I'm used to dealing with cold weather, being a Minnesota native. Spending three years in Georgia back in the '70s was a total revelation, particularly after watching the neighbor mow their lawn on Christmas eve! Any yard care we'd have had to do in MN would involve shoveling and spreading sand or salt. Becoming recent AZ snowbirds for ten years got our bodies accustomed to heat, and our wardrobes bereft of heavy coats, boots, mittens, scarves... all things a part of us hoped never to have to deal with again.
So now we're back for good. It was a chilly winter, nothing like the old ones which routinely hit -40, which is just as cold in fahrenheit as it is in centigrade. But we did hit -30 at least once this last winter. It also bounced right back again so whatever snow we got was gone from the streets in a couple days. Our bodies adjusted a bit, our wardrobes more so. We again were surviving winters. Minnesota winters.
Our bodies didn't adjust all the way, however. It used to be the thermostat was set to heat the house to between 65 and 68. Now our old bones start feeling comfortable at 72, which is comfy if we're moving and wearing sweats as a second layer. When we sit to read or watch TV, or even snooze ( because geezers, hello!), a lap blanket is added in addition. Double layer polar fleece. Ah-h-h-h-h-h....
Last summer we turned the AC on about 3 times, not for long periods, but with ceiling fans to keep us comfy. I was being cheap about it too, having no idea what the electric bill would turn out to be. Turned out to be fairly modest for the summer, and even for winter, because this place was made with gas in mind instead of electricity. Gas furnace, gas stove and oven, gas water heater. I do all the cooking I can in the microwave. There are ceiling fans for cooling down - 4 in various rooms. A light whisper of breeze over my bed at night in the summer usually means no AC needed. For contrast the AC was on 6 months of the year in AZ, and we were grateful to have gotten solar installed on the roof.
This summer is being different. We switched from El Nino to La Nina. We're setting summer heat records. If that isn't enough, the humidity pushes up the heat index - the "feels like" temperature. I wanted to hibernate inside for two days, since the low temperature this morning was 81! In Minnesota! That's often the nice warm summer high, good swimming weather. But today the feels-like temperature is supposed to be around 110! Inside my little car with a black interior and no garage or shade would be just plain cruel.
Life intervened. I had to climb into my mobile furnace just before noon. It was a short errand, a trip to the local grocery store which would almost cool it down by the time I arrived. But it was all in a good cause.
My youngest son called, asking if we had a mixer. Nope. OK, he'd bring one if I'd go pick up some heavy whipping cream. Also, if I made shortcakes (Bisquick alone will fill that bill, no other brand allowed!) he'd also bring the strawberrries! I am so glad I taught him years ago what Mom taught me, the one and only acceptable way to make strawberry shortcake! In addition to the good company, he will have been out at the local apple orchard to a separate patch on thier property where you pick your own strawberries, charged by weight. He'll have picked extras for making jellies this fall when it cools down, and meanwhile they'll be sharing freezer space in his basement with cherries, elderberries, grapes, and whatever else he can harvest from his yard, or maybe supplement from the store, to produce jars of jelly for all on his Christmas list.
But today, it's "only" strawberry shortcake. Yummmmmm!
Tomorrow it's supposed to cool back down, a good thing since my yard is calling. Heat-blown flowers are in need of deadheading.
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