TGIF on the Boulevard

Hi Neighbour,

I have deliberately delayed writing my TGIF blog this week for what I consider a good reason. On May 1st, every year, I come to a decision about my comfort in my house. More than 10 years ago, maybe 15 years ago, when I was working, I decided that I shouldn’t leave the heat on all day in my house, when I was out. And in 2009, when I started cycling, I was already in the habit of turning the thermostat down before I left home, for whatever reason, for however long I might be gone. That habit was in place all year long. Just a small habit that meant saving money and gas. It was my way of being environmentally-friendly—a feel-good act.

On another level, years ago when an installer came to my house, I asked him what I needed to do to turn off the furnace, and he showed me the switch, and even wrote on the side of the furnace “Off” next to the two electrical switches for the summer fan and the furnace. It was a no-brainer. Exactly what and where I needed the information to be. But, how often do you go and look at your furnace wall? Like, never, unless it breaks down, right? So I needed to write a reminder to myself on my calendar for May 1st and another for October 1st. Well, that worked for me, and now it’s a habit, like changing my clocks twice a year. But those dates are highly publicized and always happen on a Sunday very early in the morning.

Some years, the spring weather is so great that I am tempted to turn off the furnace before May 1st. But part of the deal with myself is that I can’t turn it back on until October 1st or later. So, coming out of winter, I mostly wait until May 1st. However, this year’s weather has been so unforgivable, so retched, so C-O-L-D! that I seriously wondered whether I would actually turn the furnace off on May 1st. Then last week’s weather was looking promising, so I decided to wait until Sunday, May 1st, to see if I was ready to ‘take the plunge’.

During the pandemic I haven’t cycled as much as I used to before the pandemic. Rain and other things were limiting my chances to go for a walk or for a ride. But it seems like the last three to four months have been filled with dark, cloudy skies and cold rain. I hate cold rain, so either I haven’t gone out at all, or I’ve worn a sweater, rain pants, hiking boots and my handy dandy helmet raincover to stay warm. Many times, that’s worked to get me out the door. And once I’m out, I love to ride my bike.

Well, today was a great day to enjoy the outdoors. And I didn’t need a sweater or boots. So I turned off my furnace and went for a ride…

Fiona

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