How I Perceived it and How it Really Happened

Jan 30

steps 14.628

73F!

When I got up to go to the bathroom, I wondered why Tommy was up as it was 6 something. So, I went to living room where my lamp was on and he appeared fully awake. I sat down, still stunned from sleep as I usually am when I awake. After about five minutes, I started talking. The news was on. All seemed not normal for a morning. 

I asked him why he was up. Because... Had he eaten? Of course not. Why are you awake so early. Because it is six o'clock. What did you eat. Nothing yet. 

I kept this up, questioning him with same questions until I realized it was still Thursday. He told me I lay down for a nap at 2 pm. How did this all happen?

What really happened--I lay down for a nap at about 2 this afternoon. I told him not to wake me. At 6 pm it was dark, so I thought it was still night and he was up at 6 am. It was still Thursday, and I thought it was Friday morning. I thought he must have had breakfast. 

I must have been very out of it, because I could not understand how this all happened and kept asking him the same questions. I hope not to be in this state again. This was so bizarre. 

It has been two hours, and I am fully awake now. 

We did nothing today. I asked Tommy to remove the bows from the reindeer. He forgot. I needed to hang two pair of pants and jacket. I forgot. We did nothing done that we planned! I stayed up late watching the tragedy in DC. Then, I got up early to have it continue. The political comments overshadowed the human tragedy. 

It was warm today, so I took off the top wool blanket before the nap. It is good I did take it off because the temp was 73F. 

Today, I gave myself an injection just below my waist in a nice fatty area. As I stuck the needle in, I felt a severe pain in shoulder blade on same side. This pain continued for about three minutes, feeling like a thumbtack was being pushed into my back. Now, injections often cause a tiny pain elsewhere, but I have never had this kind of pain and for so long. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? 

It is only about 9 pm, and I am now extremely sleepy!

I laughed about my confusion as to whether it was night or morning. Have you ever awakened confused about whether it was day or night?

Friday Heat and Holiday

 My energy flags quickly these days. Friday, I washed my hair just two days after applying color. I am not sure why, but using the cream rinse included with the shampoo causes me to have greasy looking hair. Plus, if feels like it was sprayed. Now, my hair and looks and feels normal. I was embarrassed to be seen right after color, not the usual affect of color. 

Thursday night, we did other cooking after midnight. Plus, I was energized, gathering laundry, putting away stuff scattered and just left to lie about. It was very productive. 

Today, we went out and came back home. Tommy went into the house. As he came out, he had one of my real cokes, caffeine free. I asked if he brought it for me. No, he needed sugar since his dropping blood sugar was too low. He got into the car and tried to open a small piece of cheese. He never asks me to open things. His hands were trembling. He could not figure out how to get the cheese out of the package that had been cut open by me on three sides. I told him to drink the Coke. His monitor was not working, but he could see a plunging trajectory of his blood sugar. 

He was about to drive. His blood sugar rose enough for him to be safe. He seemed to be driving okay. I am so stressed watching traffic, how he drives And, it was so hot today. 

When we came home, I took a nap, and he peeled potatoes and carrots. I assembled the cooking bag. At 8:30, it was done so we could eat. 

We have buns gotten cheaply, yet they are Sara Lee. I will freeze most of them. Having the freezer with enough room to freeze bread and buns saves money. I can eat a hamburger or hotdog on a piece of bread. But, the bun is so much nicer. 

Tommy put a note on our neighbor's door. Her son said he would hang a light. He is an electrician with some company. We intended to pay him. This has been over 4 years ago. So, she called back and left a voicemail. She said an electrician came 3.5 years ago, started a job at her house and never came back. She said she understood. Maybe the work will get done yet! 

Cleaner called and said she has been ill. Yet, she did not miss work. Okay, so maybe she did not feel like doing more. Next Tuesday, she will let us know something. 

The woman to whom I gave food will not reply. So, will never depend on her doing anything, like calling me. Or picking up food I collect just for her. 

