There is cold and then there’s Don cold.
Summer in our beach house has its wonderful moments. Like many other homes on the north Oregon coastline, we do not have air conditioning. For a few months a year, we swear installation of something to provide comfort will take place before next summer. Here we are starting year 7 and the grumbling for comfort has never been louder by everyone except Don.
Don is cold all the time because of a lack of circulation. He dresses in long sleeve shirts plus a hoodie, insulated vest and sweatpants. Even though the house is overly warm, Don turns all thermostats up to 80 and covers up with blankets.
The rest of us, however, are wearing clothes as lightweight as possible and donning flip flops, if any shoes at all, drinking iced drinks and hitting the top deck for that cool blast of wind off the ocean. Don, in contrast, wants coffee. We open all windows, turn on the ceiling fan and use additional floor fans as needed. Perspiration falls like a small creek down our backs, off the face and, oh yeah, under the arms. God forbid we turn a thermostat down.
At 11:00 pm Don wakes up and requests breakfast #3 for today.
Don: Whew! Why am I so sweaty? Can you open a window?
Kristy: Are you serious right now? How about we take off the blanket, the hoodie, the vest, the sweatpants and turn the thermostat down?
Don: No, I just need the window opened a crack.
My mouth opens to explain why that’s an illogical choice, but I have nothing but hot air of exasperation.
