A/C Then and Now - and NOT

It was when we lived in Louisiana that I first understood how people lived without air conditioning in the South. Seriously, Louisiana is so hot that no one I knew did anything at all they didn't absolutely have to outside between May and September. The sweat would roll down my back from walking from my house to the car - under the carport!

We went to visit Oakley Plantation where John James Audubon was he taught drawing to the family's daughter (what a tutor!) and where he collected very many of his specimens. It was such a hot day, we dreaded going into the house, but in the house, it was warm, but comfortable! The docent pointed out the high ceilings, carefully oriented windows and louvered porches that gave the house ventilation and kept the heat moving out. It was amazing the engineering in that old house!

Shortly after that, Hurricane Andrew came through Louisiana and knocked out our power and water for some time. We very quickly discovered that our house was NOT designed for living in without air conditioning. In fact, it was absolutely uninhabitable without air conditioning! It gave me a real admiration for those who used their wits to combat the challenges of nature and build houses like Oakley.

Sitting here in my very hot modern Dutch Colonial, I'm wishing I was back Oakley Plantation - well, maybe not, it's a lot hotter in Louisiana than it is in North Carolina - but I am realizing that the house, like our old one, is NOT designed for this. You about can't get a breeze in here no matter what you do!

Why are we so hot today? Our air conditioner died Thursday - thankfully we have had a cool weekend! We just heard the bad news that we have to either have a new compressor ($1000) or a new unit ($4000). Our air conditioner man (a homeschool dad himself!) recommends the new unit since ours is over 20 years old, but then again, he hasn't seen the exchequer! Our new business is not paying yet and it's been a long time, a long, long time, since the last salary check :-)

However, we've come to the conclusion that air conditioning is not optional. Not in this house. Not in the South. Wish I had a house like Oakley today!