Beat the heat

Hi Everyone!

We’ve been having the hottest July ever! It’s amazing, hot and sunny every day.

I’m so glad my house has central air. At our old house, we had a couple of window air conditioners and we also used fans, but it’s not the same. It didn’t quite work and it was very noisy.  I’m so much happier now. Still, I try not to be wasteful, and I keep the temperature set at 25. That means that the basement is cool, the main level is very comfortable and upstairs it’s a bit too hot. I try to continue to use my hot weather strategies from the old house so the house stays cool and the air conditioning doesn’t run all the time.  I’m going to share them with you.

Here are some of my tips for beating the heat:

·         Close the curtains that get morning sun.

·         Open the north and west-facing windows in the morning while it’s still cool.

·         Keep lights off as much as possible.

·         Turn off the computers that aren’t in use, at least the monitors.

·         Cook potatoes, pasta or rice in the morning for salads at supper. Use the fan.

·         After cooking, rinse food with cold water, and put in the fridge immediately. Put the pot with cold water on the stove to cool off the element.

·         Don’t use the stove or oven in the afternoon or evening.

·         Use the BBQ to keep cooking heat outside. Mine has a burner too.

·         Sleep on the lower levels, or use a fan to blow cool air up from downstairs.

·         Wear your hair up off your face and neck.

·         Take a quick, cool shower before bed.

·         Wear a skimpy nightie. Your husband will love it. But, don’t flash the kids.

·         Only use a sheet to cover yourself at night, if that.

·         Avoid going out during the day. Sounds obvious, but we’re used to jumping in the car whenever we think of something we need or want. Wait. Stay home. Later or tomorrow will be better.

·         Take the kids out in the morning or later in the evening. Or go for a walk, or whatever you do outside then- don’t go out in the heat, and keep the house closed.

·         Keep calm, think positively, and move elegantly.

·         Remember that it will pass soon. Before you know it, you’ll be complaining that it’s too cold.

Keep cool, but whenever it’s not way too hot, go out and enjoy the hot sun, safely with sunscreen and lots of water to drink.

Sweat, and swim at a pool or at the beach, have a cool drink with some friends with some fun summery music and think about how much it costs to go away in the winter to someplace that’s hot and sunny like home in July!

Yours in harmony,

Renate