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| I hear the birds singing and smell the blooming yellow roses from our south windows. |
It is our annual debate, one that we both know is coming about this time every year and one that we both know the ending to before we even begin.
Yes, I'm talking about WHEN it's finally time to turn on the air conditioning.
If you've read my posts for awhile you already know I'm a girl born and raised in Wonderful Wyoming!
In my hometown of Laramie, which is 7,165 feet in elevation, when we got too warm in the summer, we opened a window. We opened windows in our cars, too. Sure, there was air conditioning--like at the movie theatre or the doctor's office and the grocery store. But, for all intents and purposes, opening a window or two usually solved the problem--at least by evening when the heat of the day was over and a sweet, cool breeze flowed through the house.
Probably best to also keep in mind that the average summer temperature of Laramie is about 77 degrees. Average summer nights are about 44 degrees--and, like I said, sweet and cool--sweatshirt weather at it's finest.
Oh, yes, and this is DRY HEAT. It's virtually 0% humidity all year 'round!
Because I grew up without A/C in either our house or our cars, when I was older and suddenly had A/C in my house and my car--well, I was suspicious and refused to use it. And, that really didn't matter until we moved from 0% humidity to 100%. Suddenly, I realized that Willis Carrier, the inventor of the first modern air conditioner in 1902 in Buffalo, NY, was a downright HERO!!!!
Okay, truth to tell...I didn't go gently into an air conditioned house. When we first moved to Ohio I thought it would cool off if I simply opened ALL THE WINDOWS. If you've ever lived in hot, muggy, enervating conditions then you know that all I succeeded in doing was encouraging mold to grow all over our shoes in the closet.
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| The fragrance of Miss Kim lilacs flows from my Secret Garden into my office through the open window. |
When is it time to turn on the A/C?
And, THAT'S what our annual debate is about.
As the days begin to lengthen, I want to hear the owls calling back and forth to each other, the red-wing blackbirds singing loudly with such vigor and savor the song of my beloved Western Meadowlark.
I want to smell the fragrance of lilacs wafting through the house and the powerful perfume of a sudden rain storm that sweeps through so quickly the sidewalk is already drying by the time the last drops fall.
My Darling Ken knows all my arguments for open windows, just as I know all of his for closing them.
Of course, if the windows are open, especially in a dry state like Colorado, there's bound to be a little dust. And, I would be remiss not to take into account the wild little summer storms that sweep through so quickly also want to rip the windows off the hinges. Oh, and maybe I should also mention that Ken suffers from allergies, and there does seem to be a lot more sneezing when the windows are open and all that lovely pollen blows in and covers pretty much anything horizontal.
We know each other's points and counter-points. That, again, leaves the question of:
When?
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| From my kitchen window I hear the red-wing blackbirds singing joyfully throughout the greening marsh. |
There are even days in May when the winds blow cold and windows are closed - TEMPORARILY - because we want to keep the heat inside.
As the days grow warmer, I'm quietly efficient in placing fans that keep the air flowing comfortably throughout the house.
But, then comes that ONE NIGHT when it's STILL 86 outside and 88 degrees inside, where bed covers are shoved aside and sleep becomes impossible--especially when Ken discovers that somehow or other the fan was accidentally placed where only I was receiving the cooling, sleep-induced benefits of flowing air. Yup, that's the beginning of the END OF OPEN WINDOWS DAYS.
Sigh. Then comes THE RECKONING, the day when EVEN I cannot dispute that a house interior of somewhere around 90 degrees is simply not ideal. Realizing defeat, I nod to Ken, who has been hovering around the thermostats, finger ready, since the outside temperature soared above 87 degrees.
When we first moved into this beautiful house, the thermostats were so technically advanced that changing the temperature by even a single degree required two manuals and a good deal of simple luck.
We decided we did not need all that advanced technology and simplified to thermostats that now require a simple click of the toggle from HEAT to COOL.
TODAY WAS THE DAY
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| My office window from the Secret Garden--open and inviting. |
AND THE A/C BEGAN TO COOL.
When I started writing earlier today, the WINDOWS WERE OPEN and I enjoyed the gentle music of my wind chimes, playing melodies composed by the breezes on my front porch.
As I conclude, the WINDOWS ARE CLOSED and I'm listening to the white-noise of the A/C blowing through the vents.
My toes are cold, so is my nose and I've wrapped myself into a cozy sweater.
Ken is joyfully in HEAVEN. After mowing the yards in 92 degrees of cloudless sunshine and then coming into the house for lunch, expecting it to be maybe in the high 70s only to find it was also 92 degrees--well, he was MORE THAN READY TO FLIP THE SWITCH!
I'm sure this newly cooled environment will feel divine once I've been outside pulling weeds and come inside to get a drink of water. Today, however, I've been an inside worker, comfortable at my desk on the shady side of the house and content wearing my short-sleeved top and capri-length yoga pants.
Sniff. Now my nose is beginning to run and my fingers grow numb. I must conclude as I've got to dig out my sherling-lined boots before frostbite sets in.
In our house, turning on the A/C signals the beginning of summer. Where are my mittens? Maybe I'll just step into the garage to warm up before dinner...
