Surviving the Hot Weather

Hot how?

Southerners take hot weather in stride and don’t fuss over temperatures.

Southerners have lived without air conditioning much longer than with it.

We’ve lately had discussions here about polyester sheets and pillow cases as if there is anything good about them.

Our families on both sides covered beds with sheets of natural cotton fibers. Sheets and towels were made of muslin. Towels were often former feed sacks with the printing still visible.

In the South, shade is good and most old home places were shaded on the south and west side with large trees.

The Kansas Woman’s great- great- grandfather migrated to Washington County in 1870 and told later generations that there were very few trees except along rivers and creeks.

They planted trees but not for shade. The trees were to slow down the winds.

During the 1920’s there was a drought in the south. Creeks, even wells and springs, ran dry, and folks planted turnips in the sand bars of the Chattahoochee and Dog Rivers.

My grandfather built Phillips Mill on Dog River, but the only reminders are roads that bear the name and the farm bell that stood by the door.

A farmer/carpenter, Mr. Jim Cansler, built the mill and a wooden dam.

My Grandfather tried to cool the house with an evaporation gizmo using sheets of burlap hanging across windows with the ends hanging in a tub of well water. As hot air passed through the wet burlap, the heat evaporated the water causing the temperature to drop.

One method of cooling houses never caught on here. In the Middle East some houses were constructed with walls of clay pipes that were wide on the ends and narrow in the middle.

As hot air entered the pipe (venturi) on the windy side of the house, it had to speed up to pass the narrow part. Then it passed into the very wide part inside the house causing a further pressure drop and a corresponding drop in temperature. A wall of them makes a difference.

Grandparents escaped heat by heading to water. A spot near Villanow has been enjoyed for generations.

“The Pocket” is a cold water spring, too cold for adults but tolerated by kids.

In the summer there are usually water melons where the water escapes from the ground.

We have a new generation of curious boys who have never been to The Pocket, and we’re fixing that this summer.

I hope.

joenphillips@yahoo.com

Joe Phillips