Here in the high desert we’ve had record breaking heat. We’ve been over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for about eight days. You may have heard other desert dwellers says, “But it’s a dry heat.” Well that’s true, humidity has been around 15 %, but that’s a dry kind of dry. The simple fact is that anything over 90 is hot, too hot.
My only surprise has been that we’ve not seen more wild fires start up. We’ve had a whole weekend of thunderstorms with dry lightning — a basic recipe for burning forests, but so far, only a couple of fires and so far very little smoke has reached us.
What hasn’t surprised me is that our A/C died just after the heatwave started. I’ll take the blame for that one. I knew the unit was 22 years old and on it’s last legs. I had researched an HVAC company to call and get a quote for a new one, but you guessed it — I hadn’t made that call. So a week ago Friday we came home from an evening out to sense that it was warmer in our house than should be. After checking around I heard a sound kind of like an electric transformer shorting out. Last time I heard that sound, I was working in a factory and let’s just say we maintenance techs had a bad day and long evening doing repairs.
So I shut the system off.
Now, don’t cry too hard here, it’s a big house and there are two A/C systems here so at least half the house has been keeping cool. Just not the side we sleep in, but a few well placed fans and life’s not too bad. Not great, but not horrible.
I did finally call the A/C company I’d selected and their tech confirmed my suspicions that the compressor had seized up and the whole thing is a write off. Now, you should understand that it’s me and maybe two thousand other people in town with the same problem and all calling the same few A/C companies. That means, I’m still waiting to hear when they’ll be out to replace the A/C units. Yes, at least I’m smart enough to get them both done.
This would be a good time to mention that my writing office and sewing room is in the non-A/C side of the house so I’ve not been back here writing too much. There hasn’t been much blogging from here as a result. I have been able to make some progress on my writing projects thanks to a new creative practice Heather and I have started. One of the bigger problems with doing something creative is distractions and the home you live in has plenty.
What we’ve come up with is doing an “artist outing”. This is where we get in the car, drive to a local park. I take my laptop computer while Heather takes a sketchbook. Normally we pick places with a great overlook of the city or mountains. We also take chairs, water, hats, and so on and go early in the morning before it heats up to boiling point. I’ll set a timer for 30 minutes and then I free write while Heather draws something. We then take home our work for refinement. It’s a great way to force yourself into doing some creative work. Heather’s got a couple of nice water colors in progress and I was able to start and finish a poem for one of my poetry collections.
I’m finding it a valuable way to focus and keep the projects moving.
I do take one distracting thing with me on these outings — my cell phone, just in case the A/C company calls to say they’re ready to install my new system. Come on, there are priorities here.
Andrew's View of the Week 
Replaced my HVAC a couple of years ago, when it was about 22 years old. I’d probably be in hysterics if I lost heat or A/C, both of which fail only under peak demand — when everybody else also needs instant service.
Hey, stay cool out there.
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I knew the units were on the edge, I should have called in the installers a couple of months ago.
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P.S. You could probably just cook the pizza on the roof! 🙂
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Pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, full sized chickens and the occasional Hawaiian Luau complete with pig, pineapple and rice.
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Nice. 🙂
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I’ve never heard of a house having two ACs. That’s amazing and fortunate for you. Too bad it’s not the side you sleep in. I’d be sleeping on the couch then, probably. Glad the fans are working for you.
I absolutely love your creative outings. Brilliant idea and so great that you can do it together each in your own way. That’s love. 🙂
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If it wasn’t for my old bad back, I’d be out there. So far the fans are working just fine.
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Your post made me imagine the heat in your place. Our summers are hot and humid. I like the idea of artistic outing. Take care.
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Humidity isn’t something we have to deal with – just the heat.
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I love your “artist outings” idea! What a great way to prioritize your art. I don’t love your loss of A/C in those temperatures, though. I’m glad you’ve got the backup unit, but yikes! I hope you hear from the A/C company soon.
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I love those outings – they really help.
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What did folks do before AC. I just don’t know. Give up, I think.
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Most they just melted and waited for a cooler day.
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There are days when we really do need the AC!! I’ve got mine on today. Hoping you get it fixed soon, very soon.
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I’m waiting for them to call me back with a schedule.
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👍
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90 F is 32 C. That is our standard summer temperature. A heat wave is 35C and up to 40C. Our heat is also fairly dry. Your writing sessions sound fun.
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The hottest we got here was about 40C (105F), but some areas were close to 50C.
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50C is dreadful. That is the same as Dubai.
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It is not fun.
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No, not at all.
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Hoping you’re not jinxing me with this story, Andrew. Our own unit is about thirteen years old, which I’m told is beyond the average life span of this kind of equipment. Your 22 years is encouraging. Not that I want to come home to an “uncool” house one of these days but I also don’t want to cover the big expense any sooner than I have to. Great idea to get away from the house for a different environment for your free writing. No doubt the change of pace/place stirs up the creative juices.
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The units I have likely should have been replaced five years ago — the newer stuff is much more efficient that the older units.
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Hurrah for A/C when it works, fix-it guys when it doesn’t, and artist dates!
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I’m hoping for A/C soon.
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That is poopy that your a/c decided to stop working. I can’t stand the humidity and heat. On Saturday, we had only about 60’s but there were low clouds all day long and it was one of those ‘clammy and chilly but sweating’ kind of days. YUK! Yesterday the cloud lifted and we got a little taste of summer. Something that has seemed to be avoiding us. We headed out for our walk on the shore and we sat on a rock for a bit and watched the sea creeping out. (Tide was going out) It was peaceful and relaxing. I wrote my own post yesterday (as per typical on Sundays) and just ‘putzed’ all day. I have been working for about 3 weeks straight and needed a breather. It felt good to be out in the sun.
I hope your a/c gets fixed soon. There is a reason I moved north from Chicago. The heat was one of them. Dry or not, I prefer sweaters. 🙂
Have a great week.
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I’m hoping they’ll be out soon for the A/C — this heat is too much.
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