Cool, but spoiled!!!

This last week we were without air conditioning in our home for about three days. We have been blessed with temperatures that were a few degrees cooler than last week, but even at that, the average temp for those days was 90 degrees. Blessedly, we were loaned a window air conditioner that, after several hours, was able to cool our great room and helped to lower the temp in the master bedroom a few degrees.

During those days, in order to keep cool, I didn’t get much done and since we didn’t want to possibly overheat the computer I haven’t blogged for several days. I’ve missed you guys, really missed you and it will take me forever to get caught up on my reading.

As I was sitting in my chair and crafting to pass the time, my mind went back to days gone by. We have really become very spoiled.

My thoughts went to the days when we only had fans to keep the air moving all summer long...And, at Granny’s house, and many time at Mama’s and Daddy’s friends’ homes, there weren’t even fans. Of course, these years were spent mostly in Ohio and I was much younger so things like that didn’t affect me in the same way they do now. Isn’t menopause just wonderful? However, a portion of these non-central air days, in our homes as well as our cars, were spent in Memphis, TN, West Helena, AK, and Winston-Salem, NC.

When I was in junior high school, we lived in Elyria, OH, in a three-story home...that is three stories and a basement. My bedroom was on the third floor along with Daddy’s study. (My father was a preacher from the time I was four up until he retired about 12 years ago.) There was a huge fan in a third-floor window that, when on high, would pull air all the way through the entire house. You could actually see the curtains blowing. At night, the house was so cool and smelled so fresh, particularly after a rain. That house was probably one of the favorite places I ever lived.

When we lived in West Helena, we had a fairly large room air conditioner that was mounted in the wall in the living room. With a fan in the hallway back to the bedrooms, we could actually cool the whole house without making the electric bill any higher than it was in the winter for heating.

One of my strongest memories of Memphis was having to hang my clothes, all of them, on the line to dry after I got home from work. They would be so drenched with "purty ole’ sweat" that if I had put them in the hamper without drying them first they would have mildewed. The days of our youth were harder than they seemed at the time. It's probably a good thing that we didn't know it was hard. We weren't that smart yet. Guys, 18 is much too young to get married. Trust me.

We traveled many miles when I was a youngin' without anything but 4/50 air conditioning. Singing hymns at the top of our lungs we would all stick our hands out the windows waving at everybody that went by. Most of the people we waved at would wave back. Isn’t it a shame that we have to tell our children not to wave at drivers today because they might shoot at us?

While all of these memories were flooding through my brain I began to compose this poem. Hope it will bring back pleasant memories for you.

God Bless,
Mimmy


H-O-T

Hot, man is it hot.
Wet, man am I wet.
Dry, man my mouth’s dry.
Upset, yes, I’m upset.

Why all these things
do you ask do you ponder?
Well let me say
all our AC has wandered.

While not doing much
to help me stay cool.
My thoughts drive back
to days while in school.

We didn’t have air
in our home or our cars.
Nor any TV
to steal our kids charms.

We opened our cans
with a handy can opener.
Washed all the dishes
in a sink filled with "soaper".

If you were lucky
you might have a vacuum.
At our house Mom cleaned
with dust mop and "broomum".

Kids did their research
from library books.
Blogging not yet
a spark in Gates’ dad’s looks.

If you were blessed
with an automobile
You cranked down the window
some cool air to feel.

The radio that could
be in what you drove
Might have three stations,
not much need to rove.

If Daddy had short legs
and Mom’s were quite long
She’d sit with hers pulled up
while calming our throng.

‘Cause no one had heard
of split bench seats
Or captains’ chairs
that can warm your "seat".

Kids played with boxes
not computer games.
We all knew all
of the neighborhood names.

Am I going to close
with a wish to go back?
No way Jose’
I’m a well spoiled brat.

Mimmy aka Joyce Smith
July 18, 2009