We were playing cards in the basement last night, classic rock spinning on the turntable, enjoying some gin (me) and ciders (her), when Tara made an observation.
“It’s not very cold down here,” she said.
I hadn’t noticed, but as soon as those words left her mouth, I realized she was right. The basement is always cool, if not downright chilly…even when it’s 93º outside, as it had been earlier. But last night it wasn’t.
Uh-oh.
So, Tara went upstairs to check things out. “There’s air blowing out of the vents, but it’s warm!” she announced.
Oh, no.
She then stepped into the backyard and reported that, even though the thermostat was on and running, the fan blades on our central A/C unit were not turning.
Well, shit.
Talk about a buzzkill. Fortunately, the A/C had been running most of the day before conking out, so the house wasn’t too warm. But it also wasn’t getting any cooler. We opened all the windows, but it made for an uncomfortable night. And with the temperature forecast to flirt with 100º the next few days, things were looking pretty grim.
But much like massage parlors of ill repute, this story has a happy ending. Tara found an HVAC company that offered 24/7 service and gave them a call this morning. They had a tech available but warned us the service rate would be higher for emergency calls versus waiting until Monday morning. Well, it was only $50 an hour higher, which seemed perfectly reasonable to us. And it saved us the trouble of taking time off from work. Two hours later, we again had cool air flowing through the vents. The culprit was a faulty capacitor. Great Scott! Those things are always causing trouble.
Luckily, they’re cheap. The part cost $25, and even with the higher after-hours labor charge, our bill was less than $200. Hallelujah!
I’ve been banished to the basement because Christmas Light Kelly is over and she and Tara are canning jalapeno jelly in the kitchen. I’m not even complaining. It is once again nice and cool down here, and I can catch up on blogging and watch Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified, my current obsession, on Netflix. I have much to say about aliens and government coverups, but that’s a future post.
It had already been an interesting day. I rarely get caught in the rain, but five minutes into a walk around the neighborhood Saturday afternoon, thunder began rumbling. It was so unexpected, I assumed at first it was a passing jet. Then suddenly it was raining, and lightning was flashing, and I had to dash home. The sky sure was pretty, though.
After the storm passed I resumed my walk. I decided to hike up the forested hillside overlooking our neighborhood, and was fortunate enough to stumble upon three bucks. Not dollar bills…deer.
I was a little nervous about approaching. I mean, look at those antlers! They could cause serious bodily harm. But I proceeded cautiously and got within a few feet of this particularly velvety fella. He watched me nervously for a few minutes, and finally trotted off when a jogger came along the trail.
We get deer in our backyard all the time, so seeing them isn’t exactly a novelty, but it’s a little rarer to come across a trio of full-grown bucks.
Between the weather and the A/C going on the fritz, we didn’t get out kayaking like we’d planned. But we did buy a new refrigerator—again, future entry—and grilled ribeye steaks, so the weekend can hardly be called a bust.
Mark My Words 
Nothing quite like that moment when you realize something in the house isn’t working– and that it’ll probably cost you to have it fixed… if you can find someone to do it. I’m glad the problem could be repaired so quickly and relatively inexpensively. Your photo of the buck is amazing. Very nice.
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Especially since the first place I contacted didn’t have any appointments available until 9/2!
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Now that’s sounds like how things go around here.😏
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Wow! The bucks are gorgeous.
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They sure are. I feel very fortunate to have gotten so close.
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You were playing with fire there…
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I had to get by them on the trail though. Which is why I already had a giant tree picked out from which I could hide behind or (theoretically) climb!
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Huge score on the AC! And on the three bucks.
Big tease on future posts in this one, though.
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I’m all about big teases apparently.
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Wow! Fabulous buck photos. You were lucky to get so close…. ours are extremely nervous around people. And a next day $200 a/c repair? You truly are blessed.
👍
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I had reached out to two other HVAC companies before Tara called these guys. The first company wasn’t booking any appointments until September, and the second wanted $500 just to come out and take a look. Really counting my lucky stars here!
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Absolutely? Everyone, everywhere is short staffed.
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That’s good news on the easy A/C repair. I was thinking you’d have the chipmunk-chewing-through-wires issue that we’ve had a few times.
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Oh, boy. No chipmunks out here…at least not in our backyard!
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I would say you were very lucky with the a/c $$!
The deer are handsome and the one is giving you the stink eye.
I’ll be interested in hearing your take on UFOs and the government. Sometimes I wish a UFO would come and take some of our government, but that is another post as well.
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I’m glad to hear there’s some interest in my hot take on UFOs, lol. Looking forward to writing this one next! (And I totally agree with you about having them beam up certain government figures…as long as they promise to keep ’em forever!)
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The deer are beautiful. Glad the AC fix was so easy.
Saw Hubs getting on the freeway while I was on the overpass and noticed the brake lights were on. Texted him about it later “Where you riding the brakes while on the on-ramp?” “Uh, no.” Turns out that’s a problem we gotta look into. So, like Tara, a casual (fortunate) observation may save future problems, like being completely out of brake fluid and, you know, dying.
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…orrrr, he WAS riding the brakes but was just too embarrassed to admit it!
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No. The censor was loose. He watched a YouTube vid and fixed it. All good.
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I hate when the censor goes on the loose, covering up all our swear words with abandon! 🙂
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There are a few appliances/electronics that, when they suddenly conk out, cause downright fear and dread. A/C is one of them (along with furnace, water heater, computer, refrigerator, stove/oven, and car – so pretty much everything, I guess). Glad the fix was relatively cheap in easy.
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Oh, and dishwasher!
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Is that all? WHAT ABOUT THE TOASTER??
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True, and I’ve been making a lot of smoothies this summer, so the blender, too.
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Trouble is, for a Brit “jelly” always means what you call Jello – jalapeno jelly with custard anyone? And canning…you mean sterilised jam jars, right? Not metallic objects. The deer are beautiful – unlikely to be dangerous outside of rutting season
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Yes, sterilized jam jars.
Your last sentence provided me with a few seconds of comfort…until I realized it IS rutting season!
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Yes but no females around to impress and it tends to be the older males…especially if you have a dog with you
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and thanks for confirming the translation!
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