PETER COGGON (1:123/140) wrote to STEVEN HORN at 20:01 on 04 May 2007:

 PC>  Hello Steven.  I left Sao Paulo Brasil, to return to Canada in 30c
 PC> temperatures, and sunny, with the usual rain storm set to cool
 PC> things off ... and arrived in Toronto, to  cold grumpy customs, and
 PC> people a ride that was 4 hours late, and the temperature at the
 PC> time was -10c. The only good thing was it was sunny, but not when I
 PC> finally arrived home, to get the bigger surprise., Of the furnace
 PC> roaring away, the thermostat up as far as it would go, the house
 PC> cooking the dog and cats ... and by the time I got it all shutoff,
 PC> and the fire department called to check things for me, I learnt
 PC> that my full tank just filled as now "empty" nearly .... From
 PC> February 7, 2007 to April 7th 2007 I had NO oil to heat the house
 PC>  and the pets and I to save slept, and cooked over the
 PC> fireplace.   I too got pneumonia and if I had not had Ham Radio, I
 PC> would have never been helped, with medicine etc...

Peter,

You have to find a better house sitter.  Having said that, we burned $566
of fuel between February 13 and March 10.  At a cost of approximately $1.00
per litre, that's a lot of oil and we hadn't boosed the heat.

 PC>   My snowblower didn't work as much as you, and I only just got the
 PC> car out in March to go for needed food for me and the pets, as well
 PC> to pay some bills.   I think the snow storms missed us, but we did
 PC> get some skating rink days, on the roads.

Fortunately, we don't get the skating rink days.  But with all the snow we
got, voles tunneled underneath the snow and chewed up our grass.

 PC>   You however, did suffer a lot more then me, with your illness as I
 PC> got it after all the bad times left me, and I was able to get the
 PC> oil tank filled again at $ 481.00 .... neighbours...well they never
 PC> said a thing and deny it all.   SO no more of this stuff about
 PC> neighbourhood watch or friends...Have none...better this way.

My illness was easy to take.  Ten days of screamingly cold weather was not.
 Hopefully things will look up next year but the other day the Sears Fall
and Winter Catalogue was dropped off and we haven't even seen Spring yet.
:-(

 PC>   What is funny, is you're in CANADA!    It reminds me of all the
 PC> BBSes here in this area that went belly up.   All the most
 PC> wonderful people like yourself, who at this time might be
 PC> feeling...Am I the only one here? ... So Steven...I have no
 PC> answers..I just answered to create some traffic...and both you and
 PC> I can not force them to come back.    They might have moved onwards
 PC> to what they think is something big and better....who knows.   I
 PC> also get so many excuses for BBS support here in this area....but
 PC> as far as I am concerned the wants just do not make it worth while.

At least I have the luxury of merely running a mail hub. :-)  My dowhnlinks
are long gone.

 PC>   You have the satisfaction , like I felt a few years ago, by
 PC> staying to the last.   The satisfaction is being the last to close
 PC> the door.

I think there will be some left after I shut down. 

 PC>   Take care... despite all...your real friends will still be
 PC> emailing you via whatever route.

 That's true and I'm easy to find.  

Take care,

Steven Horn (steven.horn{at}northwestel.net)
Moderator, ALASKA_CHAT 
--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+