The Headmistress at the Common Room offers some tips on keeping cool without air-conditioning.
She has some good ideas, but after my trip to Matamoros, Mexico a couple of weeks ago, I can safely say that most of her ideas just wouldn’t be enough for this wimp in that kind of heat. We were promised electricity and air-conditioning, but when we arrived, they said the electricity would be working mañana, and we all know what that word means in Mexico. So for the first few nights we didn’t sleep without air-conditioning. That’s right, we tried to sleep in box-like dorm rooms that trapped the heat and had little or no ventilation because the windows were blocked by—air conditioning units! There was a generator that produced enough electricity to run a few ceiling fans, but all the fans had to move around was hot air. The only thing that we found that would help was to sleep outside. First the guys moved their cots and beds outside; then the girls bought tents and moved outside, too. It still wasn’t cool, but we could sleep although the mosquitoes and gnats almost drove us crazy. (I’m still planning to post on what I learned in Mexico, other than the fact that I’m a spoiled American brat who has to have a cool house to sleep properly.)
I was reminded of a story my father-in-law told of growing up in West Texas. He said the whole family moved outside to sleep in the summertime under a big shade tree. Then, if it rained, they all scrambled to carry beds and mattresses back inside where it was hot, but dry. Luckily for them, it doesn’t rain much in West Texas.
I’m going to make this post my Works For Me Wednesday entry; at least you know one thing that works, and Headmistress can share a lot more useful tips.
More beat-the-heat ideas from Kathryn at Suitable for Mixed Company.
Go to Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer for more Works for ME Wednesday tips.
Good idea! Happy Wednesday, ours is up as well!
I did the melting thing when we went to Puerto Rico last September. No central air. Only a few bedroom air units – like the ones in a hotel room.Even H, the native Puerto Rican, was suffering. He’s grown accustomed to our central air. It was the only time in my life I actually enjoyed cold showers.
Reminds me of hearing my grandmother talk about sleeping with all of her siblings in the porch all summer! “Luckily” for me, we’re having a really wet cool summer, so escaping from the heat hasn’t been a problem. Mine is up.
There was many times I wanted to sleep outside when I was expecting my little guy, I should have done it!
I grew up twelve miles from the Mexican border and we often slept outside in the summer. A couple of times we slept on the roof so we could catch more breezes.
It takes time to acclimate, like a couple of months at least, not a couple of weeks. I bet if you had to live in Mexico year around you’d get more used to is.
For sleeping- cold shower, don’t dry off, lie down in front of a fan. In a dry climate, like most of Mexico, use a single cotton sheet, well dampened, and sleep in front of a fan.
This sounds like a complaining sort of post and addendum, but I forgot to mention that the showers didn’t work too well. We had to wait for the water truck to come fill up the tanks on top of the buidlings and by evening we were usually out of water. SO no shower before bedtime.
Actually, we had a great week, and the teenagers who went on the mission trip were wonderful! No complaining at all! It was the adults who were a little grouchy from lack of sleep by Wednesday or so.
I understand. I went to Mexico on a mission trip a few years back and slept in a room, with the ceiling and windows not covered. (The skylights were there with no “window” on them) Enjoyed your blog. I emailed you with a question about PBP.