Every human has their own set of 
imperfections,
some benign and some monumental. And our animal friends are not allowed
to stand over to the side and cast stones either. Some of them are nuts
too.
A case in point is a female cardinal I know. We're discussing the
animal kingdom here, so please don't conjure up an image of Cardinal
Richelieu wearing a dress. Actually, this outfit looks quite a bit like a dress, doesn't it? Hmmm?
No, I'm talking about the cardinal bird.
Lovely plumage... oh, wait, that's the male. Unfortunately, the female
is a bit drab and perhaps that may be the root cause of this whole
tragic affair.
For weeks now, this dumbbell descendant of dinosaurs has been trying to get into the house.
She pecks at the windows. She storms the windows. She flutters and
hovers at the windows pretending to be a hummingbird. All day, every
day.
My wife's theory is simple and straightforward. The bird has a wire
loose. I have a different theory. It is my theory, which is mine. If you
didn't get that Monty Python reference, you really need to get out
more.
My theory is (!) that since we've been providing food and water for
these creatures right at this location for more than twenty years, the
birds now want the house and this little twit is testing our defenses.
It's been hot 
this summer
and the birds know air conditioning when they hear it. It's been hot
all over the US and people are saying there's never been anything like
it.
Historians, naturally, are dubious of such sweeping statements. Even
my own poor knowledge of history makes me aware of the New York
heatwave of 1896 which killed 1,500 people. That's right, 1,500
documented deaths which means there were likely a boatload more.
People couldn't even escape to air conditioning in such rugged days.
Mr. Carrier would not be completing his invention for another six years
or so. But invented or not, a lot of us po' folk still wouldn't have
air conditioning seventy years later. It was just too expensive.
None of the schools I went to for all twelve grades had air conditioning as I was growing up. Keep in mind that I attended school in Miami, Florida
where the humidity was sky high and temperatures were sometimes...
unfortunate. The combination of the heat and humidity often made me sad.
We had windows we could open, but that's not always the same thing.
We
had no air conditioning at home until I was in my mid-twenties. We
bought this house for a staggering $12,500 and I installed a used air
conditioner. Whoo-hoo!
It wasn't so much for the cooling, but I had to keep the windows
closed because I was working the midnight shift at Eastern Airlines and I
had to sleep during the day. You can get used to anything, if you have
to.
Notice in this photo that the sidewalk and street are wet but the sky is already clear. Is that Miami weather or what!
Notice also the 1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88 in the driveway. That was
my first air conditioned car. Until then, it was 'rollin' down the
windows'. They called it 4-60 A/C. Four windows down at sixty miles an hour. Hah!!
The used window A/C unit I
got was a big one, big enough to cool the whole house. But I hated the
way window units looked and they were noisy and drippy. So I installed
it on an inside wall exhausting into the utility room. I cut a hole to
drain the water and voilà, the system worked for me for years.
Here's a photo of Deb striking a pose and you can see the air
conditioner stuck right in the concrete block wall in what we laughingly
referred to as the 'dining room'.
Alright now, take a moment... stop and think what it would be like
with no air conditioning and remember that it's only been a few years
that we have had this luxury. Gave you a little chill, didn't it?
1 comment:
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Leah Kleylein said...
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I have a lot of good memories of summers spent and Grandma and Grandpa's where there wasn't any air conditioning. As long as there was a fan I was fine with it! I'm not quite so easygoing nowadays...
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