Thursday night, I ordered another outfit like I bought five years ago. I can wear this one with abandon and not have to save it for good...lol. When I took the one I own out of storage this spring, it was squashed and in with other items. I shook it out and wore it without one wrinkle. I also ordered garbage bags for the kitchen. They are hard to handle because they are so heavy, one less thing that will not hurt Tommy. 

We need potatoes, eggs, and strawberries. Tomorrow, we will go to Publix during their sampling events. Yum! We may have pork ribs Monday. We will be staying home, not cooking much. 

There are things to do outdoors, like clean off the porch. But, it is so hot, I just don't care. Tommy would have to be with me, so he does not need the heat stress, either. I only slept four hours Thursday night because of the heat. The ac was set on 67. Tommy was bundled up in front of the ac vent by his chair, so it was cool in the living room. Well, not too cool except in front of the ac vent.

What are your plans for this weekend? Food, fun, family?

Poor Dogs! Update!

 I had Tommy go to the fence and try to lure the dogs into sight. We have not seen them for a few days. It was over 105F 'feels like' temperature. He took dog treats with him, real dog treats not leftovers.

He can hear one dog barking when he called for 'doggy.'  The window he could see open was only open about eight inches. I am quite sure the dog is too hot. 

I was so mad I said I was going to call Governor Memaw! Oh, called police and guy told me twice that was for animal control. I reminded him he had to contact him, so he said he would. That was the moment I was more angry. They would be better off outside where they might catch a breeze or lie in the grass under a tree or in the shade of the house. Remember, there is no electricity in this house to run ac or fan.

Maybe this is unreasonable, but this is stressing me!

The other dog that is not barking is fat and wheezy sounding. I hope he is not suffering so he cannot even bark. 

The Hueytown. AL police department must know something I don't about the conditions under which a dog is not abused, stressed, and in danger. Isn't this akin to leaving a dog in a hot car?

UPDATE:

Tommy was wrong. The dog is outside, just over on the other side of the house. However, there is one dog all alone as far as we or the policeman who came here can see.  At least, the dog is not shut up in the hot house. So, the animal control officer will be alerted again. It is a mystery as to why this is not corrected. Still, this is heartbreaking.

Duct Tape and Two Ice Cream Freezer Mystery

 It is sooo hot! Even after all the rain we have had in places, we are still in a drought. 

We, of course, got out in the heat and accomplished a few things. Now, we are in ac all the time except for going to the car and back. 

Tommy put all the food we were going to give the five little girls and their mother. We left the car ac on so that the food would not spoil. He was about thirty minutes late to pick it up. It seems he is okay after his ER visit. It was too hot to visit and find out. But, we did something to help someone today.

From the pool noodle videos, I remember one woman saying she got colored duct tape from Dollar Tree. I sent Tommy in to buy some. He is so funny. He was telling me the colors. He said there were two blues, one that was light blue and another that looked almost purple. Well, it was purple. Perfect. He bought 1 white, 1 purple, and 2 red. I told him these and I did not want the light blue. I had found one roll of duct tape on Amazon that was $13 for the roll. After I bought these, I looked again on Amazon. 

4 rolls duct tape--$5. That is $21 for pool noodles + $5 from today=$26 total

I need more rolls and several other colors, but this is a start. And, I want to get them now, not when everyone else wants colored duct tape. Now, for the glue or glue sticks. 

We had to cook tonight. We had roast beef, carrots, potatoes, bell pepper. I had strawberries. 

I have been worried about Tommy's childhood friend who lived next to him as a child. They have gone to same church together. He is the one who had the subdural hematoma a few weeks ago. I have tried calling but got no one. Finally, today, he answered the phone from Navarre. He is fine. That is a relief. 

Cleaner comes tomorrow! I hope she does not cancel. I think I will have her help me declutter my bedroom and find more dishtowels I bought for 33 cents apiece. The ones I bought five years ago are threadbare and some have holes.  Those have been demoted to cleaning towels. Maybe I will have her scramble eggs for me again. 

