oh the bitter cold!

it has been a rough week and a half to live in northwest indiana (well, i guess its true of most of the midwest lately). the weather has been truely wretched. now, i am a big fan of the cold. i enjoy a 45 degree day much more than an 80 degree day. but lately its been rediculous. we have had almost 8 days over the past 10 where the temperature has been below zero! and then theres the wind chill... i have been holed up under a blanket for quite a while! fortunately i finally bit the bullet and called the furnace guy just as this whole whing was starting. ive been struggling with my heat for quite a while now (and by quite a while, i mean a year or two...). and it turned out to be fairly cheap! there was just a little part that needed to be replaced. so for the first time in far too long, i have been able to set the heat and actually have that temperature reached before the thing turns off! what a blessing! saints be praised! so ive been treating myself lately, and have even turned it up to 68 degrees- absolutely scandalous, i know!