As a point of pride if not braggadocio, Kathleen has been trying to make it all the way through October without turning on the furnace. Stan has lent his tacit support to this dubious goal, and until now it appeared that, with only minor discomfort, the household would make it through to November.
However, there's a gas fireplace in the basement adjacent to Stan's office. Today Kathleen discovered a fire in it. She called it "cheating."No matter that the gas dryer and the gas oven have been providing some warmth all along upstairs, oh no, that's different, she explains, acting as both contestant and referee.
Our furnace has yet to be ignited, but even so, just like Barry Bonds' home runs, Kathleen's 2008 record for frugality has been forever soiled by an asterisk.
(Photo, right: The scene of the crime.)
