Comfort in Reflection

We got the electric bill in today and it wasn't good. It's far higher than it was last year, as was last month. I know the average is going to increase, but there's really nothing we can do about that. The last two years have given us mild summers and this one isn't. The forecast always promises some relief but then swings back over the hundreds. We try to hold out as long as we can on using the AC, but usually past noon, it's unavoidable.

In a way, it will even out. We have to pay to have the lawn mowed and the grass is dying. Last year we had to pay for mowing until October. Maybe this year things will end with this month or maybe only one mowing session in August. It will give us a little more money to handle the electric bill increase.

A lot of the time, I get distracted with things and this blog is my way of remembering how things were a year (or several years) ago. I wanted to make note of this rough summer because it's important to know how the bills go and why they change. I'm not by any means chiding myself on having to use more power this year. Like I said, we hold out as long as we can before turning the AC on and turn it off as soon as it's tolerable to do so.

We never run it during sleeping hours, though I sometimes wish we could. My grandparents always would. They'd turn the AC on at night and we'd all sleep in the living room. When they woke up, they'd turn it off for a few hours, usually until 11 or so, and then basically just keep it on until the following morning. It's a nicer way to live, but I don't feel comfortable doing that. I don't think I could afford the bill and if the AC burns out, I certainly can't afford to get a new one.

It's moments like this when I'm thankful and rather humbled about how easy things were for me as a child during the years I live with my grandparents. They had their moments when they could be cruel or intolerant or unforgiving but for the most part, I was safe and comfortable. As an adult, I find that often have to choose either the safe path or the comfortable path in situations like this. And while I'll be brave about many things, I'm not going to gamble on burning out my AC.