Well, here I sit at my computer desk blogging away while the power is still with us. If the so called nor'easter of a blizzard actually becomes just as bad as they say it may, chances are the power lines will go down and we will be without any for at least a few to several days. Hopefully though, the lines will hold out and the power will stay on. At least I can keep the scaly critters warm by bringing them up into the living room where we have a gas fireplace. Needs power to light it up but supposedly will run on a battery as backup; I hope so in the event the power goes out. It's on right now set at low but the bitch of that is the thermostat is in the same room so the heat does not come on.
I am in the basement, usually the warmest room in the house (furnace is down here) and it's getting chilly down here. I can always set the thermostat to about 80 and warm up the rest of the house but then the living room will be baking with both the heat and fireplace on. I figured though that it's best to keep the fireplace on in case the power goes out and we cannot figure out how to hook up the backup battery. The battery can only be put into the unit when the power is out. Screwy as all hell that the battery cannot be in the unit at all times but that is what the wife said she read in the instructions, then again....
Anyway, it's pretty moronic that they did not make allowances for it to be turned on manually without any electricity at all. I would never have bought a gas fireplace with an electronic on and off and a remote control but my wife did the whole deal and good for her. She can crawl in there and put the battery into it if the power fails. Anyway, right now things are good but then the storm has not yet hit with the expected fury it is supposed to bring. Time will tell.
I do have some other stuff to help keep warm. A 12 pack of cider, 1.5 liters of Potato Vodka, a quart (or liter) of Sailor Jerry's Rum, 2 bottles of Golden Monkey Tripel Ale, a shitload of wine and whatever else is stashed away by my son. Should easily take us through tomorrow or the next day although I fear the ciders and ales may be gone before this night is out. Damn, I should have picked up at least a case when I got the 12 pack yesterday and I wish I had a couple more of those Golden Monkey ales but I drank a couple of what I had of them a few days back.
I don't know what the wife has stashed away to eat except for about half a leftover meatloaf from last night. When my son got home from work, he brought along some goodies from a local pizza place including a meatball hero for me. I ate half of it and stashed the rest for a post midnight snack. I figure to be pretty hungry after having shoveled two or three more times before I crawl into the sack for the night. I like to shovel the snow a bit at a time, instead of waiting until the snowfall stops, and plan on doing that tonight as long the wind is not whipping it right back onto my property. That way, it is easier on my back than doing it all at once. Not looking forward to the backache but the exercise will do me good. Doing a few inches at a time, instead of shoveling it all at once, the all at once being up to the 24 inches they suspect we may get, also helps prevent me from having the big chest bender.
Time to go check on the wife and kids, they went to the neighbors' house for some boozing goodness.
All the best,
Glenn B
I am in the basement, usually the warmest room in the house (furnace is down here) and it's getting chilly down here. I can always set the thermostat to about 80 and warm up the rest of the house but then the living room will be baking with both the heat and fireplace on. I figured though that it's best to keep the fireplace on in case the power goes out and we cannot figure out how to hook up the backup battery. The battery can only be put into the unit when the power is out. Screwy as all hell that the battery cannot be in the unit at all times but that is what the wife said she read in the instructions, then again....
Anyway, it's pretty moronic that they did not make allowances for it to be turned on manually without any electricity at all. I would never have bought a gas fireplace with an electronic on and off and a remote control but my wife did the whole deal and good for her. She can crawl in there and put the battery into it if the power fails. Anyway, right now things are good but then the storm has not yet hit with the expected fury it is supposed to bring. Time will tell.
I do have some other stuff to help keep warm. A 12 pack of cider, 1.5 liters of Potato Vodka, a quart (or liter) of Sailor Jerry's Rum, 2 bottles of Golden Monkey Tripel Ale, a shitload of wine and whatever else is stashed away by my son. Should easily take us through tomorrow or the next day although I fear the ciders and ales may be gone before this night is out. Damn, I should have picked up at least a case when I got the 12 pack yesterday and I wish I had a couple more of those Golden Monkey ales but I drank a couple of what I had of them a few days back.
I don't know what the wife has stashed away to eat except for about half a leftover meatloaf from last night. When my son got home from work, he brought along some goodies from a local pizza place including a meatball hero for me. I ate half of it and stashed the rest for a post midnight snack. I figure to be pretty hungry after having shoveled two or three more times before I crawl into the sack for the night. I like to shovel the snow a bit at a time, instead of waiting until the snowfall stops, and plan on doing that tonight as long the wind is not whipping it right back onto my property. That way, it is easier on my back than doing it all at once. Not looking forward to the backache but the exercise will do me good. Doing a few inches at a time, instead of shoveling it all at once, the all at once being up to the 24 inches they suspect we may get, also helps prevent me from having the big chest bender.
Time to go check on the wife and kids, they went to the neighbors' house for some boozing goodness.
All the best,
Glenn B
