With this list, I think they can only ask questions about the weather and only pleasant weather at that.

That's just a slippery slope to climate change.

Happy Birthday Noah and Grace!

We are on our way back. It was a great day. We are tired, and the American Girl Doll store is enriched. Still trying to schedule the Baltimore side of this trip, as our housing didn't work out - yay spring break?!

I'm not reading the words article, as it will make me crazy.

Ghent Altarpiece - this guy thinks the close up shows another altar piece but I think T.A.R.D.I.S.

Argh. So my heat pump is indeed broken. To replace the compressor, i.e., just the broken part, will be $2000+. This is apparently like "putting a new engine in a car with 300,000 miles on it", according to the technician, who suggested I consider replacing the whole system. I'm getting a quote on the whole system tomorrow, but the estimate is $6000. This system is past the end of its expected life span, at 15 years old, so I think replacing the whole system is best, BUT. It has to be complicated, doesn't it?

My sister is insisting that she paid less to replace the whole system in her house, which is twice the size of mine. She'll check her records tonight, but my sis doesn't forget money, so it's probably true. Which means I can't just say, okay, do it; close my eyes and write the check. I'll have to get another quote from somebody else. Plus, the company I called, despite being a highly-rated company, sells Trane equipment, and for some reason my sister has decided she doesn't like Trane. FUCK.

I want a new system before it gets hot again. I'd get a rebate from the company, and a rebate from Trane, which will bring the cost down to about $5000, which is what my sister says she paid. I have a trustworthy company, a reliable brand, and a reasonable quote. I've got enough money in savings to do it. Savings is for taking care of inevitable repairs on the house. THAT'S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR. Why does it have to be complicated?

Argh. Sorry for ranting. It's just... my sister started in on SEER ratings and HSPF numbers and whether I could get a tax credit for energy-efficient appliances, and I got overwhelmed with information. She would interview three companies and get competing rates and pick the best one that also saved her the most pennies, and then agonize over the decision for months afterwards, wondering if she could have saved more. Me? I want to make a decision and get it done, as soon as possible, and be done with it.

What would replacing the whole system entail/do? Other new parts? Something to your house? Cheaper bills down the line?

Keeping some of that stuff off standardized tests seems like a kindness -- avoiding bringing up outside trauma in an already-stressful situation. But birthdays???

I take it this is an air-source heat pump, not a ground source heat pump.

HOWEVER. Since sj is buying a house, I want to say, I have never regretted buying instead of renting. When something breaks in my own house, I can just get it fixed. Negotiating with my sister is nothing compared to wrestling with a reluctant landlord.

Why do I have to consult my sister? Because she's part-owner of the property, and joint owner of the bank account the savings is in. I could just do it without asking her, but it would upset her if I did, and rightfully so. She has a say in it.

A quick Google found this on Trane heat pumps. [link]

Don't know how representative this is, but at least your sister is not basing her dislike of Trane heat pumpos on nothing. Don't know if these are outliers rather than typical.

I take it this is an air-source heat pump, not a ground source heat pump.

I don't know what that means! There's an outside unit and an inside unit (the condenser, I believe).