Sunday morning, Furnace decided it was done keeping us warm. No explanation for abandoning us in the middle of winter. No notice. Perhaps it was overwhelmed with the recent cold snap when it had to step up its game, or maybe it was totally out of patience with our lack of appreciation for all the hard work it does. It wouldn’t even answer The Viking’s “What the fuck is your problem?”
After some cursing and swearing, it turned out that the Ignitor developed what can only be described as a Hernia. On a Sunday. When all Heating/Cooling Professionals and Parts Suppliers are taking a day off for obviously selfish reasons.
The Viking had turned the heat up to 20°C when he got up in the morning, but he was still freezing at noon. “It’s fucking freezing in here!!”
That’s when I noticed that his headlights were on! So I checked my headlights and yup! they were on too. The high beams! That’s a collection of four headlights where 3 of the 4 agreed that it was freezing in the house. That 4th one* has always been a petty bastard and thought ‘freezing’ was a little dramatic and insisted it was only ‘frigid’.
I hollered at The Viking, “Geezus! It’s only 16.5°C in here! It’s no wonder our collection of headlights are on.”
The Viking sprang into action…..okay, it was more trudging than springing but still, he went to have a conversation with Furnace who, it turned out, had no intention of cooperating. There was poking and prodding and muttered incantations and twice a, “Izzie! Get the fuck off my neck!”
Having exhausted all avenues to repair Furnace’s hernia, The Viking began constructing a detailed Survival Plan for the night because the only way to get him to call an actual Repair Person is to hook up booster cables to his left headlight and the car to the right headlight (or is it the other way around? I can never remember) and zap him into reasonableness.
I took a moment to have a discussion with Furnace, explaining that I was very disappointed in its commitment, performance and lack of determination. It didn’t change anything, but I felt better for firmly voicing my feelings. We turned on the electric fireplace in the living room and The Viking fetched a space heater from the shed.
In the meantime, I turned my heated mattress cover to the ‘Fry’ setting and made a sad face at The Viking because he doesn’t have one. The reason he doesn’t have one is that he can feel the wires, through the padding and sheet, and it irritates his delicate ass skin. This, from the guy who routinely tapes gaping wounds closed with Duct Tape. Who knew the original version of The Princess and the Pea was actually a Viking and a wire?
Rather than brave the bedroom that might get a bit cold overnight, he took his pillow and duvet and built a nest on the sofa, close to the fireplace.
I slept great. The Viking? Not so much. Amazingly, the fireplace and space heater kept the house at about 17°C all night long.
I set off first thing in the morning to pick up an Ignitor and The Viking had Furnace up and running again before noon. Of course, you don’t let the entire household down in the middle of winter and think there won’t be some name-calling, Furnace. And you got off easy if you ask me.
And, thankfully, our collection of Headlights have calmed down. It gets awkward with customers when my High Beams could poke out an eye.
*Unsurprisingly, it is my left headlight.