Anyone Else Feeling a Little Tense?

Living green isn't just about the cool stuff, like Tomato Cage Christmas Trees and Balloon Wisk Candle-Holders.

Sometimes it involves actual mechanicals and bureaucracy.

The Ontario government is trying to entice the electorate to conserve energy by offering cash incentives. Whoo!

So we recently upgraded our furnaces (both houses). The cool thing is, you can now rent furnaces in our area. So if (when) something goes wrong, you just call the company and say, "Dude, your furnace is broken." And they have to come out and fix it. On their dime! I can't wait till the day we can rent sewer connections....

To qualify for the cash incentive, you have to have an energy audit done. And today, the start of my pre-Christmas sale, was the day.

I was in the middle of trying to get myself prettied up and ready to start work when the doorbell rang. Alan was down in the bakery and didn't hear it.

By the time I got to the door, NO ONE. And no car, either. I poked my head out the door, looked around. Nothing. Told Alan that the guy was here but, apparently invisible.

Then the phone rang. Of course, we live in Sebringville, where cellphones don't work. "Hello? Hello?"

I decided to finish getting ready for work, having wasted five minutes looking for the Phantom Energy Auditor.

That's when he pounded on the back door. The one with all the crap in front of it. By the time I got it open, he was disappearing down the end of the driveway.

I shouted a frantic hello and back he came. "I rang the bell, but nobody answered."

And I, who try always to be polite to everyone who crosses my path, lost it, possibly, just a little bit. I mean, I'm pretty sure I didn't actually swear at him. But I think the neighbours heard me explain that when you ring the bell? You have to WAIT a bit to give people a chance to ANSWER THE DOOOOOOOR!!!!!

Note to self: learning to manage your stress better might be a good idea.