Limited time only: free air conditioning!

July has had its share of scorching, record-breaking heat waves, and I'm sure August will, too. As a committed hippie environmentalist, you can imagine that I'm a bit conflicted, therefore, about the fact that we now live in a condo with central (heat-pump) air-conditioning: it's the first time I've had central air-conditioning in the three-plus decades I've lived in this city.  We barely had window units in our previous places; we used those only at night in the room where my husband slept.  But now I live in a place where the temperature never rises above the number on our thermostat.  How bougie of us!

I mean, yes, it's VERY nice not to swelter; but at the same time, every time that compressor/condenser pair kicks in, I also think to myself about how I'm melting the ice caps and raising sea levels and disrupting ecosystems and causing droughts that lead to huge forest fires and so on.  (I realize that this reaction is not entirely rational; I do.  Just saying, as much as my body appreciates central air, my brain is less enthusiastic.)

And so, I'm extra appreciative that even in July, there have been limited-time-only opportunities for free air conditioning.  By "free" I mean, not just free to me, but free to the planet as well.  I don't need to click a link or create an online account; I don't need to subscribe or to clip coupons. I just need to open my windows.

I mean, obviously, this doesn't work all the time: that's why I said "limited-time only".  And I know for some people, even when the temperature is fabulous, outside air brings allergens that (knock on wood) don't bother me at all.  Still, it's a surreal experience when I open my windows to temperatures in the high 60's and hear the sound of so many of my neighbors' air conditioners humming busily.  They're paying for air conditioning (and our planet is paying for air conditioning), while there's free air conditioning just on the other side of the wall!  

The thermometer in my window says outside temps are sub-70's;
not sure why my neighbors are running their air conditioners
while leaving windows closed tight.

So, I'll just say that on those nights when the temperatures dip down into the low 70s (or even below), it's been glorious to open up our place.  The added luxury of turning on our ceiling fans -- which I use when the central air-condition is on, too -- makes the experience even more glorious.   It's such a great deal, that I'd be delighted to let others in on the secret so they can take advantage of it, too.