Monday, January 9, 2012

warming things up...

In my experience...furnaces last forever.  The farmyard house where we once lived (now Jeremy and Broni's house) is still on the original furnace (circa 1967).  How is it that our new seven-year-old furnace is having issues?  Since everything is electronic...only the repairman knows for sure...and he has no idea what the problem is.  So for now...the furnace comes on when it decides to...and we are keeping the fireplace aglow!  Thankfully, things are rather balmy outside for January...so we are not in danger of freezing just yet.

But we decided to get out of the cool house on Saturday night...and find a little heat.  We had complimentary tickets to an Abbotsford Heat hockey game...a local team which is a farm team for the Calgary Flames.  Dad and Marge love watching hockey...so we invited them along for the night out.  They quite enjoyed the game...though they did look for the remote control a few times..thinking there must be some way to turn down the volume.  Their observation was that hockey games have become VERY loud since they had last been.   When the game should have been over...the score was tied...and so it went into overtime.  By the time three periods are done...I don't really care who wins anymore...just get the game over with!  Having said that, I was a little disappointed that the Heat lost out in the end.

And when the game was over and done...we went to Dad and Marge's to enjoy a little birthday cake pie...in honour of Marge's 81st birthday.


If you light a fire on top of a mini-pie...it passes quite nicely for birthday cake.  Marge has had to get used to Dad's dessert of choice...pie and ice-cream for every occasion.  Even if it was her birthday!

It has been eleven years since I met Marge for the first time.  Six months later...Dad and Marge were married.  Since that time we have shared many experiences.  We have seen the sites of Newfoundland together...enjoyed the beaches of South Padre Island...played many a game of Rook...been to family weddings...and funerals...spent time in hospital rooms...and shared good times around many a table.  The years have slipped by so quickly.  A birthday is always a good opportunity to reflect...and to send our warmest wishes.  And so we did!  It was a good way to warm up a winter evening.


17 comments:

  1. Oh that does warm things up!
    Funny about your furnace. S and K just finally replace their furnace as they were thinking of selling their home. Their home was built in the 60s and had it's original furnace up until a year ago. Go figure.

    T and B had their furnace looked at last year...and their house is less than 5 years old. Go figure.

    Love those pies and the story about young love at a mature age and a family that takes enjoyment in being together.

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  2. A sweet post! Love how you celebrate special people in your life!

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  3. Marge looks very happy with her sparkly pie.

    I sometimes think that modern day equipment is not built to last the way things were years ago. I hope the furnace can be repaired.

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  4. We sure miss those old wood fire places eh?
    Well if you need to stay warm, you know where you can hang out.
    I love some of the quality from ages..they seem to purr...just like our garden tractors.
    Enjoy that wonderful lady of energy. That is so special.

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  5. Ohhh, I don't like a seven-year-old furnace on the fritz. All electronic you say? Hmmm...hope someone can figure it out. Mine is original to the house, a year younger than myself and it better have lots of years yet. I'm counting on it.

    What a fun evening out for you all except for the noise. That's one good reason for watching on tv that I hadn't considered.

    Happy Birthday to Marge!

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  6. These machines always seem to die just after the guarantee is over!
    your birthday celebration was so lovely, I'm sure Marge was happy with her 'cake'!

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  7. Marge looks wonderful for her age. You must enjoy her company! Hope the furnace is working again soon!

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  8. Would you believe this old house doesn't have a furnace?! There have been times I wished I could feel that warm air all over the house. What a fun celebration with the sparkly candle...an what a good sport Marge is to enjoy pie with her husband!

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  9. I think I'd choose pie over cake too! Good thing Marge likes pies:)
    Hope your furnace is fixed soon..maybe you need to do a lot of baking till then!

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  10. Loved the birthday pie!!
    Glad your dad found his 'Marge.'
    Stay warm.....even if you have to sit by the firelace! That's what we do!

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  11. Perhaps they manufacture furnaces as my husband/mechanic says they do automobiles. Not made like the old models that are easily repaired. Now they have to be taken to a dealer for even minor repairs. Isn't Marge perfectly lovely. Happy birthday. I'm with your dad...pie for every occasion.

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  12. Sounds like a nice evening! Sorry the other "Heat" let you down, too!

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  13. What a lovely reflection on your relationship with your Marge - beautiful.
    Our seven year old fridge (Maytag) has stopped three times, requiring an expensive repairman each time. Not what I'd expected!

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  14. You have a way of making people in your life feel so special. The simple way you dressed up her pie and ice cream, to the kind tribute you shared on her, just have to give those you love a warm, fuzzy feeling. Certainly Marge would agree.

    Hope you are staying warm:)

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  15. Sorry to hear about your furnace issue. I guess they have a mind of their own sometimes. We've now been enjoying our second winter here in MT with our "radiant floor heat", amazing how this heating system works, even heat on the main floor and upstairs.

    Marge looks fabulous at 81, loved her birthday cake idea, what fun with a sparkler.

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  16. How very special that you could celebrate another year. Birthday pie sounds perfect to me.
    I hope you can get your furnace issues fixed. Sometimes those old ones just keep going.

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  17. Actually, I’ve noticed that too - older equipment seem more sturdily built. However, it might also be that we are just using modern equipment more today, especially the A/C and furnace units. We have observed the unpredictability of the weather in the past years. What did you do with your furnace, by the way? It might just have some leaks, or the ductwork was possibly tight.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson