Summer weather takes forever to arrive in my local area.
- Too often, there’s a winter blizzard on Easter Sunday and the temperature is still dropping into the thirties in May.
We’ve already experienced hard frosts in early June. I am always anxious for signs of spring. I watch for the robins to show up and the first hint of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths in the garden. I’m so relieved when I can finally shut down the furnace and stop paying such huge heating bills. It feels wonderful to open the windows and bring in some fresh air. If we’re really lucky, we enjoy blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures for three months. There are those years when it rains almost every day and it’s constantly chilly. However, there are also the rare summers when the temperature remains in the upper eighties with high humidity. Central air conditioning is definitely not necessary. At times, I really wish my house was equipped with a cooling system. Most of the time, I am satisfied with window air conditioners. Rather than spend thousands, I paid around $100 for each cooling unit. I bought one for every bedroom. They are compact, lightweight and require nothing but the occasional filter cleaning. I store them in the attic until the weather turns hot and humid. I then carry them down the stairs and install them in under ten minutes. Despite the small size, the air conditioners are cool enough to maintain ideal temperature in the bedroom. Since we only operate the cooling units at night, they cost very little in electricity. Plus, each one has a cordless remote that is super convenient.