I fixed the furnace! By myself!

Well, not the furnace per se, but both its peripherals, the condensate pump and the humidifier. Watson the cat likes to rip the condensate pump apart -- he can't resist the slurping noise it makes, or the smell of water -- so I have become adept at putting it back to rights. But then the furnace technician came and messed with the wire mesh cage I erected around the pump to keep Watson off it, and the cellar floor was flooded again.

I called the service company and they offered the same technician in two weeks. Bugger that, I said, and got out the wire cutters and screwdriver again.

Cut my thumb and tore a hole in my shirt (that wire mesh is fierce stuff), but I got the thing working again. Yay me! And it's still working -- slurping away under Watson's gaze from the lid of the freezer.

Encouraged, I set about fixing the humidifier -- flushing the hoses, clearing the drip pan, replacing the water pad and wick. Of course, the installer promised that the consumable parts are available at Home Depot and they're not ...

Next challenge: the twitchy smoke alarm that goes off at three o'clock of a Sunday afternoon when there's NOTHING HAPPENING in the house!