 |
Mount Hope Bridge (Between Bristol and Portsmouth, no not in the UK) Google Earth
|
As to the title of this post, the weather as of late here in Little Rhody has been rather hot and sticky. Makes it deuced hard to sleep when one has decided -
"Air conditioning? We don't need no stinking air conditioning."
Well, "need" is a rather strong word, air conditioning over the past three weeks would have been "nice to have," but "needed"? Not really, we're all still alive, if a bit cranky. (Sorry Joe, I'm sure I've just committed some trademark violation. I claim "Unfair Use," or something.)
As I drove home from the place of employment on Wednesday (today as I write, yesterday as you read, or sometime in the past if you didn't read this on Thursday, the 18th of August), traveling across that bridge in the opening shot, a bridge which I traverse every day, twice, I thought to myself, "Self..."
Actually I was remembering the days of my youth (cue musical interlude) -
Yes, I was told what it means to be a man, but that's not my point. I'm still on the air conditioning thing.
When we were young (no, stop that Eric Burden, I mean it) we didn't have air conditioning at the ancestral home. No, we had windows. No, we didn't have any fans either, because (I remember this well Dad) we had windows. Windows to let the night air waft through to cool us as we slept.
Um, yes and no. Oft times there was no breeze, so we would lay there in pools of our own sweat and...
Um no. We didn't live in a van down by the river (I love that scene by Chris Farley) we had no air conditioning, try and keep up.
Yeah, we dealt with the weather conditions. You learned to sleep in that pool of sweat after a while. Well, not so much "learned" as after a few nights one was so freaking exhausted that I daresay we could have fallen asleep on the surface of the sun. Yes, not literally, I know that's not possible. Even if you travel at night. Or something.
So yeah, it's been like old home week, easier really, after all, I have a fan. I know Dad, I know, I'm a big sissy but I'm paying for the electricity, so I can "splurge."
While I wish I'd put the window units in, I actually don't care for their noise, the quality of the cool air and having to pay for all that electricity. After all, National Grid sent us our energy evaluation (sigh, no promotion this year) and we are the 26th most efficient users of energy compared to our neighbors. Hhmm, I might go next door and ask to see their eval.
And yes, The Missus Herself attributed our wondrous rating to my cheapness / laziness. Harrumph, like Al Davis used to say, "Just win baby." Well, that's enough for now, it seems the temperature has dropped from "Africa Hot" to "Honey, is the stove on Hot." Time to get some sleep. And yes, it's time to ramble on. Take it away boys...
Yes, I went there.
We've had a warm summer, but I put in a mini-split last year, and it's worth it's weight in GOLD. We live in a drafty old barn, no insulation.
ReplyDeleteLast week I was working a project in Brownsville, TX. Heat index was 115. I walked out side to check demarc wiring, and my undershirt was soaked, sleeves on my shirt were soaked, in about 10 minutes. I was damp the rest of the day.
I feel for you. My grandma in south west Oklahoma wouldn't use the a/c in the summer. She had an evaporative she'd run in the evening for about 8 seconds. We slept on the floor in the living room in a puddle of sweat when we'd visit.
Ah, the good old days!
Delete:)
You goddamn fool, you DO know don't you that you don't have to run the ac constantly, given your wx patterns? Cheapskate, spring for the ac or at least buy some fans! :)
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in the midwest in the late 40s, early 50 before ac summers were a nightmare. At least we had fans at home, but car drives were pure torture. Get into a red-hot car to begin with and then, if the drive was long enough, there was all the road dust, dirt & grime to contend with besides the sand-blasting heat, ensuring that one arrived at ones destination completely soaked in sweat. Remember those porous spring-like seat/back driving cushions that were supposed to allow enough air to circulate to keep ones clothes from getting soaked too? Never did work entirely as advertised, but were better than nothing. Even after auto ac had been invented, thru the mid sixties it was almost
impossible to buy a car with factory air north of the Mason-Dixon line or outside Ariz & NM. The alt was those dealer-installed sq ac kits that fit right under the dash on the transmission tunnel with those circular directional vents. Remember those? We had them on both my parents 59 and 61 Dodge Polara 500 and my 64 Barracuda. A god-send.
We didn't get central air in my home until the late 50s, even tho 'twas a new home built in 1951--a F. L. Wright design with lots of high horizontal windows that could be cranked out with interior screens theoretically providing plenty of airflow--but as you point out..Nights were tolerable as we had fans and lots of trees, but the days? My God. The living room was carpeted but the rest of the house had asphalt tile as flooring. On intolerable days w. the temp nearing 100 Dad and I used to lay in the main hall in our underwear on the cool tiles w. a fan blowing over us, lol. Too bad we had typical 8' ceilings--we could have used some ceiling fans. :)
Well, we do run fans so that keeps it tolerable. I've also (finally) got The Missus Herself trained to keep the blinds down and the windows closed on the side of the house facing the sun. Makes about a ten degree difference by my reckoning.
DeleteI remember the old days of no automotive AC, at the time we didn't think anything of it, looking back on it I wonder how we didn't go insane on the really hot days.
Had a Southern family visit our pastor for a few days, his house (like most houses in New England built before a certain date) doesn't have central air. The Southerners couldn't understand how they survived with just fans and a couple of window units.
Just struck me, back in the day clothing was made out of wool. Man, the Gulf Coast must have been fun in the 17th and 18th Centuries. I've experienced that heat. Yup, that's Africa Hot.
Sorry, delete my excess two if you must. (I was afraid I'd disappear all three if I hit delete) Probably 'twas my evil twin who enjoys calling you a GD fool. :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha. Gotcha covered Virgil.