I mentioned to Tommy that the part of the ice cream freezer that goes in the freezer needed to be put in a cabinet. I also asked him if he had noticed the other part with the motor and the cord. He said there was another piece in the dining area. But, he pointed out it was the same as the part I took from the freezer. He brought it to me because I was skeptical that I had another ice cream freezer. Well, yes, I do. I know that was too expensive to buy two, so I now wonder in what fever I acquired another. It is peculiar. 

I have noticed and have been appalled that cowboys upon emptying the last drop of water from their canteen often toss their canteen aside, leaving it behind. I wonder if they do find water, how can they take more water with them? I realize it is a dramatic gesture to signify their emotions. But, I notice it every time. Do you notice? 

Do you ever have two of something and wonder how that happened? The ice cream freezer was on sale, but not so cheap I would buy two. 

Tuesday Good Deed

 

Nothing makes a person appreciate AC until it is lost or almost lost. Yesterday, when the ac guy said the  thermostat was on HEAT, Tommy and I were stunned. He said he did not turn it. I, also said I did not do it. We did not blame the other or argue, something strange for Tommy. Several times since, we both have marveled at the fact it was just set wrong. 

I did not sleep last night after I awoke with just three hours sleep at 12:30. It is 6 pm, and I have not been asleep since then. This is so frustrating. 

We won't be eating out until we recoup the $89 bill for the ac 'repair.'  

One day, I met a man in the grocery store whose girlfriend is having a hard time. I told him about a food pickup here. He could not go because he works. She could not go because of something, forgot what, but it sounded plausible. I offered to get food boxes for him. While there I got boxes for us. 

We gave them most of what was in our boxes plus the full two for them. This woman has 13 yo daughter. She has her drug-user sister's 13yo daughter, and addict brother's three girls, 3, 7, and 10. She has custody of the four girls, her nieces. That is five girls. So, they now have about $200 worth of groceries- 6 lbs carrots, 8 lbs sweet  potatoes, 20 applesauce cups, 4 cans marinara sauce, 4 -1lb bags pistachio, 4 cans green beans, 4 qts blueberry, About 50 or more cans of food not listed, 20 pounds of catfish, 8 cans of carrots, 4 packages raisins, 4 cans collards, 4 lbs. cucumbers 3 gallons milk, 20 strawberry/applesauce cups,  and more items I cannot remember. 

Of my boxes we kept 20 applesauce cups, 4 bag raisins, gal milk, 4 qts blueberries, 4 cans collard greens, and four cans green beans.  We did not keep enough to pay for the gas we used. We both feel really good about helping these little girls. We will do this for him often.

Tommy was exhausted carrying so many boxes on his walker in this heat. He put all our food away. We sat and watched part of the news and then left again. He needed new prescription from new endo. We went to farmer's market and bought cup (4) tomatoes, 2 ears corn, and a strawberry lemonade for $9.50.

We needed bread and slaw mix, so I wanted to go to Publix. Tommy said he was too tired and his knees hurt. I said I would go in and remembered I had on a knee-length dress so legs looked horrible. I told him he would have to go in. He sighed and said okay. He was standing by the car as I was looking in my purse. I heard him say something and was confused. "Can you bring that to me because I cannot walk that far." I looked up surprised. "I am going to use the damn cart." He was asking an employee taking electric cart back to the store to bring it to him. 

Many years ago when we were in better shape and less pain, I made him use the electric cart in Lowe's. I needed it for pain, but he needed it more. Lately, I have been telling him to use an electric cart, and he refuses. Now, I suppose he will use it more. I hate to see him hurting and making the osteoarthritis worse. One of these days, I will convince him to go to a doctor for it. He has not been to doctor about osteoarthritis since diagnoses. And, he refused to have surgery. I feel like there should be something to help him. 

Today, the four gallons of milk were given to us in a black plastic milk carton, so we can use that around the house.

We did a good deed that makes me happy. I got about three hours sleep after having no sleep last night. We finally got home-grown tomatoes and corn, and purslane bloomed. So, it was a very good day, very hot and sunny.  

