Heat

I grew up without air conditioning.  I've lived the past 18 years without AC.  Growing up I remember it being hot and humid enough that we wanted to sleep in the basement sometimes - and I think once or twice we actually did.  In France the humidity was low so it wasn't that bad.  I'd take a shower to cool off right before going to bed and with a fan blowing on me, I'd sleep pretty good.  There were summers when I didn't once use the fan at night.  Taking that into account I figured it wouldn't be that bad to move into an old house near downtown without AC.  How lucky I was to move in during the hottest week of the year.  By the end of the week it was over 90° in my bedroom at 10 pm.  Needless to say I didn't get a whole lot done.  I got some things put away, but I really didn't do much organizing.  It was just too hot.

I did discover a few ways to escape the heat.  One was to go to the river which is about a mile away.  Wed morning I was determined to go for at least a spin despite the heat.  I went down along the river and when I got back I noticed it was over 5 degrees warmer at the house.

That afternoon I also took a book and went to the neighborhood library to read.  I wasn't the only one who had that idea.  I don't know how many people are there on a normal afternoon, but I'm sure there were many like myself looking for a place to cool off and wake up.

By Saturday it had cooled off.  My parents came and brought a few things that wouldn't fit in my car at the beginning of the week.  One of Mom's first comments was, "It's hot in here."  I sure didn't think so.  It was actually below 80° in my room last night.  Maybe tonight I'll actually need some covers.