Fun food photography

Air Conditioning

I’ve lived all my life without any significant amount of time spent living with air conditioning.

Now, granted, I’m a northern girl, always have been. But hot does happen, even in Alaska, although it’s a much shorter duration than the Lower 48. And New England can get nasty muggy come July and August. So moving to the south – yep, sorry, for me Ohio is the South! – was something I wasn’t sure how I’d handle. Add to that, moving to the Ohio River Valley area, with the state of my lungs, and it was a concern. Well, so far…

We do own an air conditioning unit. A friend gave it to us, one of those boxes you stick in the window. It’s been sitting in the tool area since I got here. I don’t think we need it, and as I used to say about the Farm when someone made noises about ‘how can you live without it? You must get one!’ the result of installing an air conditioner in an old, drafty house is pretty much the same as taking handfuls of money and throwing them out the window.

When we go out in the summer, I take a shawl or cardigan with me (I have fake pashmina shawls that will stuff into my purse and take up very little space) because I know that I will freeze in what other people consider adequate air conditioning. Not that it isn’t nice to retreat to the Waffle House with my dear First Reader and amuse the waitresses by sitting there sipping coke, holding hands, and reading. The Kindle or a tablet in a kickstand case makes reading while having a hand free very nice.

Of course, if we mention to the waitress that we’re retreating from the heat because we don’t have air conditioning, the look on her face is priceless. She just can’t believe we can live like that. Really, it’s not hard. You get used to it. The First Reader points out that when he was a boy, only high-end department stores and a few movie theaters had any such thing. People survived. He also jokes that it skewed the birth rates – you don’t find conceptions during June, July, and August!

We make adjustments. If we don’t need to move and do things in the afternoon when the heat is highest, we don’t. I try to nap if I can, and then stay up later, in the cool of the evening, to get things done. I try to do housework early, before the heat climbs. This morning I cleaned the kitchen before 9 am and still got sweaty. I’ll have to get up earlier tomorrow, I really need to clean out the tool area. But not the air conditioner. It’s going to sit right there until someone else needs it, not us.

And I should make up a pitcher of something cold to sip on. I may have moved south, but I’m still tweaking the sweet tea recipe to something I like without too much tannin.

 


Comments

8 responses to “Air Conditioning”

  1. The secret to southern style sweet tea is to add the sugar while the water is boiling. Once it’s completely dissolved, turn off the heat and let the tea infuse in hot but not boiling water. Adjust steeping time and amount of sugar to your taste.

    1. Thank you, I’ll try that.

  2. For the healthy, and especially for the young and healthy, AC isn’t that big of a deal. But once you get old and/or infirm it can become a very big deal. When I was young I remember a few times during heat waves when the news would report on the masses of people who died in the cities. Now, I only hear stuff like that happening in Europe from time to time.

    1. One of my favorite authors is Gene Stratton Porter, and a strong theme in many of her books (written in the 1910s and 20s) is the heat of the cities, and the illnesses of summers.

      I’ve been able to do without it as I *am* a northern girl. If we move any further south, I’ll want it!

  3. John in Philly Avatar
    John in Philly

    When it gets hot, I want to sleep cool.
    We rarely turn on the central air, instead we pull out the sleeper bed, turn on the split AC unit, and sleep in the four season room on the back of the house.

    New subject.
    Based on your post about your visit to the Museum of The Air Force, and your gracious reply to my questions, my wife and I will be spending a couple of days at the museum in about two weeks.
    Thank you again.

    1. If you would be interested, I’d like to get together – and the Fourth Building recently opened and we’ve been meaning to go check it out 🙂

      1. John in Philly Avatar
        John in Philly

        Cedar.
        Could you please contact me via email? I hate to assume, but I am assuming you know my email address from the comment input.
        I will then send the details and we can plan.
        Thanks!

        1. John, I have your email! I will respond as soon as I’ve had a chance to check my calendar.