This morning, the purslane had 12 blossoms! It is spectacular. The blossoms made my day. 

Tommy has been sooo peaceable today!!!

How was your Tuesday? 

Do you ever come across people in need and help them? 

High Heat; No AC--EDIT

 I had not slept for 21 hours and finally slept. Two hours later, I awoke suffocating. I thought Tommy had turned the ac warmer. No, no heat. It is about 85 outdoors. We sit behind the brick wall with no shade. It is 79 in hall where the thermostat is located. Of course, it feels 5 degrees warmer. It is warmer in my bedroom and living room.

It felt like I was suffocating when I awoke and is worse now, plus the difficulty in breathing is horrendous. 

5 pm now, and it will be 8 pm at the earliest when they come. 

I was going to wash my hair, so that will cool me. Then, we are getting in car with ac and going for something to eat. 

This heat makes me feel nauseous.

6:15 81F at thermostat!

6:30 AC is on. The thermostat was set on HEAT!  Tommy swears he did not do it. So do I. 

Cardiologist cancelled appointment tomorrow. 

Tommy was willing to go out to eat. I think we can find food here. We will see.

Rough Weather and Food

We had some bad storms today in AL. During all this, 156K in Alabama are without electricity. I hear trees are down all over roads and houses in Birmingham. Something was said about Birmingham being city with second largest number of trees in the US.

In my city, torrents of rain were the problem. I was indoors in a lobby of a one-story building with offices. The rain did not start gradually, but the bottom dropped out and the rain was at its maximum from the first moment. The wind blew the rain sideways, part of the time,  but no trees that I know of were down.

I overate cookies Heath Bar cookies this afternoon, so I will not be eating bread today. Have you ever had these cookies?

This evening, I went to the free dinner. We had pizza, salad, loaded potatoes, unsweetened tea, salad dressing, and individual pies and cakes like Walmart carries. By the time I ate a bit of one pizza, the loaded baked potato, and salad, I did not want to eat the other 3  pieces. However, I did want the loaded potato, so I had more. I definitely over ate from 2:30 to 6:30.

The loaded baked potato was a casserole. I paid attention while eating to figure out what was in the casserole. This is what I think they did. The potatoes were baked, sliced in half and flattened into a huge casserole. Sour cream and butter were mixed together or put on as they were on the potatoes. So much cheese was put on the top and bits of ham or bacon were sprinkled over that. The casserole was covered and baked.  Servings were carved out in squares.

Oh, there were what seemed to be French fries, uncooked, over the top of the baked potatoes. One person said she thought it was potato sticks, the little crispy things. No idea.

Well, that is how I think it was made. Maybe the potatoes were not baked first. I don't know.

The casseroles were catered. The pizza was in boxes from a pizza place, The salad greens were from bags. I did not eat croutons on my salad, but they were purchased, too, I think.
The meal was exceptionally delicious, especially the stuffed baked potato casserole.

I brought home a little peach pie. Pizza is in freezer.  So is the peach pie.

Oh, the heat index was 115 here today because of 94 F and 81 % humidity. It was hot!

Have you ever eaten loaded baked potato casserole or made it? What did storms do in your town today?

The frugal thing to do

It is 93F at about 7 pm. The day has been brutal. I have mostly avoided sweating by doing nothing or next to nothing.

The new ac is working and appreciated. It took two whole days and "help" from four people to figure out what was wrong.

Piddling consisted of potentially sweaty situations. But, I avoided sweating mostly.

*putting groceries together instead of having like things in different places
*picked up trash in the yard...only three pieces, thankfully
*returned various items to rooms where they belong
*tried to get stuff off the floor that someone dropped

I did nothing to clean or cook. Using little energy was the goal along with not sweating or having trouble breathing! Things look a little better and all is more organized. How is this all frugal? I spend less time looking for things. I did not waste time.

