feelin' the heat

Never underestimate the power of denial.

A couple of days ago, I noticed that the thermostat was set on 71, yet it read as 75. Indeed, it felt like 75. But -- well, it could just be a mistake, right? Maybe tomorrow everything will work FINE.
Last night, we forced ourself to face the awful realization that ... yes, the a/c isn't working. A fine icy frost covers the pipe that leads from the outdoor a/c unit, which still was pumping away until we turned it off, to the air vent/furnace contraption in our basement that looks as if it has been cobbled together over the decades by whatever bits of shoestring and bobs of tin foil or sticking plaster were nearby at the moment. Our inspector warned us that the furnace was about to go. "But you might as well ride it as long as it keeps working," he said. "Why replace it until you have to?"

My friends, that day might be upon us.

Lizzy and I slept in the (finished side of the) basement last night, on the couch's foldout bed. Someone -- my dad, maybe? once said that, when you buy a fold-out bed, you should try sleeping on it for a night to see what you're subjecting your guests to. Well, now I know. If I were to look at my back in a mirror today, I'd probably see indentations where the springs were. Lizzy didn't seem to mind the springs, but she wanted "a little light" down there. I explained that if she were going to sleep down there with me, there would be no light. Because Mommy is not a fan of the "little light" while she is trying to sleep. Much wailing ensued, with pauses to see if Mommy was appreciating the angst or if she had fallen asleep.

I'm trying to look at the up sides: At least it's not (yet) 90 degrees out. Until, well, tomorrow. Ugh. And, at least a repairman can come have a looksie tomorrow afternoon. He could've even come today, but I detest having to take an entire day off work so that someone can come fix something. Heck, that'd be my annual allotment of vacation, right there, the way things are breaking down on Quail Run Lane.

Since I know the furnace (or is the furnace at play here? I don't know how these things interconnect) must be replaced at some juncture, maybe it would be best to get it over with right now. On one hand, it's a bad time financially. On the other hand, when would be better? When we're paying for two kids to be in day care?

Home ownership stinks, sometimes.