Do you get your furnace and AC checked/serviced each year? Ours are two years old.
H checks them when he turns them on (usually changes filters and cleans what he can too). Not sure if that counts as a yes or no to your question. We only call someone professional if something happens he can’t fix or if it happens when we’re gone. That’s not every year.
I service both the furnace and AC once a year. With a heat pump, I service once a year.
We get the AC and the furnace serviced once a year also. They run more efficiently if you do, and small problems can be caught early.
My question in post #2212 was answered. My credit score went down 15 points, which is less than I expected. I am irritated though that the comment under account closed is “closed by creditor.” I wish it would designate that the creditor closed that entire business, not just my account.
The service question depends on what sort of system and what fuel. We had our oil furnace serviced annually. I’ve been told the brand new gas boiler will not need that frequent attention.
No. We serviced our natural gas furnace once - when the blower motor died 17 years after the furnace installation. 
Filter cleaning is another thing. We do it regularly, it is not rocket science to do it ourselves.
Our boiler feeds steam radiators. No filters. It’s just not a question that can be asked in general and then get the specific answer for one’s own system.
Our city has some regulation about checking annually. But the plumber and, later, the inspector said not necessary. Maybe that does relate to filters or some other aspect.
@CottonTales can you add a note that reflects that the company closed their card business? There’s usually a process for doing that.
Here’s one…why do certain smells and scents, evoke memories? The scent of night blooming jasmine takes me back to a house I lived in 20+ years ago; the smell of fish puts me back in my MIL’s kitchen (she couldn’t cook!); I can still, decades later, identify the scent of Old Spice, and every time, it evokes memories of my dad!
Because neurons are sequential and link to one another with tons of cross-overs. The scent will lead to the first memory and that leads to more, etc. You might have later memories, but the sequential-ness means you start with the first one. It’s why first impressions are so important. We seldom forget those, though later memories can end up erased/replaced as the neuron path gets more worn and familiar. Pretty much all memories get modified by our brains too. We (humans) think we’re super good at remembering things. Science studies beg to differ! We remember what we want to remember and that can include what we wish things had been or what someone else has suggested, but I digress.
From a survival standpoint, it’s believed humans learned to be aware of scents - pro and con - to help identify good and bad things (both pro and con helping keep us alive) and we’ve kept that ability. Other critters do the same to help them survive. Remembering something fond with a scent is pleasant. Remembering to stay away from a skunk is just as helpful.
I’m sad that I’ve mostly lost the ability to smell. It does fail to warn me when I’m burning something as it used to. It also has dulled me interest in cooking and food in general. I CAN sometimes get whiffs of scent and sometimes CAN smell, but it is not a reliable sense and I do miss it (though I feel fortunate I can still see and hear–I think those would be much tougher if I lost them).
@Creekland Wow! Thank you for that very enlightening, and comprehensive, explanation!
@HImom Oh, I’m sorry to learn about your sense of smell; if it’s not too personal, may I ask what happened?
Creekland, accurate or not, I was taught in middle school that smell is the strongest memory invoking sense. And that memory of actual pain is weakest, a self protective mechanism.
I think it was due to a series of infections and allergies, particularly when I was pregnant with S & D. I used to have a pretty good sense of smell. Now it’s very unreliable—on good days.
@lookingforward Tis true and it’s believed to be due to where scent runs into the brain - physically where - the hippocampus and amygdala - where memories and emotions are processed. Our other senses don’t go through those areas.
It’s not perfect though. Plenty of studies have showed that visual can play a part because if a brownie is shaped like a doggie doo, it won’t matter that it smells like a brownie. The visual disgust will override. A brownie smelling like doggie doo will still be a turn off even if it looks like a brownie.
Brain studies are incredibly interesting.
I have a very strong sense of smell compared to most people I know. It’s a mixed blessing as there are definite downsides.
Women in general have a more acute sense of smell.
Not sure why. But music evokes much more memory for me than the sense of smell. Although the smell of the wood floors or something in older homes and the narrow staircases going up the early 20th century three story apartment buildings (we call them tenement houses) remind me of my youth, in a general way.
@privatebanker – music evoking memories is a real, very powerful thing. Hearing a blast-from-the-past can take any of us back to a very specific place and time. Pretty amazing when you think about it.
Google “Alive Inside” – It is a documentary that won Sundance a few years ago about how music therapy works magic for Alzheimer’s patients. It goes into some of the science of it. But more importantly it documents patients trying it for the first time, and what happens next is one of the most awe-inspiring things you will ever see. It is an amazing, fascinating movie that everyone should watch, whether or not they have loved ones with dementia.
The extremely executive summary of how it works with Alzheimer’s patients is that music is processed by one of the oldest parts of our brains, which is the last to go in advanced Alzheimer’s. It can’t be just any music. It has to be the patient’s personal play list of favorite music from when they were younger. The music gets in through the back door of the brain, and unlocks other parts. Memories flood back, and it isn’t uncommon for there to be profound effects – non-verbal people speak, agitated people are calmed, less mobile people get animated. It can work better than pharmaceutical interventions for depression in people in skilled nursing – and the effect can last hours after the play list stops. All it requires is a set of headphones and a playlist. It is nothing short of profound – I can’t say it works for everyone, but it is a very predictable, immediate and common response.
If music can do that for dementia patients, it is no small wonder that you and me and pretty much every human, have strong and specific responses to “their” music. Pretty freakin’ cool what our lizard brains can do.
Music for folks with Alzheimer’s is incredible. When I first learned about it I tried it with MIL. The same lady who couldn’t always recognize her H could suddenly sing along with the choruses (and sometimes more) from Hits of the 40s. It definitely took her from being agitated to smiling and happy. S3 works in an Alzheimer’s unit now and uses it there often. He has to be careful, because folks who can’t walk on their own will try to dance.
In general, music runs along the same pathways as pain/pleasure in our bodies. This is why we can love a song at first hearing - or hate it - and after hearing a song for the oodleth time we get deadened to it. Give it a break and come back and we get that same original feeling. Music therapy overall does wonders, though I only know the basics about it.
Our D has a very acute sense of smell and taste. Sometimes it is helpful, sometimes it is troublesome. H has a pretty good sense of smell and is my official sniffer to be sure things are ok for eating.