The Good, the Bad, & the Gratuitous

Dear John,

 

The good news is that we have heat again. The house only got down to 55 last night - not bad for being without heat for 36 hours. It was chilly when I got up, so I dusted and vacuumed while I was waiting for the repairman. We're nice and warm and happy tonight.

 

The bad news is that the furnace worked perfectly for him. He did a thorough check on it, and cleaned the burners and igniter. So far, so good.

 

The completely gratuitous excitement was that the repairman accidentally let Jethro out the front door. I needed to get to work as soon as possible, of course. He didn't come when I called, so I got the leash and took off walking toward some barking, and here came Jethro charging around the corner of Adam's house. He ran up and I put him on the leash, and he took it in his mouth and dragged me home. I suppose he was cold and he missed his kitties. Bless him, he never goes far.

 

People have been very nice to me, offering space heaters and being concerned about me being cold. Everybody wonders how I can stand having the house at 64 all winter, but that feels comfortable to me. If it was any warmer, I wouldn't be able to wear winter clothes. And I refuse to pay more than I have to for gas. It's much more sensible to wear warm clothes and pay less for heat. And, as I've pointed out, I sleep with four heating pads.

 

So don't worry about us. We have heat, and most of the cleaning is done for Thanksgiving. All I have left to do is clean bathrooms and cook. I did the last of the grocery shopping after work today. I wish you could be here for your family and chicken curry. We'll miss you. But we'll eat too much and watch football and enjoy spending the holiday together. The thing I am most thankful for is the years I had with you. I have a lot of years to give thanks for!

 

Still in love with you,

Joan.