UPDATE: The winner is…flchen!
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What a hellish week!
On Monday, the remnants of Hurricane Beryl barreled through Arkansas in the evening. We were under a Tornado Watch then a Tornado Warning. Everyone had their phones tuned to weather watchers, and even though we had some terrible thunderstorms, we dodged that bullet in my area.
Or so we thought. By midmorning the next day, we knew we had some issues with our AC. It took until Monday night, when we could finally find one of those 24-hour guys who charges an arm and a leg for house calls to come out and assess our problem. It appears Hurricane Beryl’s lightning caused a power surge which fried our compressor—so not a quick or cheap fix. We had to wait a day after that to hear whether our AC unit is still under warranty. Thankfully, it is so it’s only going to cost a $1000 to repair it. The bad part of that is that the manufacturer has to ship the replacement part.
So, here we are, it’s Friday, during a horrible heat spell, and we have no AC! And it looks like a real possibility we won’t get the part in until Monday!!!!!!
How are we coping?
The 20-year-old has a converted garage bedroom with its own mini-split. So, the three girls and I are sleeping in there at night. My dd and SIL broke down and bought a window unit for their bedroom yesterday. My office is in the basement, and for the first couple of days with every fan I could run, it stayed acceptably warm. But the heat has been building down here. I set my alarm for early morning and work as long as I can—usually until early afternoon—before I have to head up to one of the oases of cool in the house. Which means, my work schedule is hosed! And did I mention we have 4 inside cats and 7 dogs we have to keep cool, too?!
The pool has been a godsend. Mid-morning, we hit the water, and the mid-80s water feels like an ice bath. In the evening, once the sun is off the pool, we swim again, and that helps lower our body temperature so we can feel comfortable for the evening in our rooms. There’s been no cooking going on! Tons of takeout—because turning on a stove in an already stuffy 85-degree kitchen is unbearable.
So, I’m whining. The girls have been troopers. They roll with everything. The nights spent in the 20-year-old’s bedroom are like a slumber party. My dd and I are the ones doing the most complaining. The constant heat is very wearing. Especially for me, being of a certain age. The house stinks with no circulating air. Wah-wah-wah.
So, I’m sure others out there have faced trials like this. I’d love some ideas for how to cope with the heat. Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
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Oh gosh, you poor things. I’m reading your blog from a freezing cold Melbourne, where we’re about to hit very low temps and a week of rain. Nothing worse when there’s a heat wave and you can’t rely on power. Lucky for your pool. Ice blocks in the water for animals helps.
Thinking of you
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I like swimming as well. Going to a museum is nice also.
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I don’t like the heat.
You might try putting ice on your pulse points and for me– a cool-ish cloth on the back of my neck is heaven.
I wet a wash cloth and put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. — It’s messy– but it helps.
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We had the power go out one summer and it was beastly hot… we just went out to stores with A/C to keep cool until the power came back on.
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I feel for you. I got lucky this year. My brother, generously, put in a window Air conditioner for me this year. I am so grateful. I don’t know how I would have survived the heat this year without it. I too am “of a certain age.” I have no suggestions for you, but I do feel for you.
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We only have fans, so I stick my feet in a tub of ice and water. Bliss.
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watermelon
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Dealing with heat is a tough one! There’s always going somewhere cool but I like to garden and then sit in the shade and bask in my success.
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I enjoy our air conditioned public library when it is really hot out. Those cooling sports towels also help.
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Definitely hiding out at places with A/C like the library or the mall! And sometimes a siesta is exactly what you need to get out of the heat in the afternoons!
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Thanks for all the great suggestions, ladies!
The winner of the GC is…flchen!