Life without air conditioning

before the sunburn

It’s too hot to blog. I’m fairly sure it’s too hot to think clearly, though that would be regrettable given that it is my primary source of income. I find my brain drifting off before reaching the end of a sentence, asking, huh? What was that?

This week I’m doing interviews with several local entrepreneurs. It’s been fascinating so far. Best of all, they work in air conditioned environments. I’m being facetious. Which is probably ill-advised. Blame the heat.

I do not work in an air conditioned environment.

Here’s a little story: on Wednesday, I took the kids to a place called Herrles, which sells local veggies and fruits and baked goods, and is slightly out of town, and therefore requires a bit of a drive. It was rush hour and took longer than usual. But was I grumpy about the situation? I was not. Because with the air conditioning blasting, we’d found ourselves a brief and happy reprieve.

Last fall, we learned that our home’s central air conditioner, which we only used in desperate situations anyway, was broken and not worth repairing. We have not replaced it. And even though I only ever used it with a great deal of guilt and angst, I miss knowing it’s there if the kids can’t sleep (or we can’t sleep).

Maybe we’re all becoming acclimatized, and will therefore perform better at events like roasting hot soccer tournaments and long distance runs. Maybe.

Or maybe my brain has officially lost the will to reason.

Work + Play = Summer Holidays
A happy work day

5 Comments

  1. Susan Fish

    I thought I was in the same boat this morning — thought our ancient air conditioner had given up the ghost — but it had not. Most summers we don’t put it on, and unless climate change comes upon us with a vengeance, I don’t imagine we will replace it. But right now I am thankful for it.

    Reply
  2. Margo

    I thought air conditioning was for sissies in my part of the world and we didn’t use it at all for several years until this summer. Now I’m looking at the heat wave as the Southerners do: stay inside in the air conditioning. It’s like winter. . . only now our winter is so mild that we’ll play outside. Less heat in the house in winter will compensate for more cool in the house in summer – that’s my logic. And my life is SO MUCH more bearable since we put the window air conditioners in! The temperature stayed in the mid-80s all night last night. Yeesh.

    Reply
  3. Carrie Snyder

    My cousin, who lives in Tennessee, says air conditioning allowed southerners to raise productivity.

    Reply
  4. Julia

    Alas, our old and creaky thing *has* given up the ghost. In our allergy- and asthma-ridden household, it has become a necessity. I shudder to think how much that’s going to cost to fix or replace.

    Reply
  5. Carrie Snyder

    Yup, it’s the cost that’s stopping us. We’re fortunate not to have asthma or allergies in our household — I can totally see how that would make air conditioning a necessity. Trying to run in this heat makes me pretty wheezy ….

    Reply

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