Have you had a frugal day today? Did you have hot hot hot weather today? Do you find that occasionally after being ill that you need to just get things back in the right place?

A Few Answers and a Few Questions

Today, I went to the Farmer's Market and there were no tomatoes. Bummer. I looked around and got two small cups of crookneck squash. I paid $6 for the two of them. Because I was out and had things to do, I did not go home.

My question: Was the price exorbitant? While I had the bag in WM, I stuck it on the scales--2.64 lbs. That makes the cost per pound $1.52. In WM squash was $.99/lb.

I know all the positives of Farmer's Market--local food, supporting local farmers. However, I know for a fact they use pesticides.

Not bringing the bag home meant I carried a bag of squash into the doctor's office. I did have a bit of a problem in urine, but doctor downplayed it. I cannot think of anything else that causes this malaise in me. I continually have problems with gastrointestinal tract. I feel queasy all inside. So, now I have ten days of meds for uti.

So, after this ten days, I will start taking the prophylactic does of meds to keep bladder sterile. I refused to take small doses without first clearing things up entirely.

My question: have you ever taken a prophylactic dose of meds for uti and not had a full prescription to make sure bladder contents are sterile before you start taking the lesser dose, prophylactic dose?

Since I have been queasy, I have not eaten salads. I feared it would keep me in bathroom more than I already am. So, I gave away more of the salad.

My ac is dying, so I suppose I will, too.  It's a scorcher today, up to 90 already.

The tomato plants I bought had not been hardened off. The seller is not a good liar. He did not even know what it meant to "harden off" a plant. He said in reply to my question and under his breath, "I set them out at night." That did not answer my question.  He quickly and cheerfully volunteered, "I picked off all the suckers for you." WHAT?

These were leggy plants and he had stripped all but a few top leaves off.  Do you pick suckers off plants are a foot high? I think you wait until they are planted and are surviving to even look for suckers. These plants were looking puny, so he pulled off all the leaves that looked less than healthy!--my belief.  This man retired and decided he wanted to make money--what he told me and said he could figure this out.

I bought the red and white onions from him, just took the bag. When I got home, the onions had dirt all over them. I wonder when he pulled these. Did he lay them out to dry? I do not want my vegetables washed because they rot faster, but do you think knocking off the dirt would have hurt? I don't think he laid them out like they are supposed to be done. The dirt seemed too fresh.

Okay, I am going out now to buy a squash plant and a zucchini plant. Hopefully, I can handle the sun and heat to plant them tomorrow along with the two tomatoes and two cayenne plants. Today, it makes me dizzy.

I bought a yellow and a black container of Plaid paint and sponge brushes. In a few moments, I am going to look for things in the yard to paint black and yellow since I was inspired by the bee theme from Tuesday.

Remember the garbage can that was crushed and the guy said someone would bring me another? Well, a brand new can showed up next to the crushed one. The crushed one sort of healed itself. It did not seal itself, but the bottom is not so gapped as when it was crushed. I am going to keep it since it does have a lid. It was the one kept right outside the chicken pen so I could drop things in it after I fed the hens. I did not tell the mower to put the garbage can on the street. I should have told him to empty it like I TOLD him to do in the beginning.

I feel lousy but ambitious!

After I wrote the above, I went out again. Before I did, I used the bathroom and the uti symptoms showed up and I screamed a bit. I am so happy I did not wait until tomorrow.

Plant shopping is so much fun. I love squash and zucchini, but the Farmer's Market vegetables are too large. I just won't buy them. Small ones are the ones I want. If I get 7 small squash off my squash plant, I will have broken even considering the price I paid today for squash.

I bought one crook neck squash plant, one zucchini plant, and one bell pepper plant. Exbf was eagerly listening and gave a little grunt of approval. He like all three. It will be six weeks before it get any produce from them, but that's okay. I will just purchase what vegetables I want until then. Everything I plant will go in buckets, even the squash.

Someone is coming to mow the lawn in the morning...yaaay!

The Heat!

