tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post6073150011495460759..comments2021-11-08T22:01:19.761-08:00Comments on Cold-Water Swimmers: A Blog about Nature, Food, and Food from Nature: Early SummertimeCatherine Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-31811308392580311012013-08-05T12:52:26.844-07:002013-08-05T12:52:26.844-07:00Btw, "anonymous" didn't say that by ...Btw, "anonymous" didn't say that by "helltown" she meant Seattle. Do I share this feeling? I don't, heh, although I'm still glad I have more sun now. Peace to Seattle -- I had some very good times there, and made good friends, too : ). Catherine Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-90964800428565464482013-06-21T07:30:55.882-07:002013-06-21T07:30:55.882-07:00Hi, Anonymous--Thanks for commenting! Where is &qu...Hi, Anonymous--Thanks for commenting! Where is "helltown" in your analogy? It seems to be where you live...My feeling in the Northwest was that, as in most places (outside of really green new buildings), the old buildings were much better for hot weather. Many of the new condos were concrete cubes facing in one direction, with large glass expanses. Those are okay if the weather is mild, which it usually is -- but if it's hot they catch the sunlight and hold it inside. The houses and old apartments have indoor expanses for holding shade, and windows for cross breezes. Yada, yada. <br /><br />As for moving constantly between hot and too-cold in the South and Southwest, I agree that it's an unnatural situation. I'm lucky that my current office doesn't keep ice-box-like temperatures. Walking to the bus stop and having short walks at lunch seems to acclimate me better to the weather--though there are many people here, I think, who barely touch the outside air once it gets hot. They go from house into garage, into car, to office parking garage, and up elevator to office. Then in reverse, or driving to restaurants at lunch, etc. Even though I sometimes arrive at the office a bit flustered from heat, I recover quickly if I slow down. To me, it makes me feel a bit more a part of things. : )Catherine Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-42164885243266826972013-06-21T00:13:16.398-07:002013-06-21T00:13:16.398-07:00Ahhh, to AC or *not* to AC -- or rather, to DC. I&...Ahhh, to AC or *not* to AC -- or rather, to DC. I've noticed that any 'heat' that does arrive in helltown is exacerbated by the fact that very few buildings have air conditioning. The indoors gets quite stuffy quickly. By contrast, in Houston, moving between 100 degree streets and 70 degree offices caused the onset of pneumonia-like symptoms. But such recurrent temperature shock is very CWS, neh?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-68669305655791471052013-06-18T15:15:03.365-07:002013-06-18T15:15:03.365-07:00Thanks for commenting, Cam. Nice understated summa...Thanks for commenting, Cam. Nice understated summary of Seattle weather, especially the bit about the unpredictable two-week window of summer, heh. It’s interesting – your description of perma-wet ground had *me* feeling thankful for what I have here ;). Funny after all this time that I’d appreciate weather here, considering that I’ve always liked best crisp Northeast autumn, and masses of snow and ice. I still think those things are grand, but I also like the counter-weight of walking outside on my lunch hour into sunlight, or multi-faceted thunderstorms (yes, I sometimes walk outside even then), to walk in the deep shade of live oaks and feel the warmth on my arms. And, as I said, evenings can be really nice. I walk around and marvel at the tropical flowers and vines everywhere, and the profusion of bird calls. It’s like I just discovered that the tropics and semi-tropics have something to say, too. So that’s interesting to me. But yep, I definitely agree about open windows. They’re the best. Here, I’ll just have to make sure to use a screen, though. Lizards get in, otherwise! Catherine Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-87752735742231860142013-06-18T14:41:16.723-07:002013-06-18T14:41:16.723-07:00Summer to me (being in Seattle) represents that ra...Summer to me (being in Seattle) represents that rare, exciting, and relatively unknown two week period between June and September (it varies) when we can open things up, both organically and inanimately, and breathe in the air of excitement, anxiousness, and that little bit of hope which we carry with us during the long grey "other" season that lasts about 300-345 days. There's reason for optimism at the beginning, when things are new and not too hot (for those unfortunate humidifiers living in the scorching, wet regions)though, I suppose like anything, too much of one thing tends to get old and stagnant after the newness wears off. Change is good, though people in San Diego seem to be pretty happy, so I don't know. It's funny how in Seattle, 3 days of 85 degrees is too much, and people complain about how nice it was when it was merely 70 and so much nicer; don't worry, it'll be back to 55 and a perma-wet ground soon enough. Having A/C in home seems so foreign to me, I'm just happy when I can leave the windows open at night and sleep breathing the open air coming in from outside. Nice read, it reminds me to be thankful of what I do have and what I don't have to suffer through, though I'm reminded that I need a vacation soon-- well, maybe after the niceness wears off up here; should be pretty soon. Camhttp://campoague.