Lessons from Lack of an Air Conditioner

Awhile back I posted this article about a Valley couple who vow not to use their air conditioner for a year on Facebook. It's an interesting read to be sure.

This last weekend we noticed that something was sounding a bit off with our air conditioner. We called the repair folks and they were knocking on our door early Monday morning. They told us what part was broken and then said, "it could keep going like this forever. However, it would be good to fix it now." So we made arrangements to have it fixed once the parts would arrive. Little did we know that "forever" would quickly arrive that evening!  Sigh.

The first night we did pretty well and we just stayed under the fans.  This would also be what we all did Tuesday.  Nothing, and I do mean nothing, got done Tuesday.  Move out from the fans and we started to sweat right away.  The high temp in the house was 90-degrees.  What it came down to was how well Lily fared with it all.  She was great... not a whimper... which is more than I can say for her mother.

Here's what I learned:

1. Ceiling fans are a survival tool in the desert.  I finally get it.
2. The repair man can never come early enough.
3. The heat really does permeate EVERYTHING.  My pajamas felt like they had come straight from the dryer and there was no "cool spot" on the bed.  We don't warm Miss L's  bottles and yet they were warm.  The chocolate in the candy bowl melted.
4. Babies are tougher than we think they are.
5. My daughter can teach me contentment in a variety of situations.
6. I am thankful for air conditioner.
7. I still think the people in the article are a little off kilter.

I am sure there were more things but this is what I really think about right now.  However, the air conditioner is fixed and the house is nice and cool.  It almost seemed cold as it was cooling down.  That's fine.  I'd rather shiver a bit than sweat.  It's true.

Something New

I am ready for the fall season to begin.  I long for the changing of the leaves.  Although, that doesn't happen here.  I long for cooler weather... which may be, in part, due to the fact that our AC is out and it's about 83 degrees in the house.  On the up side, the repair man is here as I type.  There will be dancing when he is finished.

In a nutshell, here's what has been going on here...

July could not go by fast enough.  My grandmother died on the 1st which was quite expected.  We had her funeral on the 4th in Nebraska.  Soon after that Husband and I headed to New Mexico to help finish packing my dad's house.  While there I found out that my cousin passed away.  Her funeral was on the 25th and I was off to Nebraska yet again.  It was just a hard month and I was glad to see it end.

August then went by entirely too fast!  My dad moved in with us as he searched for a new house here in the Valley.  Oh yes, did I mention that my dad is moving out here?  Yes, we never thought it would happen but here he is adjusting to the heat quite well.  He purchased a house in Surprise and closed on it yesterday.  Let me just say, September is moving as fast as August!

Soon it will be Christmas...

...okay, so I have a new post up and I am going to work on some other things that I thought have been interesting over the last few weeks.  Hopefully, you will find them equally as interesting.

Generations

[gallery link="file" columns="2"]

We recently went to Nebraska to visit my grandmother.  We wanted her to be able to meet Miss L.  My grandmother recently turned 100.  She didn't fully comprehend that we were there or that Miss L was her great-granddaughter but there were some sweet moments.  My grandmother cannot see much at all but she was able to recognize that there was a baby in the room and was willing to try and hold her.  She felt for Miss L's features and Miss L thought it was pretty fun.  Our little girl laughed and smiled and found her great-grandmother to be quite fun.  Even the nurses were surprised at how well Baby Girl did in her lap.

It was fun to see and heartbreaking all at the same time.  It was sweet to see Little Flower love on her great-grandmother, smile, laugh, and feel safe with her.  I wished that my mom was alive to see this and there would be four generations.  I think this was the last time that I will see my grandmother.  So, there is the sweet and the bitterness of the time spent with my grandmother.

More on our trip to Nebraska in the next few days.

Coffee Memories

It's a strange thing wanting coffee each morning.  I used to only drink it on the weekends.  Now it seems like an essential to start the day.  Such is life.  Needless to say, I was bummed when the bottom of my coffee mug peeked through.  I was tempted for a second cup!

This morning I was faced with the desire for a good cup of coffee.  Husband was already gone for the morning, he makes the best cup of coffee for me, so I thought about my options.  I didn't want to brew a whole pot because I usually only drink one cup anyway.  So, I remembered my handy little french press.  Glory!  I boiled the water, ground some coffee, and made the rest of my breakfast.  The end result was a nice cup of strong coffee sweetened to my liking with some half & half.  Lovely.

Whenever I bring out my little french press coffee pot I cannot help but reminisce on the summer of 2004.  I made my way across the country to Ocean City, NJ on a summer mission assignment.  My roommate, Shanda, always made coffee in a french press.  I don't remember when it happened but she then started making me a cup of coffee each morning on the way to staff meetings.  How it ministered to my heart!  There were a few mornings when I had coffee ready for her after she taught me the art of french press.  Ahh... sweet times.  I love that simple things bring back such lovely and fond memories of times spent with a sister in Christ and remembering how even simple things can mean so very much and stay with a person for a lifetime.

