Shortly after I wrote my post about spending a summer in Arizona, I saw a great prompt on First 50 Words: Stuffy. Once again, my brain went a whole different direction than what was intended. Most people, especially in the midst of summer cold season, probably thought of the physical symptom of a stuffed up nose. I thought of how suffocating a closed up room can feel.
Last week we had our hottest days of the summer – once the rest of the country had settled into cooler weather. Heat waves in September are common for us; what was strange was that it wasn’t our typical Santa Ana.
There are so many jokes out there about “dry heat,” but when I’m having to tolerate numerous 100º+ (38º+C) days in a row, I’ll take 15% humidity over 75% every time. [Note – I’ll also complain about the humidity being that low, but it will be more bearable.]
Living in a desert,all summer long our nights are cool – a good 15-20 degrees cooler than daytime temperatures. This past week we had a hurricane off the coast well south of us, and it didn’t cool off at night. We were a grumpy, sleep-deprived lot.
For me, though, I don’t feel heat like normal people. Right after the heat spell finally broke, I came home and thought how pleasant it felt. Not in comparison to what it had been, but it was simply a comfortable temperature. Here’s a picture of the thermometer at that moment.
My comfortable temperature range is 75 (only if I’m wearing long pants) to 85 degrees. After that I start to feel a little warm.
While I’m not always affected by the heat, I am hyper sensitive to stuffiness if the temperature is over 70. The windows need to be open or else I feel like I’m suffocating. Fans moving the air don’t solve the problem. Over time, the sound of a fan becomes intolerable to me. Yes, I am a freak of nature!
Fortunately we are now back in the world of our normal temperatures in the high 70s to mid 80s – perfect Tammy weather! The only signs we have of Fall’s approach are the shortening of days, which always makes me a little sad, except for the football that comes with it. Soon, however, our Fall crops will be planted in the garden, and I’ll be appreciating all the rest of the joys of the season.
What is your comfortable temperature range? or When you first read the word “stuffy,” which definition did your mind select?
Grown Up, Now What? 
Stuffy made me go right to thinking about my allergies and cold symptoms that I can’t shake for three weeks now. And Kidzilla came home from school sick with – you guessed it – a stuffy head, sneezes, and coughs. This is our world right now. And stuff is exactly how I describe it when the temp in the house is not quite right. I love temps in the 60s and 70s – 8s on the thermostat make me sad. I do not like humidity, except where it is beneficial in keeping my head from drying out. I’m kind of a pill about the temp and air around me – but when it’s all in perfect alignment, I don’t get miserable head symptoms!
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Part of my aversion to fans is that they give me a sore throat every time I’m in their blowing range. I feel your allergy pain. I hope you are able to get completely past your cold soon!
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68 to 76 and I’m happy. Plus my superpower is knowing the temperature of a room within 1 degree…
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That is one heck of a superpower, Mike! And now you know why I was wearing my jacket every day at work even in the summer, while you wore short sleeves in the winter!
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I have to say that I don’t think I would have thought the same way as you would when prompted with the word stuffy. Although I can kind of see why you would since that dry heat can wear you down. Ever since I’ve moved to Houston, I’ve learned just how much it can affect your whole world. Maybe I was especially affected by it because I moved away from the north and all that extreme cold temps.
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You are right that the weather can definitely wear a person down. Our weather wasn’t nearly as humid as Houston, but it was definitely up there in the uncomfortable range.
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