Monday, November 7, 2022

Rainy Days and Mondays and Furnace Checks

Guess Who is Sleeping in the Blueberry Planter?


It's Mama Cat, Ignoring Her Box!

It started raining, a fine drizzle, actually, very early in the morning; I only noticed that it was raining when I looked outside around 2:30 a.m., when I was getting ready for bed.  It was still drizzling when I woke up this morning and it continued to drizzle during most of the day, clearing only around 4:30 p.m.  A rather grey day and cool, with a temperature of 61F both inside and out!  

I called the gas company to confirm that I was still on the schedule for the furnace check this afternoon and scheduled an appointment for lab work to be done prior to my appointment with my primary care physician later in the month.  Then, I got started on the "to do" list I had made for myself: I did a little dusting, cleaned the fridge, cleared the kitchen counters (again), replaced the battery in the family room clock and reset the time, replaced the batteries in the TV remote control, watered the indoor plants, took the trash cans out to the front of my driveway, and did a little paperwork (a lot more paperwork to be done).  

The gas company service technician showed up around 4:00 p.m. and checked the furnace.  He needed to readjust the pilot light flame to get it to ignite and I explained about the delayed ignition problem we have had.  He said the furnace itself is a good one with several safety features built into it, but, having the pilot light flame being kept so high, there is a chance that the ignition device which detects if the pilot light is lit or not will need to be replaced sooner rather than later.  But, he said that doing the annual safety inspection will help with knowing when to replace it.  He also suggested that I got a second carbon monoxide detector, so, that's another item to add to my "to do" list.  I left the furnace on with the thermostat set at 70F and sat in the living room, near the heater, until it turned itself off once it reached 70F.  Since the heat spreads through the house through diffusion, the temperature in the family room is 68F.  At one time, I'd have said that was a bit chilly for me, but, after the past few days, 68F feels quite comfortable (I'm still bundled up, though - wool socks I hand knitted and partially felted on purpose for added warmth; sweatpants, a sweatshirt, a wool sweater, and a knitted poncho over that, and a scarf around my neck; I was wearing my fingerless mitts earlier, before the furnace was serviced, but have removed them, since.)

I had the leftover cup noodles for brunch, today, with cooked ground turkey (from the freezer) added to it and reheated in the microwave.  For dinner, I had Eetch - a type of Armenian salad (which can also be eaten as a main dish), similar to tabbouleh, but, not quite:

Eetch - Compliments of Neighbor S

It has bulgur wheat, tomatoes, onions, herbs, and I think S added some chopped cucumber pickles, as well.  It was quite delicious and I have leftovers for another couple of meals.

My daughter had to do a presentation at the conference, today, on a paper on which she is the first author and participate in a panel discussion.  She was nervous and excited about it because this was only the second time she has done a paper presentation at a conference.  She had prepared her slides and practically memorized her presentation, but, even so, she said she stumbled over a couple of words during the presentation, but, she corrected herself and continued.  Tomorrow, she will be doing a poster presentation on behalf of a colleague who is unable to be there in person.  But, she said that poster presentations are easy as all one has to do is be available to answer any questions that might be asked about the poster and its information, etc., not give a formal presentation.  She went out to dinner with her friends, again, this evening, so she's having some fun, too.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The heater passed the safety check
- A warm house
- S bringing me another delicious meal
- Daughter had a good day at the conference
- The much needed rain

Today's joyful activity was having the furnace checked and working!

More rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.  I will continue to do my paperwork and make another pot of soup, I think.  

This week's meal plan will include fried rice with ground turkey, turkey/vegetable soup, and eetch.  

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

16 comments:

  1. Nice that you were able to get your furnace checked. I wish our days were a little cooler. I think it was in the high 80's today and it was very muggy. I am ready for real fall!

