I’m used to waking up cold. I’m used to going to bed cold. That’s the thing about Practically Canada from October to May: It’s cold.
But this morning was different. Derek had to leave for work very early, like 3:30am early. When my alarm went off, I swiped it off, noticing that the screen was like ice. Ice, however, cannot stop me from snoozing, so I nuzzled my nose under the down comforter and drifted back off to sleep. Not many minutes later I woke up again. This time sleep was not a temptation, because the cold was unbearable.
I was reminded of waking early on a backpacking trip in a nylon tent coated with ice from the morning dew. In those moments though, I knew things would get better once I was up and moving, once a fire was lit and food was in my belly. Today things were different. I looked back to my phone to find a text from Derek.
“If the heat isn’t working call someone as soon as you get up. It was 58 when I left.”
I hated the thought of 58 degrees. Reluctantly I jumped out of bed and pulled layers on at a rate just shy of the speed of light.
52 degrees and dropping.
A heating company said they’d be out at 1:30. At 2:30 I gave them a call. “Should be there soon…your house is next on the list.”
At 4pm I got a call. “Actually, a complication has come up. No one can come until tomorrow morning.” By this time the thermostat was reading 43 degrees and I was wearing a coat, boots and hat inside. Poor Panda cat was laying on top of her icy cold paws. The electric blankets cords were snaking around me and the setting on the digital screen read “H.” That’s one click higher than “9.”
For a moment I wanted to cry. But tears would not save me from the cold. So instead I Googled. I called every H/AC phone number on the list. Number number 3 yielded results. A man named Bob, who was surprisingly young for a man called Bob came over within 20 minutes. Thirty minutes after that I had a new ignitor in the furnace and heat blowing through the vents.
Today taught me a few valuable lessons. Firstly, the cold here is serious. Serious enough that the inside of my home dropped down to a temperature lower than winter-temps in other places we’ve called home. Second that heat is a necessity here. I feel so blessed to have it on demand. So blessed to be in a stable enough situation that I can dial up the temp. Blessed that, spoiled as I am, I put a sweatshirt on because I’m “a bit chilly” even when the furnace is working properly. We really are so very lucky.
