Subtitle: How many Ahuva’s does it take to change a light bulb?
Sub-subtitle: It pays to blog
If you own a house, or rent a home, or spend any part of your life existing under a roof within 4 walls that is somewhat your responsibility, you know the Homeowners’ Motto:
IT’S ALWAYS SOMETHING.
The halogen light on my new range hood burned out. It’s a light bulb, right? No biggie. I get out the instruction manual, look up the maintenance guide, find the information I need. It’s a specific halogen lightbulb: 120 volt 50 watt halogen bulb. I go online to see where I can buy this. Great – the big box store near my office carries them. This week I picked up a package.
I’m working from home today because it is brutally hot and disgustingly humid. In the old days, when my cats were young, and I had a dog, and I was more thrifty than I am currently, this weather would have sent me straight to the office! Let THEM pay for air conditioning!!! I’d leave all the shades drawn, and the wall a/c unit on in the dog’s room, and know that the cats could either hang with the dog or go down into the basement which is much cooler.
But time moves on and my cats move less. WC in particular has been having major issues and seems to need to stay on the first floor. GC is also looking a bit wobbly. I could turn on the a/c in what used to be the dog’s area but none of the cats hang out there. I don’t think the cooler air would be sufficient lure.
So I’m working from home so that I can keep the house air conditioned for the cats. Why do I have to be here you might ask? Because I do not have central air and I don’t like leaving so many wall/window units going with no one here to monitor. As long as I’m here, I can change that light bulb. I have some time between meetings – should be no big deal.
HAH!!!
First, trying to get the old bulb out took more elbow grease than expected. I did manage to get it out. Thank goodness it looked exactly like the new ones I bought. Still following directions (Don’t touch the bulb!!!) I climb the step stool to insert the new bulb. It doesn’t go in. I have spent over 20 minutes trying to get that blankety blank bulb’s prongs into the blankety blank base. I shined a light up there but of course once you start inserting the bulb, you can’t see the base. I decide I’m blogging this activity. I start taking photos. And I LOOK at the pictures. And I realize that I’m mistaking the screws of the base for the place to insert. It’s much clearer when I can look straight at the base and not have my neck twisted about peering into darkness, while I balance on a step stool.
Once I figured out WHERE I needed to aim the bulb, it only took another five full minutes to get it engaged and set. Nope, I’m NOT handy. But I DID change a lightbulb. One Ahuva. 🙂
Ahuva's Blog 
Awwww thank you for working at home so the poor animals can have A/C!
I applaud you on your lightbulb changing. I’m terrified of changing lightbulbs and the one our stove is just a regular bulb…I think…but it insists I have to unplug the stove and the plug is behind the stove so that means I have to move the stove? To unplug it? To change the bulb? Uh….no. We will just live without a light.
Um… confession time. If you look at my instructions it says to disconnect the power. I didn’t do that. 🙂 And I’m still here today. I will also confess that at one point in the process I wanted to find the “hot” spot in the base and put my wet finger there and end it all. *grin* The other way to turn off the power, if you are seriously concerned, is to shut the circuit breaker that supplies the power to the outlet. When I contemplated doing it the “right” way I went to see if the range hood circuit was labelled. It was, but I didn’t turn it off anyway.
As for the cats – they are in contention for most spoiled kitties ever. 🙂
Luckily the question is not “How many MINUTES does it take to change a light bulb.” A+ for Perseverance!
*laughing* EXCELLENT point!!! I do feel a bit smug and satisfied now that the bulb IS changed. 🙂 (I also patched the screen door)