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    1. I'm very glad that the furnace has been checked and I feel comfortable switching it on when the house gets to be a bit too cold for me. Oh, I wish it was still in the 80s, here! That's my comfort zone! Want to switch places? :D

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  2. I'm glad your furnace passed its inspection, especially after the problems you had last year with the pilot light etc. 68F/20C is the temperature I set on the thermostat for my home. It's easy to manually call for more heat if I feel chilly but usually that temperature is fine for me. I haven't turned the heating on yet as I'm warm enough with just a blanket over my lap or my oodie if I start to get too cold.

    It sounds like your daughter had a good day and her presentation went well.

    I had to Google eetch. It sounds very tasty and think it'd make a good light lunch. I'll maybe try it one day but probably not until next year ... it's the sort of food I like to eat in the warmer months.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen; the delayed ignition is still a bit of a problem, but, the heater is safe to operate. I had it on in the evening, but, turned it off before I went to bed. Then, this morning, I turned it on, again, until it warmed up the house, and then, turned it off. It's wet, windy, and 60F outside, this afternoon; but, warm and cozy inside! :)
      Eetch will be a good summer meal, but, I believe it can be eaten warm, too.

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  3. So happy to know that you have your heating on! I'm sure your daughter gave a lovely presentation and I am glad to hear that she is having some fun, too.
    We had a delicious chicken and rice meal delivered to us on Sunday by a young neighbour friend from the road round the corner. It was enough for 2 days!

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. Now, I need to get over feeling guilty than I can have the heat on when so many others in the world aren't able to, either due to lack of fuel or the price of fuel. :( I warmed up the house, yesterday, then, turned the heat off when I went to bed. Warmed up the house, again, this morning, and turned it off. I plan to keep it off until evening; I'm all bundled up and the house tends to retain the heat.

      Glad to hear that your neighbor brought you a meal, too, and there was enough for two days. :) Plates of food being passed around your neighborhood, too!

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  4. Well thank goodness the heat is on! lol
    You are so bundled up, Bless. oh my goodness I was chuckling as I read about what you had on.
    You must be so happy to have the inspection done so now you can turn the heat on when you need it.
    I'm so glad you had some nice rain and I hope you get more.

    My goodness that Eetch looks delicious. I'd never heard of it so I looked up a few recipes and will keep it in mind for something new to make. I've added some bulgar to my shopping cart ;)
    Congratulations to your daughter on her professional successes.
    You must be proud.

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    1. Thank you, Debra. It's a blessing to be able to switch the heater on as needed. I'm really not kidding, when I say I feel cold! I know we tend to say, "Put on another sweater", but, I had worn multiple layers on top and fleece lined leggings under jeans last week to keep myself warm, before I gave in and brought out the electric space heaters! I do well in 90+ heat, but, not so well when it is 70 and below!
      We had more rain, today! The garden got a good soaking!
      Glad to hear that you might give eetch a try! Let me know if you do make it and I'll let S know. :)
      Thank you, Debra; I am very proud of my daughter and I'm thankful that she has good mentors and advocates for her at her workplace. :)

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  5. Glad you were able to get the furnace checked. It will be nice to know, that when needed, it will work properly!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon; I've been enjoying having a warm house, this evening. :)

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  6. Your daughter is AWESOME! The furnace inspection seems to be a good one and will keep you on top of things. It's one of those items which are important to keep maintained.

    (and thank you for reminding me about the carbon monoxide detectors - I need to sort mine out)

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    1. Thank you, Lyssa; I like to think she's a bit special, myself. ;-)
      I'm glad to have the furnace safety checked and running.
      (And you are quite welcome!)

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  7. Oh, I need to schedule a furnace check, although the company has adopted a policy of not doing them until we have had a week or so of weather below freezing. I assume that is so they can get to the problem furnaces first.

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    1. I guess this is a busy time of the year for those checking furnaces. But, one would think that they'd want to make sure that the furnaces were running well before problems were encountered! A week of below freezing weather is a long time for someone with a furnace that doesn't work!

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  8. I have never heard of Eetch before but it does look delicious.
    Congratulations to your daughter on her presentation. A great achievement, you must be so proud of her. Xx

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    1. Thank you, Jules. Yes, I'm very proud of her. :)

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