We sat at the table talking about what we were going to purchase for our parents for Christmas.
We had only been sitting there for a few minutes, when he heard a strange noise coming from the basement.
He opened the door, and announced it was coming from the furnace. I ran over and the noise was definitely coming from the furnace. Even before I could say anything, he had his phone in hand, and he was calling the HVAC company. We knew we had a problem with the furnace last year, but we didn’t take it seriously. The HVAC technician had mentioned something about buying a new furnace, but we didn’t have the money. Here we were, in the middle of winter, and our furnace was acting up. Christmas was only a few days away and we worried we would need to make the choice between buying gifts, or getting a new furnace. When he hung up, he said the HVAC technician would be at the house later that afternoon. I had the day off, so neither of us had to take time off so someone would be home for the HVAC tech. While waiting for the HVAC technician, I was doing some serious calculations. I was trying to decide if we could afford a new furnace right now. As much as I hoped our furnace would last for the rest of the winter, I was doubtful, and needed a game plan. By the time the HVAC technician arrived, I had all the figures, and knew that whatever he said needed done, we would be able to swing it and still buy Christmas presents.