I followed my usual routine. Set the coffee to brew at 7 a.m. Gave the dog her midnight snack. Checked the thermostat (which had defaulted to the unacceptably cool 65, so I pushed it up to 68). Took my usual bedtime cocktail of 1/2 Ambien and 1/2 Ativan, and crashed. (If that sounds like a lot, remember I’m battling the insomnia effects of 60 mg prednisone.)
And all was well until about 3 am. Pit stop. And I’m wide awake. Twenty minutes later, no change. Okay, it’s still early. More Ambien, more Ativan. That should do it.
But it didn’t. I was tossing and turning. No position was “it.” And the bed seemed full of other two- and four-legged creatures, all well intentioned but equally restless. At some point I decided perhaps I was cold. I can never relax when I’m cold. So I pulled another blanket from the chair. That seemed to help a little. But at 4 I was still tossing and turning. Dragged myself down the hall to check the thermostat. It was still set on 68, but the furnace was only doing about 66. Dammit. Just had that repairman out here a few days ago, got ripped for $600 bucks, and now it looks like the problem still isn’t fixed. I’ve no doubt his next move will be to try to sell me a whole new furnace.
I’m tired, cold, and frustrated after a no good very bad night. He really doesn’t want to hear from me today. Nor I from him. But I’ve got to have heat. It’s supposed to be colder today.
Times like this I want my Daddy to make it all better. All 6′ of him standing over the repairman — watching, intimidating, knowledgeable, ensuring there are no shenanigans. I’m convinced male repairmen take every advantage of elderly females living alone, especially those unfamiliar with the ins and outs of HVAC.
Oh, certainly I’d love a new furnace. This one was not lovingly cared for by the two previous families who worked it hard. It’s a cheap builder’s model, 15 years old. I think it’s on borrowed time. Kind of like me. A new one would be all spiffy, with the latest efficiencies, etc., (which don’t help much with someone who is home all day). And I’d love a new thermostat, one that doesn’t return to its default settings (65 and 71) every time a wisp of static electricity hits it. (When that happens, I have to manually reset 4 different time periods in each of 7 days.)
Anyway, that’s my grouchy beginning this morning. Not expecting the rest of the day to get much better.