a snowy but we're nice and warm in mid Michigan

Good morning from a snowy Lansing.

We currently have about 6 -8 inches on the ground right now. Got another 1-2 inches yesterday, so had to go out and clear the drive again. This is a picture out our driveway looking across the street. We have a golf course across the street.
I didn't do much else yesterday. Was going to, but somehow managed not to. hehe. I did do some more research on summer travel ideas, and did book a trip to Indiana Dunes this summer. Meeting up with our camping friends from Wisconsin, Tom and Dean.
I also finally got my first full month energy bill since we put in our new furnace.
For the month of Dec. our gas usage was 9.2 MCF.
For Dec of 2008 we used 15.0 MCF.
That's quite the reduction! But wait! 2008 was an extremely cold winter so what about 2007?
For Dec 2007 we used 12.0 MCF.
So still nearly a 25% reduction due to a 94% energy efficient furnace! yeah!
And I did do some more caulking and sealing, so that probably helped some too.
Craig was concerned because the furnace was running a lot compared to the old one. But this one is different. When you set the thermostat at 72, the temp stays at 72. The old one wouldn't turn on until the temp dropped to 71, and would run until it reached 73. So your getting a cooler period and a warmer period. This one runs more often, but not as long each time. Also this furnace has a low fan speed and a high fan speed. It only uses low fan to maintain the temp, but will use high fan like when we first get home from work and crank the heat up from 64 back to 72.

So we're pretty happy with the furnace.

And for dinner, Craig made a variation of his beef stir fry. Yummy!