I Wasn't Joking
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 5:14PM
Just in case you were thinking that I was exaggerating how cold it is here, I wasn't. It was frigid last night...AND...WE HAD NO PROPANE!!! I mention this fact merely because OUR FURNACE RUNS ON PROPANE. We knew that we were low on propane on Monday, but no big deal, the propane delivery man services this place on Tuesdays. There's a system. You put this dayglow green "I Need Propane" sign in your window, the guy drives around in his big tank truck and stops at the places with the sign. Simple. Being the mistrustful person that I am, I called the propane company to request a Tuesday delivery. I like being careful. It's who I am. It's why they let me be the school principal. The scretary said "It's good to call, sometimes the driver doesn't see the sign because everyone puts them in a different place. I'll write you on his delivery sheet." Was I as smug as a bug or what? Little Miss Careful.
Well, Tuesday, about 4 AM, the propane was gone. How did we realize this? Basically because the vent was blowing ice cold air on me at about gale force strength. But hey, we'll be ok because it's warm here in the bedroom and we've got the little oil filled radiator electric space heater in here with us and that propane man is coming. So says Mr. Sunshine when I shake him awake and announce that I'm cold and am worried about the dogs being too cold because we had their hair cut on Sunday and I knew we shouldn't have done that because it was predicted to get cold and we're bad dog parents and yada yada yada. We snuggled back under our two comforters and one blanket wearing our flannel jammes and waited for the sun to rise. The dogs were jammed up against us.
We eventually arose about seven and opened the pocket door from the bedroom into the bathroom....brrrrrr. Then, we opened the pocket door on the other side of the bathroom to the living room/kitchen. OH MY GOODNESS! It was the gulag of RV living. I screamed to John, "Quick!!! Get the Girlz coats on them! It's freezing out here" He replied, "OK, but calm down. The propane man will be here soon." We dressed the dogs and dragged the space heater out of the bedroom. I braved the elements and took the poor dogs out. Believe me, each one did a ten second pee and raced back up the steps. The space heater had absolutely no effect out in the larger living area. The dogs stayed in their coats. I dressed in so many layers I could barely move. We waited for the propane man. I called the office a zillion times and only got a busy signal but I kept trying. It got colder and colder in here. We waited for the propane man. Finally around 9 PM I said, through chattering teeth, "I wonder what time he's going to get here?" John said, "He's not coming." I said, "I want to go to a hotel. I'm worried about the dogs." John said, "Oh for God's sake stop carrying on!" So I did. I went to bed dressed in my sweat pants, a shirt, a sweater, a fleece and socks. I made the dogs wear their coats. I tried shoving them under the blankets but they refused. They did crawl up between the two of us and snuggle. I watched TV until midnight. We had the space heater closed in with us.
I woke up around 4 AM feeling like I had died and gone to hell. I was sweating and these two breathing heat producing furry furnaces we stuck to me, snoring. I couldn't unbotton my fleece to rip it off so I woke John up to get me out of it. He was less than nice and said mean things to me about waking him up. I would love to know how many heat BTUs two humans and two dogs put out. I couldn't go back to sleep but didn't dare get out of bed and go out to the gulag.
When we got up I started trying to phone the propane company...busy....busy...busy .It was really cold in here. We knew we couldn't go another night like we did last night. Well, I knew I couldn't nor woudn't. We unhooked the two big propane tanks and squeezed them into the car. We drove around looking for someplace to fill them. Eventually we found one. We filled the tanks and hauled them back here. As we tightened the last fitting we saw the propane man entering the next street over....it figures. We took our green sign out of the window. There was no more welcome sound than hearing that furnace kick on and throw out the heat.
Below is the past twenty four hours...
This is how it's predicted to be...
And this is just for the heck of it...
Reader Comments (4)
I feel for you, but at least you had electric a lot of people in Britain are without that too. Have had to cancel my appointments for my leg as we wouldn't even get the car out of the drive now. As I am low on dressings they have promised me a visit from a nurse tomorrow she has a 4 x 4. Forecast is not more snow for a couple of days but up to -18 centigrade tonight, as I am a farenheit person have no idea what that is except it must be very cold. Have appointment with a consultant on Monday, just praying he will be able to get to his practice and see me, am really fed up with my lack of mobility. Know it has improved slightly but standing and movement doesn't seem to help it heal. Think if the dogs could talk they would agree with me.
Oh well Pete's heaven has fallen in, our wonderful new, modern gas saving boiler has packed up. No heating although we do have a form of electlric to warm the water. It started gurgling at us on Friday, and finally decided not enough notice had been taken of it so during Saturday night it stopped generating heat. Needless to say despite being on a two year guarantee we can raise no one to even talk to for information on possible causes. Do wonder if it could be anything to do with the continuous low temperatures we have had. Daughter who is staying with friends not too far away has been commissioned to purchase heaters of any description to help us through, from one phone call I get the feeling she is enjoying spending our money. Seriously though have asked for a calor heater as well as electric in case we lose our electric as well. So many people locally are ending up with more than 24 hour power cuts. Pete then says we have a calor heater and dont need another, but as it is in a garden shed with thick snow between us and the shed have a feeling it will be money well spent. It isn't fun sitting in a coat to keep warm trying to rest my leg, am returning next life as a hedgehog or as my border collie. His coat is so thick he pants in the winter and lies out on the snow, sure he has a smirk on his face when he does it. Oh well from snowy wastes hope the Florida chill has improved and propane by the gallon has arrived.
Hurrah am celebrating today with a shower, or hopes of it working out. The surgery have got me a cover for my leg to protect it from getting wet. Mind you reading the instructions have a feeling I will need lessons and practice to start with. Am about to unwrap and proceed shortly, apparently you have to be careful to not sticking your nails in it. There is a peculiar black ruched entrance to put leg through but have to be care where you walk once encased. Well I was thinking of taking a stroll first down a gravel path so I suppose that plan now on hold. This will be first normal wash since beginning of December, since then it has been half a body wash balanced on side of bath, dry and then proceed with unwashed half. At lease am now healing, not waiting for half of the wound to fall out, so glad to have it cut out the nature and gels course was predicted for weeks on end before healing was even thought of. Snows now slowly melting, slightly warmer today and rain predicted, hopefully whatever the weather wont be too long before I am walking in it with three maniacs totally fed up with lack of activity. Hope its warming up in Florida, too.
Carried on with my experiment today and decided to try a bath. Ever bathed in a plastic mac? Thats what my leg felt like though I did expect it to inflate and rise to the surface, possibly overbalancing me in the process it didn't happen. The snow is gradually being washed away by the rain, fairly cheery forecast for tomorrow but weathermen keep darkly muttering the cold will come back. Everywhere is beginning to stand in water, apparently the ground is having difficulty in absorbing it due to it still being frozen, think the only way I can get out with the dogs is to ease myself into wellingtons. Wouldn't matter except for the fact the top edge of my boot just rubs the back of my leg in its present shape. Am hoping to sit on the floor today and try and brush the dogs, even that has gone by the wayside, just wonder what one rough haired collie will be like, should think there will be enough hair there to furnish all the nests in the garden. Roll on some sunshine and dry weather before we all develop webbed feet.