Air Conditioning

The battle for the air conditioning continues …

Let me back up: I like cold weather. The Lovely Louise likes hot weather. Therein lies the ongoing conflict.

Growing up, I never had a real winter jacket. Didn't need one. If it was really cold, I would just put on a sweatshirt under my fall jacket and I was good to go. For years I didn't own a pair of gloves; my hands just didn't get cold. If I ever did get cold, it was easy to warm up. Build a fire in the fireplace, cover up with a blanket, put on a sweater, or have another glass of bourbon.

It's not like that in the summer. When it's hot, there are very limited ways to cool off. You can go swimming or you can go into an air-conditioned area. I think that's about it. My point is, if you're like me and have real difficulty with heat and humidity, you need to be the one to control the a/c.

I like to set the a/c to about 70 degrees. That not only cools it enough but it takes care of the humidity as well. When I'm not looking, the Lovely Louise sometimes resets the thermostat to 72—or even, god forbid, 74! I can tell because I start to sweat.

At the house in Florida, we agreed to keep the temperature at 72. A little warmer than I like it, but a little colder than she likes it. We were able to reach this compromise without weeks of negotiations over the size and shape of the negotiating table or what the ground rules would be. I simply insisted on 70, she countered with 74 and voilà, 72 it was.

If it was up to me, I would just set it and leave it. The a/c knows when it needs to work and when things are OK. Despite this, I still find the temperature setting changes sometimes. So as not to make a big deal of it, even though it is a big freaking deal, I just set it back and sneak away before she finds me. Sometimes you have to know which battles are worth fighting.

At the house on Cape Cod, we didn't have a/c when we moved in. She doesn't like it and that's just the way it was. After watching me sweat for two summers, she gave in and let me get an a/c for our bedroom. Then she felt bad for the boys (I didn't. I thought let them sweat, it builds character) so we got a/c units for each of their rooms. Two years ago, we had solar panels installed at the house and our electric bill dropped dramatically which took away her excuse for not having a/c throughout the house. Now, I live in air conditioned splendor wherever I am and Life Is Good!