Remembering life without air conditioning

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By Mike Rizzuto
Sun Times Editor

Unless you’ve been in a coma the last few weeks, most of you know that it’s been hot as all heck outside lately. And for those of us that are used to the scorching South Louisiana heat and humidity, we know what we’re talking about when we say “hot.”

Of course, most of us can take refuge from the heat by staying in the house with our air conditioning set at a comfortable temperature. For youngsters, this has always been the case, since they were born and raised with that luxury. But for old geezers out there (like me), memories of life without air conditioning still prevail in the dark recesses of our minds. And we can still remember what we did way back then to combat the
stifling Louisiana heat.

Here are just a few of the things I remember our family doing when a heat wave decided to make us miserable.

--Leaving the house and taking refuge on the porch. When it was really hot, you couldn’t stay inside your house, even if you had attic fans, ceiling fans, or window fans. Most families had porches to flee to, complete with swings, deck chairs, and benches. An occasional breeze was always welcome, and everyone then commented on how “nice that breeze felt,” hoping another would come very soon. Most houses had trees on each side of them, so you could spend on half of the day on one side and the other half of the day on the other side. Lots of times, people would come to visit and pass the time with you on your porch, and family gatherings were much more common than today because of the heat. Remembering the squeaking of the swing as it swung back and forth still gives me that “friendly feeling.” The porch promoted conversation between family members all dealing with the heat, and families were better off because of it.

--Turning on the garden hose for fun, games, and cooling off. Nothing felt better than the cool water from a water hose when it was really hot. Many a family member would sneak up on another, douse him/her with water, and run for the hills, secretly hoping that the “victim” was chasing back with that same hose in hand. I can remember the happy squeals from the children, the belly laughter from the adults, and the fun of watching one of the older family members trying run down a youngster with the hose in hand. That scene is indeed rare these days.

--Watermelon parties. Besides ice cream, nothing hit the spot on a hot day as much as a cold watermelon did, iced down since morning for everyone to enjoy and cool off with. And there wasn’t just one watermelon; there were lots of them iced down for the eating. There was always conversation, since some people preferred salt on their melons, while the rest just took ‘em straight. Whatever the case, there was nothing like a sweet, cold watermelon to lift your spirits on a hot, humid afternoon.

--Swimming. Long before there were swimming pools to cool off in, families took dips in clear canals filled with freshly-pumped well-water for a cool, exciting, fun-filled afternoon. Of course, this was before farmers let their wastewater drain into them, ruining the water with chemicals, poisons, fertilizer, top-soil, etc. Unless you were fortunate to live next to a lake, canals did the trick for those who just could not stand the heat anymore.

--Going fishing, crabbing, or to the beach. If you had access to an area of water where trees were abundant, you could take your ice chest filled with cold drinks and snacks and head outdoors. It was an excellent way to get out of the heat and maybe get your supper, too!

I’m sure there were many more ways to keep cool back then, but that’s how this old geezer remembers life without air conditioning years ago. I just hope we never have to live without that luxury again. Like the youngsters, this old geezer has become quite spoiled over the years!