The heat is so oppressive, that I cannot keep it cool enough indoors. Consequently, my chest hurts from the effects of breathing in this atmosphere. My small window ac is failing. It is trying hard, but it is old!

It is too hot to cook more chicken, even in the crockpot. In the freezer is bbq chicken, waiting to heat tomorrow. I will make coleslaw and thaw corn I cut from the cob when I got Peaches and Cream corn last week. Exbf is coming tomorrow; we will go to free lunch; I will go to the doctor to learn results of a test. So, cooking dinner is the last thing I want to do!

Thankfully, I have a low-maintenance pet. Dominique does not require much.  She does not seem to suffer from the heat like all my other chickens. I never see her panting or letting her wings hang to cool her body.

I finished a post and with one keystroke wiped out two-thirds of it. I just have not felt up to finishing it. Losing a post just demoralizes me!

Okay, several goals today: find an inhaler, buy milk, get refund at WM, color my hair, feed Dominique. Maybe, I can do dishes. I will make tuna salad and eat with whatever greens are in the refrigerator.

What are you doing today? Are you doing it in oppressive heat?

Problems Solved

This summer, I have been stymied by where all the mosquitoes were coming into the house. Today, while holding for a call, my eyes sort of glazed over and I stared into the distance. I focused and saw it--the window was open over a half inch! And, that screen does not fit well unless I push it on tightly. I don't remember opening the window, so it must have been Spring when a breeze inside would not be humid and mosquito- and fly-filled.

That could also explain why it has seemed like the ac was not cooling or removing humidity! GAH!

The LED light on the back porch solved another problem--all the bugs drawn to light that come indoors when I open the door at night as I come or go are mostly a thing of the past. At first, I did not notice the lack of hundreds of flying insects. Then, one night, I wondered where all the bugs were. Since this light stays on all the time, I know I am saving money, too.

There are also fewer insects attracted to the lamp nearest me. Thank you, LED. With the window open and the screen so loose, more insects than normal came in.

I found LED lights for about $2 at Lowe's and bought a few.

Have you tried LED lights and noticed fewer insects are drawn to them at outdoor light fixtures?

It's so hot that....

my chickens refuse to scratch. They just follow me around squawking this mournful "bwaahck, bwaahck." From their voices, I can tell they are miserable and do not have on their happy faces. These hens are not happy girls.  It makes me feel helpless. They just refuse to scratch because of the heat. My spoiled hens want me to find the food. So, I did. I went to the market and got four free cantaloupes that were in the trash. After they have been in the yard for an hour, I will pen them up and give them a cantaloupe.

Whether they are complaining or walking silently, their beaks hang open. They walk slowly. Some of their feathers are hanging from various places on their bodies. Their tongues are moving back and forth. They never run or jump as they usually do. Since the heat index has been over 100 this afternoon, I understand.

I commented to a friend who was here today that maybe I should put in ac for them next year. A fan, at the very least, would make them more comfortable. Well, they don't have a house yet! There's not much place to put a fan.

They did give me four eggs today. Two were actually on the nest at once, both little beaks open and panting hard. That must have been really hot! They seem to have chosen one nest of two nests as the ONLY place for all four to lay. One day, there were three hens laying at once!

Since it has been so hot, I expected the egg laying would drop off a bit. As long as they get plenty of protein and water, they seem to lay well in extreme heat and extreme cold. Yesterday, they had two baked chicken leg and thigh quarters. This morning, they had another leg and thigh quarter. Of course, they gulp down fresh water and quit complaing when I refill their bowl. Tomorrow, they get a chunk of ice in the water.

The heat index was over 100 today, and it's 99 right now at 6:30. All four will crowd into one 18 gallon Rubbermaid-type box! When I was out last night at TOPS, people were talking about hens dropping dead in the heat. So, I approach them in fear and count--1--2--3--4--and breathe a sigh of relief.

For those who have chickens, are yours suffering from the heat? What are you doing to relieve their suffering them and keep them cool?

Being a chickie Mama is hard.

