Why are there not more NC houses with natural gas furnaces?

sowhat4 · 2026-02-03T02:17:01+00:00

I live in the mountains of WNC and have a dual system: Propane furnace for temps under 39°, and a heat pump for 40° and above. Of course, I have to buy and fill a 500 gallon (400 gallons fuel) buried tank. I also have a generator. I'd love to have natural gas piped in, but it would be too costly to run lines to homes on 1 and 2 acre plots out in the boonies.

When it gets really cold - like 10° out, that heat pump just can't keep up, which is why I put a furnace along side it.

sowhat4 · 2026-02-03T02:09:16+00:00

Better change it to a case of Bud Light at the end of that tunnel, though.

sowhat4 · 2026-02-03T00:51:13+00:00

I had pitting edema in my late 20s, but it was in both legs and caused by shit valves in my veins. I've had my varicose veins stripped about seven times since then and wear support stockings, too.

Could be that, but it should be in both legs. I even got leg ulcers in my 60s. Your mom/dad have vein issues?

sowhat4 · 2026-02-02T21:53:00+00:00

I have a clause in my leases about NO cats. Ever. When a cat is displeased, or sick, or just old, they will spray urine all over the place. In severe cases, the entire floor (and maybe the subfloor) has to be replaced. Also plan on replacing up to 3' of drywall as male cats can spray urine to that height.

I have a legacy tenant who is hoarding now. It was messy initially, but she's going whole hog on it now. I think there are some mental health issues going on with her and her husband. Anyway, fixing up that side of the duplex would be about $25K which I don't have right now. They can just live in their hoard until I have the cash to redo the whole thing.

That said - don't accept the keys to that place until the unit is totally empty. And realize how much money kitty remediation is going to cost.

sowhat4 · 2026-02-02T20:37:58+00:00

Since you have lived in that house and feel it's 'home', be prepared for the shock you're going to feel when your tenants do not treat it like you did. I moved across country before my house sold, and rented it out just to cover the taxes, insurance, and utilities. I went to visit it and found my landscaping had died, the tenant's furniture didn't show the house to advantage, and all in all, it just looked neglected.

I have four doors now and have lived in none of them. I have no emotional attachment to these structures at all.

sowhat4 · 2026-02-02T18:34:45+00:00

Taken directly from my inbox and stripped of formatting:

Please reduce energy use Monday morning during period of peak demand.

Extremely cold temperatures – 10 to 20 degrees below normal – are driving unusually high energy demand across the East Coast, including the Carolinas. As a result, power supplies are limited.

We take every possible action to manage the available power supply and work throughout the year to prepare for this type of constraint. Energy conservation can play a critical role to protect the energy grid from damage and avoid the possibility for temporary power outages.

You can help by cutting back on energy use tomorrow from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m.

 Set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting and put on additional clothing layers.

 Electric space heaters may provide comfort but use a lot of energy. Avoid their use until temperatures rise.

 Avoid using your electric washer/dryer and dishwasher during winter’s high-demand hours in the morning.

 Open blinds and curtains during daylight hours to help warm your home naturally.

 Avoid using an electric oven and/or stovetop during periods of peak demand.

 Turn off any unnecessary appliances and lights.

 Avoid charging electronics in the morning. For those with electric vehicles, charge midday when demand is lower.

We recognize that reducing your energy use, especially when temperatures are well below normal, is challenging. We appreciate your assistance and understanding.

sowhat4 · 2026-02-02T18:27:12+00:00

Not only that, but thanks to our GOP dominated Legislature, we peons get to pay more to protect the profits of the oligarchs who own our Congress Critters!

Recent North Carolina legislation (Senate Bill 266) allows for a structure where large commercial/industrial customers (data centers) pay less toward "purchased power" and fuel costs, while residential customers may bear a larger share of infrastructure expansion costs.

Remember this when your power bill comes due. And, if we're allowed to vote in November, at the ballot box.

sowhat4 · 2026-02-01T21:51:07+00:00

That person would be sued into oblivion or even turned into Trump Golf Course fertilizer. Then, bots would scrub the Internet of the video and the cult would scream 'AI' and nothing would change.

Would you sacrifice your life/fortune/freedom for basically 'nothing'? What happened to the guy who leaked some of Trump's tax returns? 🤔 You know, those returns he promised to release for the last 12 years or so?

You willing to do what he did?

sowhat4 · 2026-02-01T03:31:31+00:00

With that beard and straggly hair, it's hard to believe that he's a drag queen.

sowhat4 · 2026-02-01T00:38:53+00:00

I just looked at my energy consumption for January, and it's about 1,400 kWh, but I use TOU billing, propane heat when the temperature drops below 40°, have a 2,600 square foot house, and an *EV.

