Act Now to Avoid a Mid-Winter Crisis

With summer in full swing, I thought it would be a perfect time to tell the story about what happened during one of the most brutally cold days of last winter. I had a man call me on the day the outside temperature hit -50 degrees.

He said to me, “I know that I screwed up and I can’t take care of my family for this one, but what do I need to do?” I had the unpleasant task of telling him I could have taken care of everything he needed—if we’d had a conversation in August or September.

Hindsight is 20/20

The man’s name was Gabe, and he had recently purchased a 60-year-old home in Evanston. He knew the only insulation in the house was made from horse hair but opted not to do anything about it before winter set in.

Unfortunately, winter struck and was vicious. On the season’s coldest days, they simply couldn’t make the house warm enough. Gabe not only had to deal with a newborn infant, but an angry spouse, freezing pipes and a house that was unbearably uncomfortable.