PORCH PONDERINGS

The heat is gone - for now

The heat that pressed us down for about a week dissipated for the weekend. Today it's cloudy and cooler. Nice.

Everyone is wondering how we make it without air-conditioning. Quite simple, actually. You just do it. Close up the house during the day, keep the curtains and windows and doors shut. Because you opened them at night, when the temps cool off. We use fans to circulate that cooler air.

Our first floor stays at least 15-20° cooler than outside if we do all this. The second floor? Not so much. But that's okay. Still hot? Take a cool bath, put a wet towel on your neck. Wear cool clothes. Drink lots of water, not alcohol, not caffeine.

We're in for another round of heat this coming week. No worries. It is summer, after all. We grew up without air-conditioning. Let me tell you, nothing like living in a humid NE Ohio in July and August in a heat wave. And of course, cars back then didn't have it either. So you didn't want to be in the middle of the back seat with your brother and sister on either side.

I found out that the newspaper publisher is giving ownership of the paper to another writer sometime the end of this year. I am meeting with her this coming week to discuss her plans going forward. Perhaps my role will be larger? We'll see. I've gotten quite a few compliments on my contribution to the paper. We put in each week a little column "Seen around Town" - kind of a play on 'scene' and 'round' as in 'Roundup'.

I write this little blurb throughout the week, then send it in sometime before noon on Sunday. Seems to be an easy gig so far.

Everyone enjoy these last few weeks of summer. We'll be getting cooler before we know it here in Montana. Our summer is at best 8-10 weeks. But this year, well, who knows.