SoapZone Community Message Board

I've mentioned many times here that Dad is not a fan of a/c. He's also 81, with a heart condition, so he's always cold. I'd been dreading this upcoming 8 day stretch of 90+ degree days and waiting to see how he would handle it. But at the same time, I myself have a pretty high tolerance for a warm interior and as long as it's not *too* hot at night (making me unable to fall asleep easily), I can deal.

So far, I've been silently waiting Dad out, wondering when (if) he'd turn on the a/c. Sunday, we didn't quite reach 90°, and I was not particularly uncomfortable. Monday, it got up to 81° inside by the evening but I stubbornly took my book outside and sat in the shade and read. There was just enough of a breeze that I was coping...it did take me a bit of time to fall asleep Monday evening though, despite wearing my skimpiest jammies.

Yesterday, I made a small tactical error. By 11:00, it was already 90° outside but there was a forecast of rain in the evening. I decided to make a not-quite-necessary trip to Joann's, Pop Shelf and Trader Joe's after lunch to pick up a few things. The skies darkened when I was at Joann's; by the time I got inside Pop Shelf, the rain started falling practically in sheets. I stayed inside as long as I could, waiting for the rain to at least slow if not stop...it didn't. So I ran to the car and in approximately 30 seconds, I was soaked. I then walked around TJ's* in my thin tank top and light shorts, shivering in the a/c.

*Further reinforcing my belief that Trader Joe's is just a wonderful, wonderful establishment, they had a person with a comically oversized umbrella at the front gallantly escorting shoppers to and from the store. At one point, I realized I was going to be buying a bit more than just the olive oil and shredded cheese I went in to get so I put my purchases down and walked to the entrance of the store to grab a shopping basket. The lovely employee immediately ran over and asked if I wanted an escort to my car...he thought I was either leaving empty-handed or going to get a bag or my wallet or whatever. I laughed, pointed at my dripping hair and thanked him, saying it was a bit late for an umbrella and he laughed as well. And of course by the time I left Trader Joe's, the rain had all but stopped.

The rest of Tuesday night remained reasonable--around 74°, and the "open up the windows and turn on a fan to draw in the night air" trick worked--so really, I should've saved my "a/c break" for later in the week. This morning, I was able to avoid trying to get in my walk/ride around the block before the heat really ramped up by going to the mall to walk with my aunt. When I got home, it was roughly 80° inside but I'd decided to put off my morning shower until I got back, so I quickly washed and rinsed with some tepid water which kept me reasonably comfortable for the next few hours.

A few minutes ago, I was lounging on the loveseat (which is in front of the big picture window, over which the curtains have remained drawn) debating what to make for supper (I'm going with a simple Birdseye skillet meal--3 cheese chicken with pasta and veggies) when Dad came in and turned on the fan. I was surprised...it was, of course, warm in the house but I wasn't really feeling it all that much (I'm in another tank top and shorts today). He didn't open the door; the fan enough felt OK to me so you can imagine my shock when I heard the a/c come on a few minutes later. I checked the thermostat...apparently 82° inside, with humidity to match, is Dad's breaking point 😁

To be clear, if I'd gotten to the point where I was absolutely, completely hot and miserable, *I* could've turned on the a/c. Dad won't care...though I might get another lecture, like I did after coming home yesterday, about how people back in the day expected it to be hot in the summer and just suffered in silence (I told this to my aunt this morning and she snorted in disbelief and challenged Dad's conviction). And also to be clear, the a/c is only set at 78° and will likely go off later this evening, especially if the rumble of thunder I'm hearing manifests more rain. But somehow I feel like I've scored a win in not being the one to turn on the a/c...and now that the a/c's on, I'm winning again <g>.