1950s--fans, oppressive summer heat and nostalgia

As I was looking at the June 2010 issue of Country Living, there was an article about the nostalgia of classic electric fans. The fans they showed were round table models and one round type like a box fan. These are nothing like the fans that bring back memories of my youth. We had no pink fans! And, certainly no protection from our monster black fans.

When we would drive from Jackson, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee, we drove mostly at night. My siblings would sleep. Mama told me to sleep. But, sleep rarely came to me as we slipped through the dark, sometimes the only car on the road. I was fascinated to see the sun come up. Usually, I would rather have been asleep at sunrise.

In the early 1950s we had no air conditioner in the car or at home. (Neither did any of our relatives.) So, driving during the night made the trip bearable in the summer. We would leave about 3 a.m. Besides, my parents had four children, sleeping instead of fussing about who looked at whom, wanting to eat, needing to make bathroom stops, complaining about the heat, and a million other things we could think up on a long trip.

We arrived at our uncle's house and waited until everyone awoke. My grandmother lived in a tiny house out back, built just for her. Sooner or later that morning, I would be tired because of no sleep all night. Eventually, I would be so exhausted and begging to sleep that I would be taken to my grandmother's house to sleep on her double bed.

Mama always adjusted the fan to blow on me. I remember sleeping so soundly in the intolerable heat with a fan humming away, cooling me only a bit and leaving me with a sore throat. Our house was never that hot, and we never slept with the fan directly on us at such close range. AND, we never took a nap on the bed at home! I can close my eyes and see grandma's house and hear that loud, old fan.

When I was about eight, we still took naps every day of the week we were not in school. In the summer we slept on the cool wood floors with a fan stirring the air. Beds were too squishy to be cool. Mattresses held our body heat and pressed into our damp bodies, unlike the bare wood floors. When mosquitoes invaded the house and evaded my mother and her pump Gulf Spray, the fans kept us from being bitten. Mosquitoes did not land when a breeze buffeted them about.


Fans were just a way of life back then. At one house Daddy put two screens together and freshly-mown grass in between. He soaked the grass with water and turned on the huge, square, window fan to pull air into the house. We became very cold on even the most torrid days. Of course, no one knew we were all allergic to grass!

Just look at the picture. A grown man could just plunge his arm through to the shoulder. One whack of the fan blade, and he would only need one glove. (picture is way below and I cannot move it!)

We always had fans that were black table models. The one thing I remember that they all had in common was that they were DANGEROUS. Yes, the bars across the front to shield the blades from little fingers were three and four inches apart, allowing access to the blades. One day, when I was about fourteen, I walked into a room where a fan was sitting on a table just inside the door. As I entered the door, I dropped my hand--right into the fan. All four fingers look like they had been beaten and felt even worse. About two days later, I could finally move my fingers and the knuckles were not as swollen. That is how we often had lessons reinforced long ago. Never after that did I allow my hand near a fan.

Of course, everyone had to be vigilant about children just learning to pull up and those just learning to walk. They were the most likely to investigate. Toddlers were mischievous, and older children and teens were just not careful. For all the dangers in fans, I still remember them fondly.

In the kitchen a fan and open windows did not suppress the oppressive heat of the day and cooking in an oven. But, it was the best most people had. Folks, we just sweated lots. Living in the Deep South at that time in the summer was hard. Heat was just a fact of life for about eight months of the year. Electric table fans were our only salvation.

Right now, in the Deep South I am suffering. There is no central air in this house, just an ac window unit meant to cool several rooms. Since it was installed in the window in 1977, I suppose I am lucky it blows anything resembling cool air. I use a fan to pull the cooled air from a window ac unit in another room into the kitchen. This way, I don't have to run the ac continuously to make the kitchen bearable.  At dusk the temperature was 92 degrees. The temperature is not falling below 75 during the night!

The fans over 50 years after I napped with one are hunks of plastic with some metal. They have no style and no imagination. But, they do move air.

Is it hot where you are? Do you remember the old, black fans of the 50s?