we shall try an e e cummings style today, although i will use punctuation...
it is a blustery day outside - wet and chilly. not a good day for bike riding... so maybe i'll take the bus to class!
nathan and i have been winterizing our apartment. it is a lovely old house that has been converted into apartments, and so we have over half of the second floor. the floors are an splintery hardwood and the walls vary from a deep mottled maroon in our bedroom to a rusty orange in our living room to a cheery yellow in our kitchen and a nice light blue in our bathroom.
our bathtub has feet.
one of our friends remarked to me that this is the sort of apartment that one will miss. ever since then, i've been missing it.
we are planning to move to chicago next year. nathan is graduating this spring and i have summer school and then only one semester of german to complete before i can graduate. i will be taking my final german course via correspondencce course from chicago, and then i will be D-U-N, done!
anyhow - back to the house - i've put plastic over all of the windows except two - our bathroom window and our kitchen window. the windows are old and poorly sealed (save one brand new window in the front room - it is lovely and doesn't stick - lor knows how it got there among the others). however, i have a bit of a dilemma -maybe you, gentle reader, can offer some suggestions.
our stove is an older modeled gas unit. three of the four burners are constantly lit, with a relatively high pilot light. the fourth isn't and won't. the oven does not heat evenly (it's a wee model - only 25 inches wide) and i think that is mostly from poor insulation (and the age of it).
we've asked our landlord for a new stove, since we use quite a bit of fuel just keeping the pilot lights lit (although our landlord's husband remarked that this was normal i know it isn't - the new stoves today have electric starters and don't stay lit all the time). heating is expensive, since we have gas heat, too and because we are trying to save money by cooking, we use quite a bit of gas overall.
anyhow, our landlord said yes at first and then no, after her husband's report (which I might say was based on the word of a plumber who was in the building working on some leaky seals - i don't know how a plumber would have a better idea of how a gas stove is supposed to behave than i would...). ultimately, no cigar.
sorry - that was quite a bit of exposition for a silly little question: do you think that there is a danger of carbon monoxide? is this a reasonable basis for re-requesting a new stove? since our house is sealed up to keep the heat in, not much can get out, and airing the place out isn't really an option.
i look forward to your comments!
hope that your toes are warm!
love,
~liz
Posted by lizington at October 15, 2004 11:30 AMWe just bought a combo smoke and carbon monoxide detector for $25 at Home Depot. Being safe is worth the cost and effort!
Posted by: Heather at October 19, 2004 11:02 AMAHA! Thanks for the comments! I shall definitely look into it :)
love,
~liz
Posted by: liz at October 18, 2004 01:03 PMcheck the internet?
Posted by: Mara at October 18, 2004 05:02 AMP.S. I grew up in a house with a lovely old claw-footed bathtub. The feet scared me and thrilled me at the same time. Thanks for reminding me of being little in a big warm tub with my little brother, and Mom there to wrap us up in the towel and put us in our jammies. Good stuff!
Posted by: Amy Eades at October 16, 2004 09:40 PM2 thoughts, my lovelies: 1)There are carbon monoxide detectors available for purchase, though, as I understand it, they're rather pricey. 2)Illinois Power will come out and test for you, if you tell them you're concerned. I believe this is a free service. Sometimes, that's enough to motivate a landlord, since, if the power company finds anything that isn't up to standard, they are required to report to the authorities. I hope this helps. Meanwhile, I recommend warm soxies and hot chocolate. Big love to you both ~ Amy
Posted by: Amy Eades at October 16, 2004 09:37 PM