I live in Phoenix. The temperature this past week has been in the low 100's. I don't have my air conditioner turned on.
I don't bring that up in conversation. People immediately assume I can't afford to pay the electric bill. I can.
The second conclusion is that I am weird. Maybe. I just prefer to have my doors and windows open. I suppose in a metropolis it's an oxymoron to say I like the fresh air. But I do.
I grew up in Iowa where the temperature often reached the high 90's in the summer. And no one I knew had air conditioning. People just dealt with the heat.
I have fans blowing to circulate the air. I drink a lot of water. I dress for the temperature. I sweat.
People here wear long sleeves and sweaters to deal with the low temperatures in stores, restaurants, offices, and homes. Where is the logic in that? Where did Phoenicians get the idea that we should never sweat?
We live in a desert. Deserts are hot in the summer. The summer heat is the price we pay for the fabulous weather we get in the winter. I think we should embrace both.
That's not to say I intend to go the entire summer without air conditioning. When the inside temperature hits 100, then I will turn on my air.
I'm eccentric, not crazy.
This is my third summer without an air conditioner, but I live in coastal New England, so the temperatures are not the same! I'm impressed. Although I think I will keep heating my house in the winter, even if the winters here are the price we pay for gorgeous summers ;)
ReplyDeleteI ended up turning on the air later the same day. It didn't hit 100, but did get to 99. The dogs were looking like they were going to gang up on me.
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