Closing Down for HEAT in New England: It's Always Something
By Kim Rossi
I live in Connecticut. The rectangular New England state that borders New York to the West, Massachusetts to the North and Rhode Island to the East. We are a coastal state, with a lovely view to Lawn G-EYEland across the sound about 17 miles. Some people swim it in a charity event. I do not swim it for charity or any other reason. I once took a ferry across to speak at an autism conference. No swimming involved.
So, New England. We are supposed to be hearty stock. No frills, LL Bean loving, frosty personality hearty stock. The temps have hit high 80s and low 90s this week. We've had a summer to rival any Southern state in the USA. "Triple H!" as Dick Albert, long time Boston weatherman used to say - HAZY, HOT, HUMID. I can not recall a summer this miserable. My hair looks like Phyllis Diller got into cat fight with Roseanne Rosanadanna and they BOTH LOST.
Most of our schools in my town do not have central air conditioning. My house does not have central air. People drive around with their windows down and long for the days when they could save $700 on a car by not getting AC as an upgrade. Swear to God. New England.
We have had 5 days of school so far, and three have been early release for HEAT. That's right. It's too HOT to go to school. Did you know that because of school shootings, many of our schools do not allow the windows to be opened? We're like cheap hotels here. Locked. Steamy. Smelly. I understand the problem. My daughter who is still in school does not. The half days are mighty appealing to her right now. She has "brunch" at about 10:00am and is home in time for lunch at 12:15pm.
I work from my home. By design. I could never work in an office. My girls' schedules are so chock full of meetings, updates, early release, late starts yadda yadda yadda that no office would have me. Even day programs have meetings galore. Some people do not understand this. Last winter we had nine snow days plus more late starts (2.5 hours!) than I can remember. Try telling a boss that you're coming in at 11:00am eleventy times a winter and see how long you have a job.
I hope the weather breaks soon. Before we all do. Here. In New England.
Kim Rossi is Managing Editor for Age of Autism.
The beautiful state of Connecticut is one of this country's wealthiest. Yet, no air conditioning in public schools with locked closed windows. Where are the priorities?
Posted by: Linda1 | September 08, 2018 at 10:29 AM
Kim, It's a combination of "unintended consequences" - and - "a slippery slope".
The great majority of AoA participants went to schools with opening windows, and no air conditioning -- so late Spring/early Summer hot temperatures were no big deal; referring to the "slipperly slope" of air-conditioning being depended upon.
AND, I have to say, as to "unintended consequences" there were no vaccines whatever requirements for children required to have a few vaccines, and/or parents making exemptions for their children. And, 99.9% of we UNVACCINATED children sailed right through all our child years with virtually perfect attendance in our Elementary Schools.
Today: The "unintended consequences" for our Child Immunization Schedule has brought perpetual injury to at least 50% of our children -- though they may still attend for "special classes children" in Air-Conditioned Class Rooms. Unless the A/C fails.
Posted by: david m burd | September 06, 2018 at 07:07 PM
And now the Farmer's Almanac is predicting bone-chilling cold this coming winter. Oh boy.
Posted by: Gary Ogden | September 06, 2018 at 05:42 PM
Bill, I'm sorry to hear you've had a cold. We've had the same unbearably hot weather even in Scotland! (I choose to live here partly because I like the climate.) In spite of it however, I have continued with one cold after another. It's probably an autoimmune condition.
Posted by: Grace Green | September 06, 2018 at 03:40 PM
We're in Missouri and we've always had long, hot, humid, miserable summers. Dry, hot, and miserable in August and September. When I started college, the dorms were not air-conditioned, but my father gave me an old electric fan his family had had in Louisiana (the kind that could cut your fingers off if you put them in), and I put it at the foot of my bed, and when I went back to my dorm room after class, would change to a light, thin, embroidered Indian cotton tunic, turn the fan on, and study. I've always wondered how my mother from Taylor, Texas, and my father, from Reserve and then New Orleans, Louisiana, were able to even live at all in the days before air-conditioning.
I think you'd better see how hard it would be to install air-conditioning with the new normal of global warming.
Posted by: cia parker | September 06, 2018 at 02:35 PM
Hope you're able to get some relief soon! We live in an area where some cooling is considered essential. On the lines of "if it's not one thing, it's another..." the level of noise in the summer (especially after the advent of "smart" meters burdening the body continually ... my personal observation anyway) the cooler going seems to often, all too often, precipitate meltdowns.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | September 06, 2018 at 02:24 PM
Try to remember the late, late spring.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 06, 2018 at 02:16 PM
It pours here all the time the triple A
Always wet
Always Cloudy
Always raining
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | September 06, 2018 at 01:43 PM
Kim, I live in New York and the heat has been unbearable. I too can never remember a summer this miserable. My son's day program is operating a regular schedule every day in spite of the high heat and humidity. My son comes home in a sweat and can't wait to cool off in the house. We are getting thunderstorms in the region this afternoon and it's supposed to finally cool things off! One More Day!
Posted by: Gayle | September 06, 2018 at 12:51 PM
Thank-you, Kim! I'm "up north", in southern New Hampshire, and we've got the same!
I've been spending a LOT of time at my friends' place recently. They have a window air conditioner!
Ahhhh! But I think it's given me this cold/sinus infection thingy.....
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
Posted by: Bill | September 06, 2018 at 08:45 AM