Our furnace was doing its thing just fine last night, when I went to bed. Not so much, this morning: it was 50 degrees in here at 6 a.m. Sunny Beaches! Went down and checked, and yep, it was deader than last years' flowers. Well, it was still 30 degrees warmer indoors than out. So there's that.
Fortunately, having received a tip two years ago that Portland was planning a new fee thing in which they'd charge you $35 for a permit to cut down any tree on your own property (to "preserve the city canopy") AND require you to purchase and plant a new tree of their choosing for each one you cut, I have spent the intervening time chainsawing leaning alders in the side yard, and splitting chunks into firewood. Alder burns hot, and doesn't leave a bunch of creosote behind, like fir does.
Had the temperature up to 72 degrees in no time.
Furnace controller board died, so I can spend $500 for a new one, or just replace the unit for $1500 more. I went with the latter, since the furnace is 20 years old. It's been a trooper, but all things must end. I was just glad that we have a fireplace, and that I cut and split eight alders when I did. It would've been darned uncomfortable without that wood. Backups are great.