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-24046701318805492332013-06-18T07:17:27.731-07:002013-06-18T07:17:27.731-07:00Hello, R -- Nice reading your comment, and yeah, I...Hello, R -- Nice reading your comment, and yeah, I know what you mean about air conditioning -- the residual feeling of comfort. I recall the sound of an operating window unit from childhood, and being under cool sheets with my grandmother as rain pattered on the metal unit. Hee, I like your "process," there. Thanks for sharing!Catherine Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-70889144226273294442013-06-17T20:54:23.168-07:002013-06-17T20:54:23.168-07:00Well, I will admit to liking air conditioning, in ...Well, I will admit to liking air conditioning, in moderation. I do NOT miss the blistering-hot summers I grew up with in Brooklyn, but they left me with a feeling that there's something comforting about air conditioning. It makes me remember how we would get permission from my mother to start the process: going into the kitchen and living room to turn on the clunky, noisy wall air conditioners, closing the doors to the back hall and the bathroom, going upstairs to close the bedroom and bathroom doors, so we didn't waste energy. And then the feeling of being cocooned in coolness.Roberta Klarreichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03914742190204876185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-84820321275854039582013-06-17T16:34:48.903-07:002013-06-17T16:34:48.903-07:00Good to hear from you, Evan -- and thanks for taki...Good to hear from you, Evan -- and thanks for taking the time from starting sustainability/nonprofit consulting companies (such as Brushett, llc) in Vermont to post a comment. This is why I hope people are rushing for the business -- for the insights. Cheers! (Oh, and happy birthday -- somewhat belatedly!)Catherine Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-60813943148956400102013-06-17T16:20:51.571-07:002013-06-17T16:20:51.571-07:00I always thought "how about this weather, eh?...I always thought "how about this weather, eh?" to be a pretty bland and un-creative way of starting a conversation but after reading this, I've realized that it may be one of the best ways to unveil someone's prevailing outlook on life, subtle aspects of their personality, and even strands of their spirtuality. From micro to macro, the question of whether to cope with or attempt to control the climate is always there. Thanks Catherine! Evan Forwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11667390716647416996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-372222467619237442013-06-17T11:09:52.598-07:002013-06-17T11:09:52.598-07:00Thanks, Diana! Great to read your comment -- and I...Thanks, Diana! Great to read your comment -- and I look forward to seeing your blog. Yes, that is how I feel about heat -- it's good to get comfortable with a little discomfort. Just a bit, ya know? A pal here recalled visiting Chicago during a heat wave and being in stores where "there was just one fan blowing." Sounds familiar, eh? Heehee. I mentioned that to my cousin in Fort Worth, and she smiled in recognition. Her husband says, "Fifty-one years!" He means 51 years of marriage, mostly without a/c. He's just teasing, too. I'd say the Europeans have that right, yes. Catherine Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-74056418637841732692013-06-17T11:01:45.420-07:002013-06-17T11:01:45.420-07:00I loved reading this. I, too, believe in opening t...I loved reading this. I, too, believe in opening the windows and, when necessary, hauling out the fan (mine's a Vornado, too). I've often complained about how restaurants, stores, and offices turn on the AC like clockwork, whether it's necessary or not. It's good, I think, to get comfortable with a little discomfort. Our bodies can do amazing things to regulate their temperature. When we lived in Europe, our American friends who visited us complained that the Europeans don't (over)use AC the way Americans do. The Europeans have that right, I'd say. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-24211879143878313532013-06-17T10:55:58.024-07:002013-06-17T10:55:58.024-07:00Hi Gwenn -- Yep, having spent all that time (seven...Hi Gwenn -- Yep, having spent all that time (seven years!) in the Northwest, heat definitely starts at 75F for me, too ;). But yeah, I also find that I take heat better if I live *in* it a bit, rather than dart in, then back to chilly spaces. For really hot places, I'm not knocking a/c completely. But I just like getting to know the season a bit, and dressing for it, I think. Catherine Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639990941083756081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-63271547144256309622013-06-17T10:41:25.385-07:002013-06-17T10:41:25.385-07:00I tend to wilt in the heat--and, for me, "hea...I tend to wilt in the heat--and, for me, "heat" starts at 75 degrees! That said, I'm mostly glad to go without air conditioning in my home, which is also where I work. The quick switch between really hot and really cold seems like a lot to ask of my body. I much prefer hugging the shade and getting friendly with a high velocity fan, as you say!Gwennhttp://www.gwennseemel.com/index.php/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8583563771536934327.post-41777612490433236682013-06-17T08:30:01.849-07:002013-06-17T08:30:01.849-07:00Wonderful pictures!!!Wonderful pictures!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com