Published: August 10, 2007 12:48 am            

It’s August and It’s Hot…

Yes, it’s August and it’s mighty hot, plus, to complicate the already sticky problem, my home A/C is on the blink! So, ... hot house equals Mckee-panic!

What to do? What to do? And, why does this type breakdown occur during the hottest time of the year? Why not in January or February when the temps are a more pleasant 30 degrees, or so? Oh, silly me!

Number-one-son and daughter-in-law to the rescue! We are now residing in a 31 foot travel trailer while waiting on “parts” on order so that our mega-ton, heat-pump can come back into the world of a cooling machine. Ughhhhh!

Now, we are really grateful to our kids for accommodating Mom and Pop, really we are, however, close quarters are not what we are accustomed to… BUT cool air IS what we must have… so we’re happy, for now…Yes, we’re happy cause the AC repairman seems to think our repairs can be done by the end of the week…end of the week, I tell you… four lonnnnng days from now!

Pray for us.

It’s not that we’re spoiled or anything like that, but we do have around 3100 feet to wander around in on the home front. That’s room for me to plunk away on the computer, to stack all of my books on creative writing, to keep extra copies of everything in the world that I have ever written, to entertain fellow-writing-guests who stop by to discuss, what else, but writing?

Oh, there’s room for my little assistant/secretary, Sarah Belle, my sweet, little black/white kitty, who proofs all of my work (Oh, dear, now I’m giving away my writing secrets!) It’s just that she all-ways agrees and signs off on my writing projects with a purr and a blink of her big-green-eyes. Sarah Belle thinks she is on a well-deserved vacation, however, I will catch her up on the real-facts later…in the meantime she is very happy to be cooled under a portable a/c unit that is cooling the air just for her in my cozy little office/writing room.

The heat of the dog-days-of-summer in Mississippi is not a new thing, no, not at all. Mississippians have learned just what is needed in order to endear the sultry temperatures, and, for the most part, we are prepared, until, well, this untimely catastrophe occurs.

I have hope for cooler days, so does my husband.

It reminds me of the fact that my Paw Paw Harrison from Newton County never had air-conditioning, never wanted it, and he lived to be a robust seventy-nine-year-old. When he visited my parent’s home, he would sit outside if the air was running, snorting about how dependent we were on that new-fangled cold air making machine.

Yes, I know Paw Paw was right, that living without air conditioning is probably healthier, but dang-it, I’m ready to live unhealthy again….I need my A/C! And, of course, it could be worst, much worst, as we do have our power, so we can run a portable A/C with the assistance of our ceiling fans, and attic fan... did I say the end of the week? Ohhhhh…

Sitting alone in hot air can certainly make one more reflective…. not that I ever want to try this mode of reflective thoughts again, mind you. But, my mind is swirling and twirling with the heat, remembering days-gone-by when as a little girl my parent’s first home only had an attic fan, and I seemed pleasantly cool during the summer days. But then I was only an innocent child, unaware of the delicious sensation of air-conditioning.

Yes, scratch those thoughts…it’s just not going to happen again, that is, to be pleasantly cool during the hot summer days without my friend, AC. Think I’ll drive around in my Van and enjoy its AC, after all gas is only close to $3.00 per galleon, and I figure being cool for a couple of hours behind the wheel is worth the cost. Plus, I can search for a BIG block of ice in order to sit upon while I do some work in my little writing room. Yes, maybe that will work…

Oh, happy day! Our AC repairman just called, and our needed parts have arrived earlier than expected…we will have AC by nightfall!

You know, I suppose I could have made it until the end of the week without AC…

Ha! Ha! Who am I kidding?

Stay cool until we meet again…

        

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