It's a conundrum, really. Blistering hot outside and in, but thunderstorms promise cool breezes. Leave the windows open to catch the wind that comes with the storm and everything gets wet. Shut the windows to keep the rain out and you don't get the benefit of the cooler air. I hate turning the A/C on, but last night I caved. It'll be in the 97 degree range until Friday night and the humidity is suffocating. I'm used to soaking through my clothes while working in the garden, but when mopping the floor makes me coated in sweat, I take issue.
We built our house with a hybrid system--radiant heat on the main floor and basement, an auxiliary (and tiny) furnace to back up the second floor. We supplemented the upstairs duct work by adding venting to the downstairs bedroom and my library so A/C is an option, although we use it for about a week out of every calendar year. In the country the wind almost always blows. Our house is pretty open, we have lots of ceiling fans and the tile floors hold temperature well, so I embrace the cross breezes. I only turn that dagblasted A/C on when it's HOT for more than 3 days in a row. It's the Old German in me, I guess. We're a tightfisted, thrifty and sacrificial lot, so spending extra on cold air seems so unnecessary. Just drink something cold and sit in the shade is how we handle heat. There's no need to waste money on A/C when a person can just sit in the basement, head to the public library or swim, right?
Last night I tossed and perspired atop the sheets and after an hour I moved to the couch. I spent about 10 minutes staring at the window screens bidding the cooler night air inside. It barely moved through and then I started shutting the house down. Muttering contempt at my weakness, I fired up the system and set it to 78 degrees. Slept like a baby about an hour later.
It seems like it's always the first week of July that brings the worst heat wave to Wisconsin. When we moved into this house it was July 1st and 98 degrees. I was pregnant with Mr. B and Mr. D had to play in a baseball tournament the weekend we moved. My breaking point came early that year, as you might imagine.
The shades are pulled, the air is on, I started reading The Art of Fielding. Those promised thunderstorms did soak us a little, but the sun is already burning off the remnant clouds and sending the temperature back to the 90's by noon. Here's to you, Willis H. Carrier. Thanks for making this week tolerable.
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