To air condition or not to air condition? That is the question.
I have always been opposed to air conditioning.
I hate the sound.
I hate the filter system. It gets moldy from moisture building up. Then people breathe it in, and they get sick, blah, blah, blah.
I hate the cost of buying them and running them.
I hate how they can smell–goes back to the care of the filter system.
I hate the extreme temperature difference between being outside in the heat and walking into a bank of cold air. It makes my head hurt. (This coming from the polar plunger. LOL)
I grew up in New England, and we always relied on window fans. Air conditioners were considered a luxury for the “rich.” We made due, and even if we did have the money, an air conditioner seemed like a show of ostentation, so we wouldn’t have had it anyway. Born and bred New Englanders, traditionally, don’t like to be showy. And we were not, and air conditioners were.
Every night, my mother would tell us to open our windows and let in the cool air. The fans would roar in every bedroom, belching in the cooler night air. In the morning, we shut every window back up to preserve the cold in the house from the night before.
That used to work.
Lately, our nights aren’t as cool, and the temperatures stay flat, which is HOT!
My 200-year-old brick house is like an oven, holding the heat during these long, extended stretches. It doesn’t have as many windows that are easily opened to let in the cooler night air we might have.
As a result, I am having a harder time fighting with myself over these air conditioners.
The price of the units has come down–not just something for the rich anymore. And we are more sophisticated in understanding the importance of cleaning the air filters and…I don’t live in New England anymore. 😉
So, I broke down and bought one—four years ago! However, I didn’t put it in until the end of last summer, when the heat and humidity finally broke me one day.
The sole air conditioning unit sits in the window of my red room, just off the kitchen. I close the doors leading from the red room into the main body of the house to keep the cool air contained. I have a box fan to move some of the colder air of the red room into the kitchen to keep the air moving and manageable in the cooking workspace.
My system is working–but I hate it.
The little reprieve the air conditioner gives in this big old brick house is nice, I must admit. But old habits and thinking patterns die hard. This has been a complete mind shift for my stubborn brain.
And now, Sam is pressuring me to get another unit for his bedroom—and so it begins. The seal has been broken, and my battle has been lost.
Am I going to outfit the entire house with air conditioning units?
Dear god, I hope not! I will go broke!
I still feel extreme distaste as I look at this thing (the air conditioning unit) with every pass-through and sit in my red room. Not to mention, my righteous ego feels bruised.
But…sometimes we just have to eat crow—and let ourselves appreciate…the dang air conditioner! 🙂
With love and coolness,
Kate
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