Quick Update

The furnace is still busted. Furnace Guy #2 came out this morning. He thinks it can be fixed (furnace guy #1 had his doubts and thought we should buy a new one--from him). However, he has to send a report and photographs to the insurance company. It will be Monday afternoon, maybe Tuesday, before we hear whether or not they'll pay for repairs. Then we'll have to get a repair guy in (maybe today's guy; I liked him--he didn't try to sell me anything) to come fix it, so really, it could be years before we have heat again.

Fortunately, it's getting warmer, and we've done pretty well so far by keeping a fire going in the fire place and running a space heater during the day. We're going up to the mountains tomorrow, where it will be rainy and gloomy, but where the rooms will be warm.

Overall it has been a weird, unheated week. It's disappointing when you've been led to believe spring is here (all those blue skies! all that sunshine! for three whole days!) and then realize it's not. I have felt the energy drain right out of me this week. Those gardening books I checked out from the library? I burned them for heat. Don't tell the librarian.

Two things have kept me going: 1) Lindt Dark Chocolate with Truffle Filling. Better than whiskey. 2) This podcast. This morning the Times ran an article about slow gardening and this guy in Mississippi who's its biggest advocate. Turns out, he podcasts. If you want to know why I love the American South, this podcast will tell all. I haven't heard anything this cool since listening to the weekly Society News report on the radio driving through Stamps, Arkansas, in 1983.

I shall return next week, warmer and a little more vigorous, one hopes. Until then, read some good books, eat some chocolate, and send pleasant thoughts my way. I can use whatever help I can get.