In which Winter arrives and the tank is dry

[rolanni]

This morning, we arose from our rosy bower to an outside temperature of 16F/-9C and an inside temperature of 61F/16C.  We turned the thermostat up to 69F/21C, Steve started breakfast; I fed Mozart his breakfast; we sat down to eat; finished up; had a second cup of coffee and. . . it was still sorta cool in the house.

Steve looked at the thermostat, which was set on 69F but still reporting the whole-house temp of 61F.  It then dawned on both of us that we hadn't heard the furnace actually come on, so Steve went downstairs to see if we had a malfunction.  The good news?  The furnace appears in good working order, as far as we can tell without it actually, yanno, coming on.  And the reason it hasn't come on is?

We're out of oil.

Completely out of oil.

I'm trying to remember if this has ever happened to us before.  Certainly, it hasn't happened in the 24-or-so years we've been in this house, thanks to the wonders of automatic delivery.

Thinking back, now, I'm not remembering a delivery in. . .a couple months.  Which is what I'll settle with Dead River Company on Monday (oh, joy!  a phone call.), since they've certainly been remembering to bill us every month.  For today, we called the Emergency Number, which isn't easy to find, and have now spoken with Gary the Emergency Delivery Guy, who will be over "directly" to fill us up.

In other news, I have in my inbox this morning not one, not two, but THREE reminders from Various Organizations relating the joyous news that the open renewal period for ACA coverage starts today!  Which is lovely for them.  I?  Have no idea how we're going to figure out next year's health coverage, without having any idea what the final income figure for 2014 is.  We only have to cover Steve through July, when he transfers over to Medicare.  I suppose I can go without, if necessary, and pay the fine, though I really don't like to tempt fate quite that much. . .

Well.

Now to put all that behind me and get the heck to work.

Everybody stay warm.  And healthy.

Comments

[malkingrey.livejournal.com]

Have no idea how we're going to figure out next year's health coverage, without having any idea what the final income figure for 2014 is.

Ah, the wonderful world of government forms that don't have a space on them for "Do I look like I own a crystal ball?"

I spent over a decade filling out FAFSAs for one or another of our collegiate offspring, and never did figure out how to do it. Usually I wound up looking at the previous year's income and extrapolating a plausible lie estimate.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I've had at least three conversations with the nice ACA people this year about Freelance Income. I can't be the only freelancer in the country, and yet. . .if it doesn't fit in the form, they can't cope.

For this year's insurance, I did the "average-the-last-five-years-income" thing. They did bend that far, in terms of the form. But for next year, now that we have a "firm figure" for income (cue laugh track), they want a real number.

It's looking like I'm going to have to spend the entire four weeks of Open Enrollment on the phone. And my feelings regarding phones are very similar to your own.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Weird on the oil delivery -- we were with DR (or their lineal ancestors) for over 30 years and they never left us freezing. Now, of course, we've switched to gas. The pipeline would have to go dry.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Only thing I can think is they got a new route driver, and he couldn't find the house. Though one would imagine he would still be delivering the oil SOMEwhere. Or the office might call and ask if we've moved the house, or...something.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

I have natural gas here, but I sill had to replace the batteries in the thermostat inside the house to make it start. For want of AA batteries, things could have gotten ugly quickly.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

I recently went through the blowing cold air thing with my heat pump. It wouldn't come one. A bit of diagnostics and an order from Amazon of a dual-run starting capacitor and I was back in (warm) business. Those things happen with a 12 year old system. But depending on someone else to provide the heat juice and then having no heat juice is scary.

And gooberment. Sheesh. I always challenge those who think more government is the answer to point out one. single. thing. the government does well and efficiently, and better than private enterprise. Post office? (Snicker!) Best military in the world? (Only someone who's never been in the military would say the military does things well and efficiently.) Foreign affairs? (I laugh!) Land management? (You're kidding, right?) Anything. And to put our so-called "health care" in their hands is even scarier than having not heat.

Someone pointed out to me that if you really look at the US budget, the Federal government is just a massive insurance conglomerate with a large standing army :)

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Well, if we'd just gone to single payer, which is the only rational way to provide health care for all your citizens. . .but, no. Rational is Not US. And! We *certainly* had to make sure that our Good Friends in the Insurance Industry didn't get cut out any of their accustomed chocolate icing. If we did not qualify for any government help with our health insurance payments, our per month under the ACA would be more than $1200/month. Which is no better than it was with Anthem Blue Cross. The only thing that's actually changed for the better in Maine is that -- for the first time in more than 20 years -- there is more than one health insurance provider in state, so, theoretically, Anthem can't have everything its own way.

I've depended on oil companies delivering oil so I can heat my house for my entire life, so it doesn't seem weird to me. Or scary. This is the first time in at least a quarter century that we've run out of oil, and the immediate problem (no oil/no heat) is fixed. Monday, I need to track down Just Exactly What went wrong and make sure that it Never Happens Again.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

Pick a number and save for the fine? Better than skipping altogether if you are over 50. And Medicare has costs...the Medicare supplements may be more thrifty. Sounds like you need to get back with the Guide to figure it out.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

No fine if you guess wrong. You just have to pay back the total of the government's supplement. In our case, that would be $800 x 12 = $9,600, for this year. Which, just by the way, we don't have. Also, if you guessed wrong, you get NO supplement for next year. Which means, on top of paying everything back for this year, we'd have to come up with $1200 x 12 = $14,400.

Which ain't happening.

Next year, the fine for not having health insurance is $2,000. Which I could have, with advance warning.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

In some ways it's a useless mess. And yes, I know that Self-Employment taxes are usurious, too. I'd think a wrong guess would only make you pay a difference (plus interest, those suckers) rather than all of it. Sort of defeats the purpose to sock someone with all the supplement instead of a corrected supplement.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

You mean there is no space that says "By Order of the Emperor Gregor"? That needs to be changed.

Automatic(?) Delivery

[aska-kettlingur.livejournal.com]

Make sure that the fact you ran dry doesn't mean that the crud in the bottom of the tank got into the line. A new fuel filter might be in order. And if it's their fault for not delivering, make them check it out at their cost.

I have a monthly budget payment and automatic delivery. I also have a reminder in my Outlook calendar to check the level in the oil tank (frequency depending on outdoor temperatures). I guess I just don't trust anyone where my comfort (and the comfort of my cat) is concerned.

Re: Automatic(?) Delivery

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Whist, whist. We have a service contract; no fee, no matter whose fault it is. The Repair Guy has already been here, in the wake of the Delivery Guy, when we discovered that filling the tank did not answer the problem of the furnace not coming on, so I think we're good.

First time in 25 years that auto-delivery has failed. Not too bad, considering.

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

Oh mygoodness!!!!!! SO GLAD you two and the cats didn't freeze solid!!!