When I was out there feeding the cats this morning, I noticed the porch (four-season, heated, enclosed) was a bit cool, so I went downstairs to push the red reset button on the hot water furnace but the button was no longer there. I am not making this up. I looked all over the furnace for it. Maybe I was very tired, but there was a hole where I thought the button should be, and no button, not even IN the hole. Not only that, but the furnace was leaking water out the face plate -- the one that the furnace guy opened and resealed, I believe. Neither was a good sign.

And I had to run to Physical Therapy, and was late, so couldn't investigate further.

So, I've asked Bruce, my SO, to call the oil company, after he looks for the button. If that button reappears, I'll be very surprised. I don't know where it went! this is twilight zone stuff. Did it explode off? Melt? Get eaten by mice? I'm very confused.

Things like this make me wonder about the stability of the supposedly known world.

Post Script

Bruce reports, after calling the oil co, that "The gentleman I spoke to says this is not uncommon, and is due to a design defect in some older burners. The button you were used to pushing is just a fragile plastic piece that pushes another button located underneath the housing.

"He says this is not a disaster. The water on the floor, he speculated, was probably there because the boiler was cold. They're coming by after 3 to take a look at it and see why it keeps cutting out, which may be the real problem here."