2011 November 27

            I awoke about six o’clock this morning and heard the furnace running.  When I went into the bathroom I realized that only cold air was coming out of the vent.  So I said to myself, “Tom!”  And I answered, “Yeah, I know the propane tank is empty.” To which I replied, “One of us is going to have to out and switch tanks.”  “Well, you do it then because you are so much stronger than I am,” I said to myself.  I always fall for that type of flattery so, of course, I got dressed and went out and changed over the tanks.

            (What?  You don’t have those kinds of conversations with yourself early on a cold and blustery day?) Yeah, right!

Now some of you may be asking, “Why don’t you have an automatic switch over on your tanks?”  To with I’ll reply, “I do.  But I like to know when one tank is empty instead of waiting until both tanks are empty to discover that I have no propane.”  And just to ease your minds about us being cold.  We weren’t, because I have the electric fireplace going for supplemental heat.

When the outside temperature is above freezing, I bump the electric heat up a couple degrees and lower the furnace a couple of degrees.  Then the furnace becomes the supplemental heat and the fireplace the main heat source.  The electric is more efficient but the furnace has to be running to keep the holding tanks warm.

            So, I’m up and have the coffee going.  It’s several hours before Sunday school and church and I’ve already got this written for my blog.  Ella and I will be lighting the Advent wreath during church this morning.  Pastor Lee sent us the script that we are to read.

By now the bathroom will be nice and toasty so I’ll go get in the shower before Ella gets up.
- - -

It was thirty-two degrees when I woke up this morning.  It was thirty-two degrees when I went to church.  It was thirty-two degrees when I came home.  It was thirty-two degrees at three-thirty this afternoon.  At seven it had dropped to thirty-one degrees.  It is now nine at night and still thirty-one. 

I am used to Iowa weather which can change seventy degrees in a couple of hours.  I don’t remember ever seeing a day when the temperature didn’t change at all.