Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Windy Tuesday

Last night, I put another knitted blanket on my bed for extra warmth and slept very well (daughter had a small space heater on in her room).  The house registered 64F when I woke up, this morning, which is not horrible.  Of course, you all know that I prefer the house to be at least 70F.

This morning, even before I had drunk my morning cup of tea, I called the gas company and explained about the heater going off.  They asked a series of Covid-related questions, which I appreciated very much, because, according to our latest numbers, one in every three people in Los Angeles county is testing positive for Covid and, last week, there was one Covid-related death every 6 minutes in the the county; the more people taking precautions the better, in my opinion!  They promised to send someone over today.  They couldn't give me a time, but, assured me that it was on today's list of service calls.  I verified that the technician will be wearing a mask and assured them that we will be masked up, too.

Approximately one hour later, one of their service technicians showed up!  He checked the heater (a 15 point check, he said), found everything to be fine, the heater was venting properly and no gas leaks were detected, and relit the pilot light.  He was a bit concerned about some soot marks on the wall on either side of the heater and asked me about them, but, I told him that they had been there for at least a couple of years.  He said that it was an indication that there had been some earlier problems, but, everything seemed fine, now.  He urged me to get a carbon monoxide detector and also to call for an annual service check, in the fall, that a technician will come out and make sure everything is fine before the winter heating season began.  I shall definitely do that.  There was no charge for the service call, which was an added bonus! 

It has been a windy day, with gusts of strong winds blowing from time to time.  Today's daytime highs are supposed to be in the mid to upper 60s, which is about the normal temperatures for this time of the year for us.  Last week's 80s were unusual.     

I made uppuma (or upma) for breakfast, which is made with semolina.  Then, I brought in the trash cans from the curb (trash was collected this morning), practiced the piano, and did a load of laundry (the dust sheets from the family room sofas - I call them kitty fur protectors!) 

It is afternoon as I write this.  Plans for the rest of the day include watering the houseplants (garden might have to wait until tomorrow when it might be less windy), doing some paperwork, watching a little news, and piano lesson in the evening.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The gas company technician's visit

- A working heater

- The heater didn't need to be replaced

- No charge for the service call

- Weekly trash collection services

Today's joyful activity was getting the heater to work again!

How is your day progressing?

14 comments:

  1. I'm glad your heater got the okay from the service man and that you didn't have to pay for the visit. 64F is a bit chilly, no wonder you prefer it warmer. I find even 70F in the house can feel cold if it is damp weather. We are really into winter again now, with temperatures well below freezing and plenty of snow around. I like an extra blanket on the bed, too!

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady; he set the heater at 70F before he left and daughter cranked it up to 74F, a little later. Even so, I am wearing both a sweater and a cardigan! We are having really strong winds right now and this evening, I discovered that I have no hot water! The water heater is located outside (earthquake safety requirement) and, I guess, although it has a metal cover around it, the pilot light went off for the wind? If it's not one thing, it's another, right? Hope you keep warm and safe in those low temperatures!

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  2. Every single thing about the technicians visit is fantastic! Glad you have your heat up and running again and got it done safely. I'm a lot like you, I don't like the cold. I usually keep my heat set at 70. People in other parts of the country would think we are crazy lol!

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    1. It was a very good service call, wasn't it? I guess 68F is the ideal temperature for energy efficiency and so forth, but, that is too cold for me. I don't require air conditioning in the summer, but, I want a warm house in the winter! It is my one luxury!

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  3. It’s cold here today. I keep my house at 73F, and even then sometimes I have to wear a sweater.
    I’m glad you got the heater checked.
    Stay safe, Bless. COVID numbers look very bad in your area.

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    1. Yes, 73F is a good temperature, but, I, too, will need a sweater (just can't take the cold, anymore). Thank you, Nil; you, too - stay safe!

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  4. I'm glad you've had your heater checked out and that it's working okay. Yes, definitely get a carbon monoxide detector. I'd put off getting one for ages but it's so important and, in the end, it only took me a couple of minutes to order one online. I test it along with my smoke detector every month. X

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    1. Thank you, Jules. Yes, my daughter ordered the CO detector and it should be shipped in the next couple of days. :)

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  5. I'm glad you got your heating back on and no charge for the work was a bonus. Let's hope it's the same for the hot water.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. I called one of my neighbors and left him a message asking if he can check on the water heater for me. I am waiting to hear back from him. If he can't attend to it, then, I will call the gas company out, again (I just felt reluctant to call them out two days in a row!)

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  6. That's good news about your heater. It makes such a difference when you're warm and comfortable. I am sitting by the fire, with a hand knit alpaca throw on my lap. It's so cozy.

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    1. Thank you, Stephenie. A warm house does make a lot of difference. Sitting by the fire with a warm knitted throw on your lap sounds very cozy! Stay warm and enjoy the snow!

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  7. gosh I didn't realise covid had gotten to that level in your area. Thank goodness you and your daughter (and hopefully everyon) are safe. Upma for breakfast? YUM!!!

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    1. Yes, and now they have identified a new variant of the virus that is being called the California variant! It's pretty bad out here, with hospitals running out of ICU beds, etc. Upma is one of my favorite breakfasts. :)

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