Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Whenever there is a heat wave I think of this Mary Poppins song.  When I was 5 years old, Mary Poppins was in the theaters.  That summer there was a heat wave and my mother took me to the theater to see Mary Poppins.  We went because there was air conditioning in the theater.  I fell asleep in the theater.

New York City is unbearable when there is a heat wave.  Fire hydrants spouting water, water fountains in parks and sprinklers in the backyard can only do so much for children.  We did not air conditioners in 1964; we had fans.  There were all types of fans, window fans, box fans, paper fans and the most ostentatious the oscillating fan.  We had an oscillating fan and my mother would put a bowl of ice in front of the fan to send out cooler air. 

This still makes me laugh. I can't remember if it works.

I remember these cooling techniques when I hear that new homes have central air and about older homes that have been retrofitted.  In the north when we have heat waves the humid, hot and heavy air can be uncomfortable and seemingly last an eternity.  Older homes use window air conditioners.  My husband and I have 2 window air conditioners; one is upstairs in the computer room and one is in our ground floor bedroom.  Of the three of us, the dog takes advantage of our ground floor air conditioner.  We still use fans in the main portion of the house.  My biggest sacrifice and also cooling trick during the heat wave is not cooking. 

The thing to remember when it is so hot is we are making memories even if we don’t realize it. 

I have beautiful pink flamingoes brightening up the dry and brown grass in my garden; they were a gift from my grandson. 

Summer fun includes a trip to the beach with boogie boards and wave side chairs. 

The heat gave me a chance to try a new product a cool towel.  I purchased one for each of my daughters from Champion while I purchased mine for half the price from Rite Aid.  I wrap it around my neck and place it against my pressure points for an instant cool down.    

And the last cool down trick is the new deluge water shower head.  I love taking cool rain showers.  I gave my grandson heat wave memories, maybe. 

However you stay cool I hope you enjoy the summer experience.  It is just a few short months before the winter coats come out of the closet.  What memories are you making this summer?