Central Air

The air conditioner in our house went out late last week. We knew it was going to happen sometime as both the air conditioner and the furnace are around 20 years old. We had planned to replace both units and had set money aside for this purpose. We had planned to shop for these items late this past spring, but since C's schedule and mine are opposite each other it was impossible to find a time when we were both off to start looking.
I panicked when I first found out it was broken. This is a big purchase. It's not something you can make on the spur of the moment. We haven't done any research or anything. What were we going to do? It would have to be replaced as soon as possible. What if in our rush we got a bad product that would cost us down the line? What were we going to do????
Wait a minute, I thought to myself. Why am I panicking? I've lived nearly half my life in places without air conditioning. I know how to manage without it. We have floor fans, ceiling fans and a really good attic fan that can all be used to cool the house. Our house is surrounded by big leafy trees that give good shade. If it gets really hot, we can hang out in the basement which is underground and cool in the summer. There is no need to panic. If it were winter and the furnace went out that would be another matter, but in summer there is no problem.
Then I started to laugh at myself. I'm pretty spoiled. There are a lot of people in the world some living not so far from me that would be pleased to have my house even without the central air. Growing up we didn't have an air conditioner in the house. It was a luxury that my Dad felt we didn't need and he couldn't afford. We did just fine. It's nice to have and it feels good to come into a cool house on a hot day, but I could live without it and be just fine.
When I was younger and single I felt that way about TV. I had a TV set but used it to watch movies on the VCR (before DVDs of course) and two television shows. I had very basic cable so I could get MASH reruns (one of the two shows that I watch) and so I could get CBS Sunday Morning in nice and clear. Otherwise I had no use for it.
My stereo is another matter. I have a good stereo that I bought as soon as I had enough money to get a good one. My chief sources of entertainment are music and books so I wanted something with good sound that would be able to stand several hours of playing. My CD player gets turned on more than the TV and if it went out I really would panic.
One thing I'd like to get is a satellite radio. They have all kinds of channels that play certain types of music. There are channels that play standards, old country, new country,classical,opera, comedy and old radio shows to name a few. We have one in C's car and we like it a lot. It would be good to have one in the house. I think it would be fun to spend an evening listening to old radio shows and working on some cross stitch.
But I digress.....
It's funny how certain things that were considered luxury items are now considered necessities. Cell phones and computers are the first things that come to mind. While I like the instant gratification of sending someone an email and getting a reply back and the convenience of having information available quickly I'd like to think that I could manage without it if I had to. The cell phone I have is very basic. I can make calls and receive them and I use it only when I have to. I don't really like it. The concept of having to be available all the time I think is unhealthy. That is a subject for another column.
This week we will be shopping for a new furnace and air conditioner, we'll take our time. In the meantime we'll be saving money as the air conditioner won't be on. Wonder how much it will be......