Polly Want a Cracker?

Anyone who reads this blog or knows me knows that A) I am an avid people watcher B) sometimes I see really random things C) I am fairly observant and D) (how appropriate that it came to the letter D) that I still love Dunkin' Donuts even though they don't carry my favorite donut here in Arizona anymore.  Well, all of these things met in perfect harmony on Sunday while making our way to church.  As you probably know, Husband likes to treat me to DD from time to time.  We left the house early, a little tired because we had yet to have some coffee, and made our way to the newly renovated DD on 19th Ave and Northern just off the 17.  We tried one of their new bagel sandwiches (delightful) and of course had a donut and ICED coffee.  An interesting mix of people always frequent DD's no matter the locale.  As we were leaving I had to stop dead in my tracks and call Husband's attention to my latest encounter...

...there sat a man in his car with his little dog and the window rolled down.  No big deal, right?  Well, on the window ledge was a Senegal Parrot walking back and forth and observing himself in the side mirror!  Of course we paused to talk to the friendly gentleman.  He told us how he takes his dog and parrot on a walk.  The dog on a leash and the parrot perched on his shoulder.  He made sure to tell us that his wings were clipped and he would not fly away.  The parrot's name is "Gunny" and just as I was getting ready to ask if the gentleman had been in the Marine Corps he said, "He reminds me of a drill sergeant I had in the Marine Corps, bossy, bossy, bossy!"  We laughed.

Oh how I wanted to take their picture and place it here!  But I didn't know how I would get the photo from my phone to the computer.  Even if I did, I don't think the resolution would have been very good.  Such is life... you will have to use your imagination.  Darn it for not having the camera with me this ONE time!  Ugh.

I guess the man's wife was in the store picking up their Sunday treats, too.  I hope I see these folks again.

In case you were wondering, I have now adjusted my top places for people watching...

1.  University Campus
2.  Airport/Train Station/Bus Station
3.  Dunkin' Donuts
4.  People driving (but one should only do this if you are the passenger!)

Shades of Green

I am sure that Husband will give that "look" and sigh when he reads this.  Then I will laugh.  You see, he didn't realize that he married a green girl.  Well, that's what he would say.  I would just tell him that I am not but he doesn't agree.  Let me first state that I probably wouldn't recycle if we didn't have a recycle day.  I am thinking about making my own laundry soap only because I think that it would be fun.  I opt to do cloth diapers because I was tired of the "blowouts" and THEN it became fun because there are so many options out there.  I try to get Husband back about being green because we have a bi-fuel car.  Really, in the end it was about saving money... not the environment.  Once a friend legitimately used the phrase "sustainable living" in a conversation with me and I laughed.  Thankfully, it was via e-mail.  I probably should have refrained from laughing but I could hardly stifle the giggles.

I will say that I don't agree (obviously) with the global warming mumbo jumbo.  Is the climate changing?  Sure.  I am sure that the climate has continued to change at some level since the Lord created the heavens and the earth.  Is it caused by Man?  I doubt it.  Do I think that we should try to be good stewards of the earth?  Sure.  However, what that means to different households can run the gammut of things.  I will try to respect your prespective if it goes a little further down the road than mine... as long as you respect the fact that I am not that far down the road.

Well, now you had a look into a not really green, but people might think we are green, household.  With that said, I love my cloth diapers and if you want to chat about them it won't take much to get me started.  :)

And What to Drink?

Not too terribly long ago I buzzed through a local drive-thru place to grab some lunch as my Little Flower had fallen asleep after an appointment and I had precious minutes in the car to eat in silence as I made the 20-minute trip home.  

I placed my order of a sandwich and my beloved fries.  Ahh.  Then when asked what I wanted to drink I replied, "Diet Coke, please."  They repeated it back to me but I should have known then that something would go awry when the confirmation screen simply said, "Coke."

I pulled away, grabbed a couple of hot fries, and reached for a swig of beverage.  At first I thought they did give me my requested drink but one more swallow would confirm they had not.  I wasn't sure I would be able to get the stuff down at first.  However, I made it go down a few more times.  It was then that I realized a couple of things.  First, I was pretty positive that the mix in the fountain must be a bit off.  Second, I have been ruined by "diet" forever, it seems.  I used to be able to drink regular Coke with no problem and could interchange at will but still a strong draw to the "diet."  On this particular day it was confirmed that I am a Diet Coke girl and there is no going back.  As you can see in the photo the Diet Coke is basically gone.  We keep the Coke around for whoever wants it.  Usually for my father-in-law or my Papa if he opts for it.

Guess it all works out for the good as Husband is also a Diet Coke drinker...  Actually, he's the one that did this to me.  :)  Well, I was drinking Diet Pepsi when we met and he brought me to the light.