As you all know, I have an ancient house; it is not the easiest to heat. Ten years ago, when the Airport Commission replaced our upstairs windows, the house became harder to heat evenly7. The windows are not only great sound abatement but they hold the hot air in really effectively. This means that during really cold weather, the temperature difference between the downstairs and the upstairs is significant.
On Sunday morning, I lingered upstairs, reading longer than usual and I noticed that it was chillier than usual. Since it was well below zero outside, I didn’t think too much about it but as I descended the stairs for breakfast, it felt like I was entering a walk-in cooler. A quick look at the thermostat gave me a little shock… 56 degrees. We have one of those set-back thermostats and it is set quite cold during the night (since we’re in the warmer upstairs, asleep under covers) but the program has it set to start warming up at 6 a.m. At this point it was after 8 and it still hadn’t warmed up at all.
I started to panic – I always feel like I’m on the edge where house maintenance is concerned and I envisioned days of frozen fingers and toes. Then I remembered that I’d had someone out to do boiler maintenance at the end of the summer – so it didn’t seem likely that it was a boiler fail. And THEN I remembered that quite a few years back, someone coming out to check the heat had discovered that the batteries in my thermostat had died. Since I can’t remember any time (in years) that I’ve changed those batteries, I thought I would try that.
I spent a couple of hours checking and re-checking the temperature and the radiators, studiously NOT turning on the oven or the space heater so I could be sure any rise in temp was due to the boiler alone. It took about 2 ½ hours to get up to 65, at which point I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I congratulated myself on figuring out the problem on my own.
Monday morning was a splash of cold water in my face. When I went downstairs, it was 56 degrees again. After a few seconds of panic, I realized that it was only 6:15 – there hadn’t been enough time for it to warm up yet. This didn’t keep me from checking several times over the next hour until I was sure everything was fine. Phew!
When was the last time you got it right but didn’t trust that you got it right?
Trail Baboon 
My children will tell you that I trust that I get things right, but I never seem to trust that they do. Little do they know how often I second guess myself.
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It makes all the difference in the world whose eyes you see it through, doesn’t it. The last thing that I got right, from my perspective, was poaching that turkey breast according to your recipe. Granted, husband was not nearly as impressed with the flavors as I was (as I had anticipated), but that is some delicious turkey breast; moist and delicious. Thanks.
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So glad it turned out well!
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Appearances and attitude are everything aren’t they?
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I never second guess myself. No, wait…yes, I do. No…yes, of course I…um…do. All the time. Of my entire adult life.
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Good to “hear” you, tgith. It’s been a while.
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Things happen. Been ‘lurking’ on and off. Thinking of making some changes in my life. New job is not what I bargained for.
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Good to hear from you, tgith!
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Old jobs aren’t what we bargained for either these days! Nice to hear from you.
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wow
since tom keith’s celebration
welcome
good luck with job stuff
tough world out there
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For years I’ve always paid rent in advance so as to be one month ahead. There had been a $15 increase so being ahead a month, I sent a check for $15. The landlord called and said I was late. I reminded her about my habit of always sending double amounts. “But I’ll check my records. Maybe I lost track.”
Bank statements clearly showed that pattern all the way back to September 2019.
I clinched the argument by pointing out that if I was late with one month’s rent that means that every other month for over TWO YEARS I had been late yet this was the first notification of that lateness. I’m going to simplify things and go to one month payments.
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Wait! If you’re “always sending double amounts,” you’re way more than one month ahead in your rent payments.
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To clarify: Double amounts every two months.
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In other words, you only pay rent every other month? And when you do, you pay for two months?
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Publishing a book or an article. Mainly wondering if I missed a typo. Also when I reconcile our accounts in Quicken. SO MANY times I have to go back and change an amount because I entered it wrong (or forgot to enter it in the first place).
Chris in O-town
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Anytime I do a plumbing or electrical project, there’s always a moment of suspense when I turn the water or the power back on.
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Yep. Know that feeling.
Clyde
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Oh yeah!!
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In so many things in my life I plunge right in as if I know what I am doing and then doubt I got it right.
Sandy gave us a scare late evening. Seems not to be what it seemed. I am with her.
And We have a problem I have no idea how to fix.
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good luck
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And again there is a song for everything on the Trail.
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Perfect!!
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You are on a role lately, Wes, with exactly the right song…
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The Late Great Morning Show taught me.
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Daughter always second guesses whether she turned off the stove when she leaves the apartment, so she takes a picture of it before she leaves to reassure herself if she worries.
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She remembers to take a picture?
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There is very little that is rational about anxiety.
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When I’m traveling and getting ready to come home, I pack everything. Then I open all the drawers and closets in the safe again. And then just to make sure I do it again!
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Good idea.
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I was going to be strong and calm through the process of her in memory care. But today it was too much. I folded my tents and ran. Now tomorrow I am hoping to get over before the snow gets heavy.
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Every now and then you have to put your self care first so that then you can take care of others.
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You can only do what you can do. I tell this to my work colleagues all the time.
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My mom had what they call sundowners syndrome – she was much foggier later in the day than early on. I learned to visit as early as I possibly could.
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She goes into sundown at about sundown. They have to sedate her. I never go over in the evening, but she is fine all day.
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That’s ok Clyde. It happens to all of us.
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Now I cannot go over today.
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I have left a pan on a flame on the stove so often that now every time I walk past the stove, I check to see whether there are any burners on.
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I need a smart stove that will turn itself off before something scorches.
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I’m starting to see the benefit of a smart stove.
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