A rare occurrence happened at my house today.
I shut off the air conditioner and opened all the windows!
I’m ecstatic to report that the air outside is actually MOVING AROUND and when it hits your skin it feels pleasantly cool and soft, like someone is fanning you with a huge palmetto leaf (or whatever kind of leaf is used for fanning.) And feeding you grapes. Or better yet, serving you a latte.
Okay. Maybe I’m being a little over-dramatic because it’s really only been a few weeks since I’ve had the AC off and the windows open. New York hasn’t been exceptionally hot this summer. In fact, it really wasn’t until August that it started to feel like a smelting factory outside.
And, actually, my issue isn’t really with the weather. It’s with that big steel box outside my basement door. The one that drones incessantly while pushing cold air into my veins 24/7. Because, except for those days when the “real feel” temperature is 120 degrees, I HATE air conditioning.
I’m one of those people who is always cold. I’ve been known to get goose-bumps when the temperature dips past 80. When it goes below 70, that’s when I start wearing socks to bed. And from the end of fall to mid-spring, long johns are my undergarment of choice. You’d think I lived in Alaska rather than a mid-Atlantic state.
My cold-bloodedness, however, drives the three, hot-blooded males who live with me insane. Here’s a typical, heat-of-summer exchange:
Big Man (from his bedroom): “Mom. Can’t we just turn on the AC? I’m DYING in here!”
Me: “You’ll be okay. Just turn on your fan.”
Big Man: “But, Mom. It’s so hot my sheets are sweating.”
That’s PB’s cue to take matters into his own hands and crank on the arctic chill blaster. And my cue to drag out the down comforter so I don’t die of frost-bite in my sleep.
You see, even though deep in their souls, PB, Big Man and Little Man know that I’m the boss of them, when it comes to summertime household climate-control, I’m not the queen of my castle.
And, I accept that. After all, sometimes even the queen has to compromise. I do the best I can to ward off the indoor chill by wearing lots of polar fleece. And when my lips turn blue, I sit out in the backyard to warm up.
However. Usually about this time of year, when August turns into September, and the days start to get shorter, and the nights cooler, that’s when I make my move.
This morning I waited until everyone was out of the house. Then, I powered down the air conditioner. And opened the windows. Air of the most mild and pleasant temperature wafted in. I was completely giddy!
Except for when my family piled back home. Then I was all, oh shit, they’re gonna notice! But, not a word. For an entire day the breeze carried perfect summer air into our home and no one said a word!
Until tonight. As I was getting ready to leave for a get-together with some girlfriends, PB took me aside and delivered the bad news, “Just so you know, I’ll be turning on the air conditioning.”
I am soooooo BUSTED!
Commentary & Observations
Sunday, August 30, 2009
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2 comments:
I hate the AC as well. I live in Canada- any hot weather we get, I WILL KEEP, thank you very much.
i actually kind of like a/c but i'm with you about turning them off
-- esp in this recession! i didn't even bother putting them into the windows this summer. we sweated thru some of the really hot days and actually got used to it. altho, i do admit to cheating once in a while because we have one portable a/c unit that we wheeled around from room to room when when of us couldn't stand the heat. glad you wrote about this!
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