Staying Cool

If you've talked to me, read this blog, or seen my Facebook since we moved to Oregon then you know that air conditioning isn't standard in homes out here. When I've complained to our apartment company about the intense, lava-like heat in our unit they say that air conditioning is only needed "for a few month a year." My retort would be that you only need heat a few months a year as well, but I'm tired of people looking at me like I'm crazy for expecting cold air when it's more than 90 degrees outside.


We learned our lesson last year and purchased a portable air conditioning unit on Craigslist before the weather heated up. The extension that the exhaust came with wasn't long enough, so I used painters tape and cardboard wrapped in tinfoil to keep everything in place. I'm proud of my ugly work! I had extra tape left over so I did a little decorating as well.

We used it for the first time when I had friends over for Cards Against Humanity. It worked well but turns out the unit has a drain in the back. The guy I bought it from didn't mention that key point. Our carpet was completely soaked and we used three towels to soak up the water then used a fan to dry the rest for the next few days. Brandt got a hose from Home Depot the next day and all was wonderful... for a while.

I came home on a particularly hot day and Brandt had created a "vortex of cool" on his day off. The unit was not cooling the large area and drastic measures were needed.

Ellie enjoying the vortex.

We ended up moving the ac unit into the spare bedroom/man cave/dogs' room. I used pushpins to hang a sheet I got at Goodwill to help keep the cold air in and we moved in the papasan chair. It's cramped but cold! I was able to get a free bucket from work (who knew that VooDoo Donuts sells buckets full of doughnuts?!?) Fortunately, it doesn't smell like doughnuts now and it has a handle to help lift after running on humid days.

The room is cramped but cold!

The ac unit also has a timer. It's nice because Brandt sets it to come on in the afternoon so the dogs aren't left sweltering in the dark. Plus, then it's cool when we get home. We close the door and sit in the dim, cold room in peace. It's terrible to leave to use the bathroom or get food but I'm thankful we have at least one cool room in our home.