I am doing a timed-writing with my student Riley. We are sitting in the tv room with four windows wide open and two fans running: the ceiling fan and a box fan. The temperature outside is due to get up to 88 today, I think, which is not too bad given that LA has been experiencing another heatwave recently. This room stays pretty cool if the windows are open until early afternoon when the sun starts reflecting from the 14-story building across the street. At that point, we close the blackout curtains in front and keep the side windows and curtains open. That usually works. Our house was built in the 1930s and has thick stucco walls. That helps keep it pretty insulated unless we are in the high 90s or low 100s. Then nothing except the three air conditioners in the bedrooms can cool those rooms down.
Riley is thinking a lot and not doing as much writing as I want him to do. I just reminded him to keep writing and think while he is applying that pencil to his paper.
I like summer. I love the whir of the fans and the windows being open. There is usually less traffic in the summer on our busy street because school is out and many people in this area of the city go on extended vacations. There is a relaxed feeling in the air; just like I remember when I was growing up in my little town in Texas. These days feel like “kid days” to me when the hours elongate and there is a general slowness to everything. I also love the dark coolness of our bedroom, one of the few rooms we air condition this time of year. The hum of the air conditioner and the cold air pouring forth also remind me of growing up. Cool and quiet. I love it.
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