Snowing
By the Fireside
Twice in recent weeks I have been in the shower when our hot water heater decided to quit. There I was warm, wet, and soapy and suddenly the cascading water turned frigid. Not just cold. Frigid.
The first time was a clear warning and we took heed. The plumber came, made a temporary fix and left a new hot water heater to be installed as soon as Nyel had it covered with a shiny coat of black paint. (It’s a décor thing to do with our back bathroom. Don’t ask.)
‘Temporary’ became “time’s up!” a few mornings later and, again, it was I who was in the shower, this time mid-shampoo. Rinsing suds from one’s hair in icy water just doesn’t cut it! Thank goodness for fluffy towels and hand-held hair dryers.
Our new hot water heater is now in place and, until yesterday, life was good. Well, as good as it’s going to get while we continue to work on our failed heat-pump and inadequate emergency heat. We can stay relatively warm, especially if we start our day with a long, hot shower. Miraculously, our water pressure has increased considerably with the new hot water heater and that hot, plummeting water sets a tone for the day. Until yesterday.
Once again, it was I who was in the shower when, all of a sudden, everything went pitch black. My first thought was that I had gone blind. It’s the same reaction I have when my computer screen goes black unexpectedly – an infrequent occurrence, thank goodness! Hard on the heels of that thought was “Not again! Not a third time!” And then I realized that the water was still hot and except for the sound of the shower, the room was absolutely still. The quiet that comes when the power goes off.
I groped and dripped, toweled and dressed – make that ‘bundled.’ Our house wasn’t all that warm in the first place and it would get worse… By 10 o’clock we knew it would be awhile. We sat in front of the fireplace in the watery winter daylight coming through the library window. We read. We ate turkey sandwiches. We stoked the fire. We watched it begin to snow.
It wasn’t the most pleasant day I’ve spent lately. In fact, it was about enough to make me rethink those morning showers…
I believe you’ve been inconvenienced quite enough in the heat and hot water departments! Spring starts next week. Surely things will look up!