to reassure me it would be alright.

We're going to get through this, right?


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