What We Did Over the Summer Part 1

(And no, it wasn't taking a long and leisurely vacation to some fabulous seaside resort!)

Here's a picture of a hole in the side of our house. Unlike many that I have shared with you, this hole was intentional. Allow me to share the details...
Last year, we were so preoccupied with the devastatingly harsh and prolonged winter weather that we never considered that we'd have a summer, complete with hot, steamy nights. Besides, we were contemplating the construction of our chimney which would facilitate heating the house. So, ideas about how to handle the heat just seemed to consist of us moaning just how really truly HOT the bedroom became in June and July and August. We kept reiterating as to how we really should do something. Like install an air conditioner.
But that's not so simple as we have exceptionally narrow windows. Very narrow and they're all the same size, so standard air conditioning units were out of the question. (We even have a million year old air conditioner that we could have used, had the windows cooperated). We did investigate free-standing units, but they were pricey and we'd heard not very efficient. Bob and I actually spent several especially uncomfortable nights dragging blankets and sheets and sleeping bags downstairs to my studio, as it was the coolest room in the house with the door opening directly onto the garden. But who wants to buy a house and then have to sleep on the floor?
But that was last year. This year, we suffered through a few stuffy, brain-damage-inducing nights before resolving to DO SOMETHING. That something entailed calling our good friend Joe (aka Richmond) and asking whether he'd lend a hand in the air conditioner installation event. He saved our lives.

So on the fourth of July, no less, on one of the hottest days, Bob and Joe knocked a hole in the wall of our bedroom and installed an air conditioning unit that Joe had rescued from a house clean out he had worked on. Joe's always such a good sport and he's generous with time and energy. (You will remember that he and Bob built 90% of the chimney. I helped with the low end/underground part!)

It works like a charm. We have been able to perform simple tasks (like think!) when the temperatures soar and even Jules the Dog waits outside the bedroom door on hot days. Systems that heat and cool are so essential to a life worth living!