Speaking of heat

I've grown accustomed to sitting around and sweating.  Despite the abnormally cold summers of the past two years, we still manage to have one or two weeks of sweltering heat.  Each time I enter the house, I thank God for these old stone gems that stay cool even after 5 day's of upper 90's temperatures.  Then I proceed up the steps to my living room and with each step I feel the temperature rising and I know why people keep the shutters closed during hot summer days.  According to this family, that's my problem, I want to see day when it's day.  In summer, shutters's are to be closed during the day and opened at night to let in the 'cool' air.  I've not yet been able to adjust.

Our house is built  on a stone slope.  My in-laws portion is on the bottom floor of the lowest part.  The rear is actually partially underground and lined by wine tanks.  Raphael's office is on the level with the attic on the upper most portion of the slope making it the hottest room in the house.  My living room and bedroom are in the middle.   As I type (the computer is in the office), I can feel little beads of sweat pool under my shirt.  Gone are the days of hating to sweat, in the south of France, you adjust your thinking.  Almost no one has air conditioning, not even those one room box air conditioners that popped up all over western PA in the 80's.  In fact, France is the opposite of the states.  In the winter, it is necessary to wear 4 shirts and tights under your pants to keep warm - in the house.  In the northeast US, where everything is carpeted and we're all blessed with central heating, you can walk around barefooted in jeans and a long sleeve tee shirt.  On the contrary, in France in the summer your not cool enough naked in a shuttered room underground.  And in the states in summer, you're still wearing those jeans and long sleeved tee shirt because the air conditioning is so high.

I no longer like air conditioning, at least not at the temperatures Americans are used to.  Today, for example, wen I walked into the daycare to drop my daughter off, I wanted to stay.  It was pleasantly cool.  I had no need to put on a jacket and yet I felt like I could sit and relax.  I like not being shocked by the heat when I leave an over cool house or building.  I like having open windows and doors in the summer.  And I love the heat and hope, this year, it is here to stay;

Comments

[Jennie]

I hate air conditioning in the US too. It's way too cold. I don't mind sweating or being hot here. Sometimes I wish my car had AC though! But I guess I don't use it very often anymore, so it doesn't really matter. It's been rather hot up here in the Alps, which is strange. I can't remember it being this hot the past two summers either. I still keep our shutters open because I love the sun, but it still remains cool enough inside during the day and it's definitely cool enough at night. I'm going to be in AC shock when I go back to Michigan in July. I'm already dreading how cold my parents house will be because my dad likes 50 degree temps.

[Cid]

I agree about AC, here in southern Ontario which I think is like PA, the summer's hot and humid but as we now live close to the water there is always a breeze and we have geothermal heat which mean no AC. The temperature of the ground keeps the house cool during the day even with the odd window open - heaven! And, of course, it does the reverse in the winter warming the house up. We didn't install it, the man with a lot of foresight who built the house did. Hope you get your pool up and filled.

[Amanda]

so happy to see you are writing again. you are the only blog i visit. i enjoy you so much due to the quality of writing, being both genuine and humorous. thanks for sharing.

[claude]

glad to see you back but it will take me a lot of time to read (and tranlate) all your recent posts...

[Gilbert Galvan]

excuse me...i have to turn the ac up! I went ONE day with out ac and just gave in when I felt like passing out at only 84 degrees.

Thanks for posting!!!

[Linda]

I've gotten so I am not used to a/c as well although our house has central air. I do use it late in the afternoon to cool off the house but, other than that, leave some windows open and use the ceiling fan. I freeze on visits to TX.