You may have to live in a warm region (heh – he said “warm”) like Phoenix, Yuma, or, recently, SoCal, in order to appreciate this next statement –

Ah! Fall! Time to open the doors, let the cool breezes flow through, and take a shower that is not automatically HOT!

The last two mornings, the thermometer was broken – no, really, it was – because it said it was cooler outside than inside. After a record breaking summer of temps over 110 (I think the old record was 28 days, this year we had – I believe – 32) it is glorious to be able to walk outside in the morning and not burn the soles of your feet.

My shower this morning was actually cold. Usually, just turning on the cold tap produces water hot enough for most people’s showers in the winter. I needed to turn it past the normal point to mix in some water from the water heater to get it up to shower temp – not much, in my case, since I really do prefer a shower slightly cooler than most people I have discussed this with – which means the ground is cooling off. That means the pipes, which weren’t buried deep enough to keep the water from being heated before delivery, are no longer being baked. Which tells me, in the end, that Fall has officially arrived.

This brings us, unfortunately, to a very awkward time of year, because now that the temps have dropped at night, we don’t need to use the AC all night. Some of you may be saying, “What’s the big deal?” I’ll tell you the big deal – the electric bill. Even keeping the house at a relatively warm 78 (most businesses in Phoenix keep their buildings around 72 – 74, so most people keep their houses the same) our bill would top $450 a month if we didn’t have a program that allows us to pay the same amount each month. This allows us to run a deficit in the summer, and build up a slight reserve in the winter, so we don’t have to take out a second mortgage to keep our cool.

Cooler weather = starting to erase the deficit and build the reserve. We have electric heat also, but I have only used that once, when we first moved in and we didn’t have all the animals creating so much ambient heat. The last five winters we haven’t turned it on at all.

(Hmm – I can see the Global Warming lemmings lining up here – let me dispel you all by saying that Phoenix is in the desert, and in the southwest, in case you are also geographically challenged. Even in the ‘cold’ years, it’s hot here. Now, go play with your Al Gore trading cards.)

Hope you all have a wonderful week – enjoy the cooler weather!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008