“Remoted” – Day 447 (Sunday)

Crowded irises in
 full bloom today.

According to the weather info on Google, the high temperature today was 93 degrees. There was a breeze coming in through the slider, the front door, and several windows, and the ceiling fan in the living room was on, so the heat didn’t really register with me for most of the day. At 3:00, I felt a bit warm. The thermostat in the dining room read 90 degrees, normal people would probably be unconscious by then, and that’s when the A/C was finally turned on. 

After several hours with the air on, the house has been holding steady at 78 conditioned degrees, and my feet are freezing, opening the floor to the first lifelong debate of the season on the topic of whether to put on socks or turn off the air. Between the irises and roses blooming, the peonies budding, and the frozen feet A/C versus sock debate, all signs are pointing to summer having arrived.

The second seasonal debate has also begun. This one entered the rotation with the purchase of The BungaLowell. The topic is whether or not to install the window air conditioner unit in the bedroom window. Even with the central air running, the upstairs is like a sauna. The temperature change can be felt at step seven of the thirteen step flight of stairs between floors. It's quite remarkable, really.

The window unit installation process requires emptying part of the closet to access the door to the attic storage area, then pulling out the A/C unit, dragging it over to the window, and lifting it to set it in the window without it crashing into the front yard in a dramatic and infuriating spectacle. It’s a tough project for an aging woman with the upper body strength of a rag doll. Last year, the window unit was left in the attic, and the night air and ceiling fan were relied upon for relief in the stuffy bedroom. It did not always go well, and was tougher knowing there was a portable unit just feet away on the other side of the closet wall.