The world still turns when you have COVID

Day 5 of no fevers:

Last entry I mentioned my having to jump the Atlas in the pouring rain. Well, we took the car to the dealership to have its battery replaced. Having seen AAA replace batteries in the past, I knew it wasn't something I could do, even if I wasn't sick. My better half didn't exactly believe me, so she called a couple parts places on Sunday and was told the Atlas is a pretty fancy car and needs a tech to run computer after battery is reinstalled.

Monday morning, I called our normal mechanic , but they're booked until next Monday when I plan to return to work, so I tried the dealership and got an appointment for Thursday which is much
sooner and probably just as well given the special nature of the car. I think our mechanic would have been much less expensive than the  $475 we paid the dealership, but time is essential.

Speaking of time being essential:

Monday evening, I heard a weird squealing for a few moments which sounded like our old Frigidaire dishwasher grinding. I was the only one to hear it, but I was the only one in the basement due my isolating. 

It had been a mostly rainy day. Temps never got much into the 80s, so my basement was rather cool. Certain spouses cannot stand temperatures above 74°, which occurred upstairs. Sure enough, our HVAC wasn't working. 

Given the sound I had heard and other clues, I concluded the Blower had gone bad. We had it replaced 18 years ago when my FIL fixed our AC. I knew it cost under $100 to fix back in '04, but my being sick meant I couldn't attempt to fix it.

Again, I tried our normal HVAC place, but they were book a couple days. We've had them ever since a place that ADVERTISES like crazy cancelled an appointment we had for over a week on us since we were not part of the service club. 

She who can't stand heat gave me numbers to call around. Viking heating and air said they'd be able to come out same day between Noon and 2pm, so I didn't call around afterward. I still ordered and picked up a DeLonghi Portable AC unit from Sam's Club which had been on sale and can supposedly cool 700ft².

Viking was late. He came around 2:15. He confirmed my blower assessment, but proceeded to say the part costs $850!!!!!!!!! 

I already was paying at least $225 for the visit ($99 for service call, $5 gas charge, and $120/hr labor) and knew staying in a hotel would occur if the house was 87° much longer. 

Around 3:30pm, the tech says that for $169, we could join their club which has 2 annual visits and has 15% off parts. They charge 3% surcharge for credit cards, so we paid $863 with check.

I feel like we got taken a bit by the price of the part, when I still have the $73 receipt for the last blower motor we bought in '04, but certain people are happy with having a cool house and not having to stay at a hotel.

Thursday and Friday: 

As I said before, I am day 5 of being without chills and fever. 

I am probably at 95%. 

I was at maybe 90% yesterday, when I mowed a bit of the lawn, but felt a bit winded. I later sanded some of the mud around my stupid basement window. It was too dusty to go over with mud and I didn't feel cleaning said dust. 

We ordered Sherwin Williams paint before their sale ended, so I hope to get the basement done soon... especially since our split barn doors will come from Wayfair today.