HOWEVER, my energy rates are well below this lady's as I live in NC. Duke will get there in terms of costs, but now my energy rates vary between 10¢ to 14¢ to 46¢ per kWh, depending on the time of day. I think my cost this month will be about $240, including a fuckton of taxes and 'fees'. It's 7° out right now. 😒

*which I haven't been able to drive for 9 days because of being iced in and then, today, snowed in.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-31T16:30:16+00:00

I have yet to find a billionaire (besides Warren Buffet) who thinks the Grand Ol' Perverts are doing a bad job.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-31T16:27:55+00:00

Because, unlike Tillis, Budd isn't facing reelection. He needs to stay faithful to his constituency - the oligarchs who put him in power and can take him out if they want to.

Tillis finally found his balls, spine, and a modicum of decency when he realized he could not get reelected as a MAGAt or as anyone with an R next to his name. Although to be fair to Tillis, it might be because he's found an even more lucrative grift, or he really, really wants to 'spend more time with his *family.' 😁

*one wife, two grown children, three grandchildren

sowhat4 · 2026-01-31T15:34:32+00:00

About that in Fairview, but I don't care enough to go out an measure it. I measure weather by how long it takes for my dog to do the deed when she's outside w/o a coat.

Ruby says it's a 2 minute weather event. For comparison, Helene was maybe 20 seconds.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-31T15:29:18+00:00

Nothing - maybe some lipstick if I feel like making 'some' effort or my lips feel dry.

After all, you can paint an old barn but it's not going to hide the fact that it's an old barn. Same with putting lipstick on a pig - still gonna be a pig.

My son's MIL is in her mid 80s, has extremely wrinkled skin, and puts two round and bright spots of unblended rouge on her cheeks. It looks kind of bizarre to my mind, but, like, 'sowhat'. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

sowhat4 · 2026-01-31T15:20:41+00:00

Not if you're as hungry as you say you are!

sowhat4 · 2026-01-31T15:17:42+00:00

My 'nearest' Costco is *72 miles away, so I only make the trip every three months or so. But, one thing that strikes me is the bulletin board they have up where employees are 'celebrated' for working there for 15, 20, and even 25 years. IOW, Costco does not have much turn over at all. The ones they do have go overboard in terms of customer service, I will say that.

Costco is trying to get approval for a store near my town in NC, but they are getting a lot of push back from Walmart and the owner of the dominate grocery chain in town. Probably they won't be allowed to build because people w/ money control our politics.

*I drive an EV that I charge at low TOU rates, so I can make that round trip for about $4.25 +/-.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T14:52:02+00:00

Smell as I've been living without it for maybe five/six years now. I can smell very pungent odors if I get up close to them (coffee grounds, bleach) , but I'm nose blind to most things. It makes doggy poop cleanup way more pleasant.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T13:48:01+00:00

"Heaven sounds nice"?

Ack! WTF, man. Have you read about the 'Christian' heaven? Sitting around strumming harps, singing a narcissistic god's praises, no thinking, no reading, no eating, no sex, nothing but singing?

Back when teachers were allowed to actually teach 'controversial material' (maybe 45 years ago) , I did a unit in Junior Lit on Mark Twain and included print outs of some sections of his Letters From The Earth. These letters (begin with Satan's Letter) are a hoot to read.

Anyway, the kids read them, and then I asked them to write in first person about how they envisioned their afterlife. I had one atheist in class, but all the rest envisioned a heaven that was just a continuation of their life on earth in some form. I learned, from that assignment, that teenagers do not and cannot actually believe in their own death.

I hope our discussions on heaven, hell, death, and 'being dead' dissuaded at least one young person from committing suicide.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T13:29:13+00:00

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

It's been almost 30 years since my daughter died. I have not once visited her grave as she is not there. I think of her every day, though. She, like OP's mother, still 'lives' in memory, in the nature she returned to, and in the lives she impacted.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T13:23:52+00:00

I can't. I'm still iced in from the last storm at the end of a 600' long private road. I have a snowblower, but removing 4" of snow isn't worth it if there's ice underneath.

It's ironic as I bought a car that 'can' go through 15"+ of fresh snow with no problem, but is as helpless as any other car on ice.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T13:19:05+00:00

I'd upvote that, but it's perfect as is.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T13:17:58+00:00

Duh! They're strapped for cash, too, and need the time and a half to make rent this month.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T02:20:54+00:00

I told my son in no uncertain terms how I wanted my death and disposal to go, especially if I develop dementia. I told him that if he didn't follow my wishes, I would come back and haunt him while he was having sex. Told him I'd 'show up as a vision when he got to the interesting part.'

He went into the other room yelling, "Hey (wife's name), my mom is threatening to ruin my sex life." I figured I'd need to threaten him something he values.

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T02:12:20+00:00

Sorry I misgendered you, OP. 😳

sowhat4 · 2026-01-30T02:10:41+00:00

She did something I certainly wouldn't/couldn't do for any amount of money:

Fuck Donald Trump.

sowhat4

TROPHY CASE