When it snows, it pours....

Mixed messages from yet another winter's day.

Of greatest import: brrrr. Or, at least potentially, that.

Sometime this afternoon, I sat down here and thought I smelled the horrid smell of a dying electrical circuit inside this computer. Later, we both noticed it in the bathroom. Hmmm. This is around the time I realized that, despite it being close to 14F outside, our furnace hadn't come on in quite some time. Once or twice, I heard it going into its pre-fiery prep mode, but neither time resulted in any actual heat coming out- and the digital thermostat, which distinctly read "system on," also read "68F" and dropping.

Yup, Polar Vortex 1, Ray and Eleanor 0.

We called the company that installed the furnace in 1999; they do have emergency weekend coverage, and are supposedly going to be here by 8:30 tonight.  It's probably an issue with the fan motor, which wouldn't be too bad. It's only dropped two degrees in the house to the current 66F since we diagnosed the problem, and we'd be okay with blankies and heating pads and pre-feral animals until they can get here tomorrow, except for the minor issue of Eleanor's second surgery being scheduled for tomorrow morning. We just made alternative transportation arrangements for that, so I can wait out the heating dude in the morning if needed.

Hopefully, though, we'll be back into the 70s by Cinderella time.

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Eleanor also made the sermon in church this morning. Sort of.

Doctrine requires this final pre-Lent Sunday to include Christ's Transfiguration, and our minister used the reality of cataracts to parallel the Gospel's sudden revelation of His true self.  Rich has been diagnosed with cataracts himself, although his are early-stage enough to be on a wait-and-see schedule.  But he also contrasted the moment of this biblical event as one which made Jesus's ministry as post-cataract clear to Him as such surgery does to its patients.  As a prime example of living for such ministry, Rich quoted the story of one Dobri Dobrev, an elderly gentleman of Sofia, Bulgaria who has devoted his recent life to serving his fellow men and women, subsisting on a (roughly) $100 a month pension while begging for, and donating every (roughly) penny of, his alms to churches and other charities in his area.

Snopes says the story is true, so who am I to argue?

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The day in church also brought a visual experience:



One of my favorite couples in the whole congregation was in front of me, and Sam was in his Scoutmaster uniform, due to a function earlier in the day. For the first time, I noticed his uni included this patch, which I asked him to explain. 

It's a fainting goat, was his reply.  This turns out to be a specially designed patch for our church's own troop- for its adult leadership. Fainting goats are bred in South America to protect other members of the herd, by feigning sleep and going paws-up when wolves or other predators come about.  Yet the best part is that it's part of a series of patches and yells developed by our own congregation's scout troop:

(Note: italicized text is not mine; I've also deleted references to specific individuals)

Sparkling Rainbow Unicorn (Senior Patrol):
Yell: "Don't mess with the horn!"
Gear Color: Blue

Anime:
Yell: Random quote from anime
Gear Color: Green

Argyle Gargoyle:
Yell: "Stunning evil spirits with impeccable style!"
Gear Color: Red

Rabid Squirrel:Yell: Varies
Gear Color: Orange

Fainting Goats (Adult Leadership):
Yell: One adult says "Bah!" Another adult falls on their back with their arms and legs in the air.

Damn. I'm too old now to JOIN this troop.

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I also won't be attending the defense against a witch-burning in a week. For the Methodists in downstate New York have indefinitely postponed their trial of a minister who dared solemnize the marriage his own son with another man in the bonds of Christian marriage:

Bishop Clifton Ives, a retired Maine bishop overseeing the trial, and pastors representing the church and the Rev. Thomas Ogletree, all agreed to pursue a “just resolution” before resorting to a trial, said the Rev. William S. Shillady, secretary of the trial court.

Ogletree, 80, faced a church trial March 10 and 11 in Stamford, Conn., for officiating at the 2012 wedding of his son to another man. The church defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and bans clergy from performing and churches from hosting same-sex ceremonies.

The New York Conference of the United Methodist Church, to which Ogletree belongs, announced the postponement Monday (Feb. 10).

Ogletree has repeatedly said he has no regrets about his son’s wedding. He has said he considers the church rules to be bad laws, and insists he will not change his mind.

That now leaves our own, Syracuse-based, bishop in the spotlight over whether to conduct such a trial in the similar case of a Binghamton pastor who dared marry one of his own.  We'll be watching as that develops further.

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And, with little else in theology to warm my heart, at least we again have a furnace.  Heating Guy got here round 7:30 and was gone by 8:15, with a new control board onboard to replace the one we smelled in the act of frying earlier.  Total cost: just over $343, not counting the crotch-aimed tip Ebony tried to give him. We, instead, gave him our immense thanks for being there when we needed him.