It's amazing what a little bit of heat can do.

Our heater at home has been broken pretty much all winter. Luckily, the system has auxiliary heat and emergency heat built in, so we haven't actually been freezing, but these systems aren't meant for frequent, continuous use. Our electric bill for December was nearly three times the usual winter cost, and the house has been... Not freezing, as I said, but uncomfortably cool.

Matt hadn't really noticed it that much, so I'd chalked it up to yet another weird side-effect of pregnancy and suffered - well, not in silence, but with as much good humor as I could muster.

Yesterday, they finally got our replacement compressor in and came out to replace the damned thing. There wasn't a big difference when I got home from work, and then Matt and I left to go to K.T. and Kevin's for the weekly game, but when we got home - wow.

I didn't feel the need to wrap up in two blankets when I sat down to check my e-mail. I didn't cringe at the thought of undressing for bed. I didn't bundle up in long flannel pajamas, and I didn't shiver uncontrollably waiting for the bed to warm up. This morning, I did moan and whine about having to get out of bed, but it wasn't because of the temperature in the room.

Let me tell you, it was astonishing how much difference there was. It even stayed with me. I'm not shivering and blue at work this morning, either. (I'm sure Random will be grateful. I think he's about ready to sabotage my little desk heater.)

Yay, heat!

(And next time we have a problem like this, we'll remember to badger the fixit place more often. They pretty much only moved if Matt called every other day to complain.)

--Liz