DeleteAh, thanks for this. I needed the attitude adjustment.
ReplyDeleteHere where I live, even when it's boiling hot it ain't hot at all, compared.
Days are still pushing up into the 90s here but the lengthening nights are delightfully cool and the mornings are pure bliss to work and hike in. Supposed to be cool and rainy starting tomorrow as a weather front arrives.
Nice.
DeleteLiving along the Front Range in Colorado was delightful. Our apartment in Denver (fast by the Aurora line) had an AC unit, we never turned it on. It would get hot during the day but when the sun went down it would cool off very quickly. It was even nicer in Fort Collins. I don't think we even had a fan in either place.
In Omaha, the AC was much loved. Base housing had central air, base rules were 72 in the summer, 68 in the winter. I always had that reversed. It worked for me. Ever the rebel.
I'll defer to the Master on weather this time of year in my part of Texas! Couldn't say it any better myself!
ReplyDeleteHahaha!
DeleteThe Master indeed. (Yup, he is missed.)
Ah, that a/c feels soo good after a few hours of pulling weeds with your teeth.
ReplyDeleteHahaha.
DeleteGood point WSF. Actually she let me off with a warning.
I will spare y'all the temperature readings for the past few days, but it was HOT!!!
ReplyDeleteThere is some sign that it may abate.
Fortunately, the humidity level remains at a reasonable level and Mother Nature has been providing a breeze for those who have found it necessary to actually brave the elements.
Hindsight tells me we (meaning my family) idiots to come up here for vacation at this time every year when I was a kid.
Particularly since we were leaving the natural air conditioning of the Bay Area.
Live and learn.
DeleteThe low humidity in the San Joaquin Valley did not prepare my wife for New England humidity. Stunned she was.
Ahhh . . . air conditioning. A life saver for sure. I suffer with heart failure. Not enough blood being moved to empty the lungs of fluid. The other night, was returning home after a birthday dinner for a daughter. There'd been thunder storms throughout the evening. The night air was saturated. From the (air conditioned) car to the (air conditioned) house is but a distance of 20 feet, or so. By the time I'd climbed the steps, and fit my key to the lock, I was drowning. Actually couldn't breathe. Hands were shaking. Knees were about to buckle. Entering the house was akin to surfacing after a long spell underwater . . . I could breathe again. I grew up in South Jersey without the benefit of A/C. My Dad installed a giant window exhaust fan that created a breeze in the night (sorta). Having spent a career in the army, I know life without A/C . . . With is better.
ReplyDeleteWith is better, in your case I believe "with" is essential.
DeleteI'm used to it this summer. No doubt next summer, those units will be in by mid-May. Guaranteed.
I've tried, but apparently "cranky" is public domain.
ReplyDeleteSeems "in the day" there was always one big heat wave where my pops almost broke down and bought a window unit...then it cooled down to 85 and we were good for another year.
Hahaha!
DeleteThe heat waves in Little Rhody usually will run for a few days, longest I've seen before this year was an entire week. This year has been overly warm and humid for long stretches. Ah well, soon I'll be bitching about how cold it is.
We are entering a hot spell here in the Portland, OR area, forecast for 99 today and 100+ for the following few days. Not that hot for many of y'all, but thought of as hot herebouts.
ReplyDeletePaul L. Quandt
Oh that's hot all right, damned hot. What's your humidity like out there?
DeleteIt's low enough that no one thinks about it.
DeletePaul
A good thing, still 100 is hot, no matter what.
DeleteGonna be at my brother's place on Prudence Island in a few weeks, hope the weather's cooler by then.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to sit on the deck, drink a nice beverage, and watch the twinkly lights on that bridge. Looks pretty from across the water.
We're supposed to cool down a bit in this coming week. A few weeks from now it will still be warm but shouldn't be as humid. Your timing seems just about right.
DeleteTruly enjoyed my 3 week long trip recently - went to Los Angeles, where it was 110 in "the Valley"(my sister lives in a canyon on the far side of said valley, and yes, blinds closed during the day but it did get to a tolerable temperature at night), south to San Diego to visit Son #2, wife and granddaughter, where it was not much cooler, but that didn't prevent us from spending some time on the Coronado Navy Beach or having a good time at the Zoo, then to the mountains of Colorado to visit my evil twin and her family - so cool in Breckenridge I needed a warm jacket and jeans at night and we awoke one morning to see that a bear had sucked the nectar for the hummingbirds out of two hanging feeder, bitten the bottom off another and completely destroyed two more feeders, (somehow I slept through it all!), driving to the Collegiate Range to enjoy hot springs and stopping at the women's prison the next day (to pick up my friend's dog who was there for training, REALLY!, riding down from the mountains on Summit Shuttle with an engaging driver who turned out to have attended the very small, very excellent private school in Califonia as my niece and nephew (Chaminade - listening to my sister and her friends yelling "Go Nads", it's an ah sound but you can guess what I thought.....)Anyhoo (can't go wrong stealing from the Sarge) east I went to Hotlanta to meet the newest grandchild - thank heavens for his safe arrival (and air conditioning!) and returning home after a very joyous visit I was immediately greeted after stepping off the plane with the feeling of a warm, wet washcloth being thrown at my face as I exited the plane - home again, but torrential rains have somewhat mitigated the heat here (for now). So grateful for Air Conditioning - truly a gift from God!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a whirlwind adventure Robin. Glad you had a good time, glad you made it home safely.
DeleteAir conditioning is good, too bad I opted out this summer, the one summer where the humidity lingers longer than normal. Watch, I'll put it in early next year and the temps will stay in the 70s with low humidity. Sigh...