Cool it!

One thing I like about the heat is that my mom and I get to laugh about her new air conditioner.

We got my mother this boxy little window air conditioner several weeks ago when we were in the middle of one of these heat waves. She fought it tooth and nail.

My brother George made the mistake of consulting her at the last minute about buying one and she told him no. Then I got on the phone and talked her into it. Then I yelled at George for consulting her in the first place. Why ask her if it is OK to go out and get one? Just do it!

After that all of our lines lit up with calls from my mom having second thoughts about this air conditioner and trying to tell us not to buy it after all. She called all of us including Howard!

No one called her back and in a few hours Mr. Air Conditioner arrived at her house and took up residence in her bedroom window. My sister-in-law Nat installed it.

You know what happened next.

Mom never looked back!

She blasts the room with it for maybe 20 minutes before going to bed. After that she turns it off because she does not like the noise. But the thing is at the foot of her bed so she can just sit up and turn it on whenever she wants.

So we laugh about this thing. I understand her initial arguments, you know. You live 150 years in Buffalo without an air conditioner, you don't know why you need one now. Even though air conditioning was invented here, by a guy who worked for Buffalo Forge. The Wall Street Journal did a recent story lauding him. I am ashamed that now I cannot think of his name. I know the name of the guy who invented the cotton gin -- that is Eli Whitney -- but not the inventor of air conditioning. And here he was, from right here in Buffalo! It is like forgetting Leonard Pennario. Well, almost.

But anyway. It is amazing, how we resist air conditioning. You think: How many hot days do we get? You think: I'm tough. You think: A fan is just as good.

But when you need A/C, you need it! I am telling you.

You do not look back!