If you can’t stand the heat

It’s hot. I’m hot. We’re all hot. Just because I complain when it’s too cold out, doesn’t mean I like it when it’s insanely hot. I have some friends who absolutely hate summer. They deplore it from start to finish. I love summer, but this heatwave is nuts. Once we cross into the triple digits with the “feels like” temperature soaring even higher, I’m not a fan. I am a fan of fans, and an even bigger fan of air conditioning. Growing up in the boonies of northern New York State, I don’t remember any homes that had central air. Ours certainly didn’t. For the most part, it wasn’t necessary. Summers could get hot, but they were bearable. Once in a while, we’d experience excruciating humidity, and we’d go swimming or spend time at the movies. At night, my entire family would sleep downstairs in the living room with fans swirling the warm air around us. Each of us gasped in relief when the oscillating fan rotated toward us for that brief moment before moving on. Other families were doing the same thing at their houses. A friend of mine bought a used window AC unit at a garage sale and everyone in her family made fun of her for wasting her money. But on those sticky nights, they begged her to let them into her room where she was the sole enjoyer of climate-controlled air. She wouldn’t let them in until they had sufficiently apologized. Mother Nature can be cruel and so could my friend. As we wait out the unbearable heat, find a way to stay cool and savor whatever breezes come your way.

Stay safe and healthy,

Tracy Jacobs

What classes will you be taking this fall? Take a look at the Fall 2025 At-A-Glance (PDF). Classes start September 8 and run through November 7.

• Mondays and Fridays—online classes
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays—in-person classes at Edenwald
• The complete fall catalog will be online August 1
• Fall Preview of Classes will be presented online on Monday, August 4
• Registration Opens Tuesday, August 5