Story #1

Friday was the last day of school before the Winter Break. The plan was something like this:
Do something creative.
Go to Library.
Do something artsy.
Go to Recess.
Open presents.
Go to Lunch.
Have a party.
Go home.

Definitely the kind of day I want to be a part of. More importantly, the kind of day I have to be a part of. The plans were all in my head and subs hate having to read minds to get through the day. Never-the-less, I almost missed it.

First, some background information.
1) One of the conditions on our purchase of this house was that all the exposed water pipes be wrapped. I had heard how cold it can get here in Anza.
2) When I went to bed Thursday night it was exactly 32 F outside.
3) As of Thursday night we had not yet turned on the heat in our house. Daylight sunlight through south facing windows and excellent insulation had kept things bearable so far.

So. I woke up Friday morning and immediately checked the temperature. 22 F. Sure glad those pipes are wrapped! I thought. Riiight. It was Pajama Day at school, so I gathered my most school appropriate pjs and headed for the shower. The water felt hotter than normal, but I attributed it to the fact that the air was colder than it had been yet - probably about 50 degrees. I had just finished soaping my head when it happened.

The water stopped. Just like that. One minute it was full blast, the next it was a pathetic little dribble. My still somewhat sleepy brain tried to process this turn of events as I stood, dripping and covered with soap. It didn't take long to realize that my pipes, thought to be warmly wrapped and protected, were, in fact, frozen. Damn.

At this point, two thoughts started a shouting match in my head. "I can't go to school like this." "I can't have a sub cover this day." "But, I can't go to school like this." "But, I can't have a sub cover this day." If it weren't for Mikey, I might have frozen solid waiting for an answer to come. He wisely suggested that I get the bottled water from the fridge, heat it up, and use it to rinse my head. This is why I keep him around, for emergencies. :)

2 hours later, I was sitting in my warm, dry classroom regaling my students with the tale of my morning. My hair, lacking its usual dose of conditioner wasn't at its best, especially after 20 minutes of de-snarling with a brush, but I let everyone think it was part of my Pajama Day costume. That evening, we turned on the heat (another adventure in and of itself - who knew pilot lights were so tricky?) and our pipes have been fine since. I am somewhat concerned because all the exposed pipes we can find are wrapped per the purchase agreement. The only other pipes I can think might be exposed are in the crawl space under the house and I am NOT going in there. There are things LIVING in there.