Summer Heat & No AC

Welcome to Summer mother fuckers. Today it was 99 degrees in good ole Southwest VA. A couple of degrees hotter and we would've broken the record for the day. Personally, a couple of degrees doesn't matter that much. It is HOT!!!

We live in the Blue Nymph. A house that was built (primarily) in 1890. We have no central air. For that matter, thanks to our contractor, we have no heat either, but that is another blog. When we bought the house from my mother there were window AC units, but gradually they have found themselves new homes (thank you Freecycle!).

Let's get some things straight. I HATE Summer. I will like Summer when I have an in-ground pool in my own yard that I can take a dip in anytime I want to. Until then, I hate Summer. This is a stance I have had for many, many years now.

I also hate air conditioning. It's an odd hatred though. I LOVE cold weather. So, I have to admit to loving the suddenly cool air. But AC is false. And I hate it for that.

We aren't meant to be wearing long pants/jeans in the Summer. We aren't meant to be wearing UGG (UGLY) boots in warm weather. We have lost the sense of what Seasons REALLY mean. This is why I hate AC.

What I find truly both interesting and annoying is that people who bitch non-stop about the heat seem to think that, because I don't like AC and because I choose not to waste energy by having AC, I am not allowed to express displeasure with the heat in general.

To them I say "FUCK YOU!"

It IS hot. I don't think less of people who have AC because I am all too well aware of the fact that different dwellings hold heat differently and that all people have their own personal needs (and that is meant as needs, not wants). For example: this house is tolerable without AC in the dead heat of Summer. Our basement level apartment wasn't. The majority of Americans (people in general???) have forgotten that the type of dwelling you live in DOES matter.

But, that doesn't mean that it isn't hot. It doesn't mean I detest the heat any less. I am allowed to detest the heat and not buy into central air.

What do we do? We open windows. You know, those things you look out of at your neighbors to see what they're doing. We open them. We hear the birds sing and the crickets chirp, and we even smell the skunks' spray.

We put fans in the window. When it is cooler outside than in, we have the air blowing in. When it is hotter outside than in, we reverse the fans and have them blowing the air out.

We learn to stay still. We embrace being Southern and the slower pace of life. .... Take a deep breath ... inhale ... exhale ... feel the breeze and be grateful for it. We drink lots of water and find refuge in cooling herbs. Like mint. Hence Mint Juleps. Duh.

We collect rainwater so that we can attempt to keep plants alive, and we fill buckets with water as we're shutting off showers for the same reason (you'd be amazed how much water is wasted in the time between deciding your shower is done and turning off the water completely). We put hunks of ice in our dogs' water dish, especially now that we have a breed that is sensitive to heat.
We've moved our chickens back to their "Winter Chalet." They'll be blocked from the morning sun by the hops, from the evening sun by the pear tree, and they'll have the coop to flee to if all else fails. We will deal with, and learn from, any potential losses due to heat stroke.
We've hung up blackout curtains in the boys' room, though that doesn't stop them from sleeping shirtless or on the floor when the heat gets to be too much. We set up blankets and make-shift bedding on the wooden floors to keep them comfortable.

This is how we live without AC. We don't skip around, singing with giddy when the temperatures are near record breaking. But we do understand what it truly means to live in the environment when the temps get so high.

We don't spend the majority of our lives living and being in settings that are approximately 72 degrees and then bitching non-stop when it is hotter or colder than that. The walk to the car, or from the car to the store is so damn torturous isn't it???

Live it, embrace it, man-up and get the fuck over it. This is what the Seasons truly mean. Buy some seasonally appropriate clothing and learn to wear it. Accept the fact that it is hot. That you are sweaty, even when you've just gotten out of the shower. That the Summer isn't the same as what you were promised by the endless stream of Summer advertising throughout the Winter and Spring. That bugs bite. That there ARE bugs. That sandals are cute but sandals with heels are simply stupid when you're walking around in a wild field. Don't bitch to me about your sprained ankle and bug bites because you failed to dress for the weather and where you were. You won't get much sympathy here.

Welcome to Summer, bitches.

Wilted Tristan

That's my Tristan. Can you see how RED his poor little face is??? We went to the playground down the street, the boys call it "the Down Street Playground" as we do whenever weather is nice on Fridays. Well, today it was nice, but it was also 88 degrees!! WHEW!

Tristan is like me and turns beet red as soon as he gets hot. I always thought there was something a little wrong with me when it happened to me. Like I was out of shape or something. I just do not do well with heat. And neither does he.

Like a little flower or lettuce, we wilt after too much exposure in the sun and heat. I can watch it with him. His little shoulders start to slump, he walks instead of running, and will eventually hardly move. His hair sticks to his head.

We take plenty of cold water with us, and I make sure he sits down when he starts wilting. When it gets really bad is usually the sign it is time to go home. After too much wilting you just need to go rest for a bit. He's always fine as soon as he cools back down.

Shannon gets pretty red too, but he's more like Justin. He seems to handle the heat better. Even with that mop of curly red hair that flies like flames off of his head when he runs around.