I know we are not alone in the heat wave we’ve been experiencing this week in western Oregon, but it has been pretty yucky around here.

Because this area of Oregon historically experienced mild summers until recently, a lot of older homes (like ours) don’t have air conditioning, so it can be tough finding ways to keep cool.

I’ve been wearing as few clothes as possible and sitting directly in front of a fan whenever I’m at home. This includes when I’m sleeping at night. I have also been splashing cold water on myself frequently and letting it air dry (it generally only takes a couple of minutes) and drinking a lot more water than usual.

Thankfully, we have air conditioning at work, though, so I’m able to be comfortable most of the day. It’s just from the point I walk out of the office that I’m dealing with the heat.

Having grown up in southern California, the temperatures are actually lower here, so you wouldn’t think I would be affected as much. But in California, everyone had air conditioning, so the only times I had to deal with the heat was literally walking between my car and whatever air conditioned location I was going. Menopause doesn’t help the situation any either.

But we’re halfway through the summer now, so I can start dreaming of cooler weather in the fall. I’ll just have to deal with the early darkness then lol.