Snoqualmie

Looks like it's just you and me in this icebox.

I realized as I was leaving for work this morning that the house was still as freezing cold as it had been when I woke up. Odd, that, since I'd turned on the furnace on my way into the shower. I gingerly put a hand over one of the furnace vents, and when it failed to turn to ash, pressed it right onto the metal. Still no searing blast of hellfire. That meant the pilot light was out, but since I was running late I didn't want to stop and light it right then. I turned off the gas line to the furnace and went to work.

The house was still here when I got home, which is always a good sign when gas appliances are acting up. I hauled out a flashlight and a pack of matches and thought expert, no-nonsense thoughts. Open hatch, light the match first because your other hand will be busy holding in the "pilot" button, then push the button, then light the pilot light, remember not to let go of the button. After a couple of tries I got the thing lit and burning merrily, closed up the front of the furnace, set up a fan to get the sulfur smell out of the living room, and cranked up the thermostat.

Nada. The faint tepid feeling of a pilot light burning on the other side of some hefty insulation, but no powerful infernal blast. I turned the thermostat up, down, back up and sideways. Nope. I pulled the thermostat cover off and checked that the glass mercury-tilter (who ever thought that was a safe idea?) was working. Working, yes, but not making me warm. I opened up the furnace again and made sure that my hard-won pilot light was still lit. In fact, it was the only thing putting out any heat inside the whole contraption.

So. Rain, wind, overnight temperatures in the 40s, and it's up to me, my freezing toes, and my $10 heater fan to thaw this place out? If the headlines tomorrow say "Berkeley girl found asleep in oven", you'll know why.