By Gretchen Leigh

After five days of IV treatments for an MS flare up last week, my neurologist put me on a taper down oral prednisone, to wean me off the good stuff. The oral steroids put me in overdrive all week.

My family was more than happy to get away from me as I chattered nonstop. My daughters sprinted out the door for school earlier than usual. The animals stayed outside in the driving rain rather than be stuck in the house with me. My husband holed up in his shop after dinner. Though I was aware of my state, I didn’t comprehend how bad I was until each following day as the dose reduced. Every morning I had fuzzy memories of things I may have said or done reminiscent of my partying days.

It was an unwise decision to watch the news (because I usually don’t). I obsessed over the small earthquakes this area has been having, the big computer virus that’s going around right now, and the state of our country. It only freaked me out more that it was all out of my control.

Then the furnace kicked on.

Why was the furnace kicking on? It was at the temp I set it at, the house hadn’t cooled. I have a new furnace. What is going on? Why does it keep doing that? The bonus room isn’t heating as well as it could. I should have someone see if something can be done. We spent a lot of money and I want to make sure everyone has done everything that can be done to make it as good as it can be.

They were questions I previously had, but not wanting to bother people with insignificant issues, I hadn’t called the company. So in my jacked up state, I made an appointment. I told my husband that I was going to wait to follow up with my neurologist until after I finished all the meds and things had settled down. Perhaps I should have given the same courtesy to the people at Pacific Air Systems.

When Da Man, whom I nicknamed a couple months ago after he crawled under my house and reattached a duct, and his trainee showed up, I was grateful my husband was home so they didn’t immediately hightail it out of here. Ever the professional, he ignored my manic state and began in the hallway at the top of my concerns. He explained the thermostat was doing what it was supposed to by maintaining the temperature, not letting it drop.

After they opened the furnace to see what could be done to increase air flow in the bonus room, Da Man did something that made me want to throw myself into his arms and profess my love. He asked for the instruction manual. Good thing my husband was there to restrain me. He knew what he needed to do to help the furnace perform better, but he wanted to read the map of our particular system. That just made it better. Am I right, ladies?

I don’t know what he did, something about adjusting blowers, fans, amps or something, but he fixed the problem and heat is flowing much better. He also showed us how a deluxe system like ours could really work in our favor when it’s set properly. Then we all received a lesson on how to program the thermostat. I stood there in my agitated condition, shuddering like a Chihuahua, excited over all the new opportunities our furnace opened up to us (even temperatures, better air circulation).

I have to hand it to the techs at Pacific Air for not bolting when faced with the challenge I presented. Da Man told me I should have called sooner. I guess I should have, because everyone from the receptionist to the duct sealing crew has always been nothing but kind and professional during the whole process, plus they are all so good at their jobs. Or in this case maybe I should have waited. Nobody gets paid enough to deal with the likes of me.

Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. You can read more of her writing and her blog on her website livingwithgleigh.com or on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh by Gretchen Leigh,” or twitter @livewithgleigh. Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Life section.