It is that time of the summer in Arizona that they call monsoon. That means the temperatures drop to a balmy 105-110 and the humidity comes up from 15% to 45-50%. Having grown up in Iowa, which is very humid in the summer, I thought 50% sounded pretty wimpy. Actually, it's pretty ugly when coupled with the high temps.
I've been trying to get out and about town to get signatures for my school board petition but it seems that no one is home. Everyone that could escape to cooler climes has fled and the rest hibernate for the majority of the day. I will have to be up by 6 AM if I want to see anyone outside their house. Thank goodness for air conditioning, even if the bill will be astronomical.
One summer when the kids were little the AC went out and we only had the swamp cooler for 2 days. For those ignorant of swampers, they pull outside air through a wet pad to cool the air coming in to the house. It started in pioneer days when they used to hang wet towels on the windows to cool the breeze. Works great when the humidity is low, above about 40%, it turns your house in to a sauna. We lived in our bathing suites for those two days and jumped in the shower every half hour to get wet and then sat under the ceiling fan! YUCK.
Can't complain too much though since we haven't been flooded out like many and aren't breathing orange air like northern California. There are lots of open parking spaces at the grocery store and restaurants aren't too busy except for weekends, so the pace is pretty slow. Besides, I needed the relative down time to plan knitting projects for Christmas (which has a shipping deadline in about 4 1/2 months). I'll leave you with that cheery thought for the day :-)
4 comments:
My parents didn't have air conditioners when we were growing up (they got them after i moved out. coincidence?). We did have a pool, and that saved us. I also remember eating a lot of dinners in front of a movie in the rec room with the lights turned off and all the box fans on. So much more bearable! I hope your temperatures don't stay this miserable for very long.
Good luck with your school board petitions. Have you stood inside the grocery store or some local gathering place yet? That's the favorite place to market oneself where I'm from.
We didn't have an air conditioner or a pool. (We lived in Quartzside while Dad & Uncle Dave worked on a dam down there.) Then to make it better, the water pump to the house died - it took a week for it to get fixed. It was a crappy summer back in 1983. (Man, do I feel old now.)
How did the native Americans stand it? Can you imagine going into labor in those conditions? I am SO grateful for our modern conveniences!!
We have managed not to put the a/c units in the windows yet. We've weathered two heat waves and have survived. Only 2 more months of summer to go! When the air conditioners are in the bedroom windows, no one ever leaves their bedroom. We eat there and sit there all day and night. It's very isolating.
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