I Was Sent Outside to Water the House
And soon discovered I’d been locked out for the day
Summers were not known for being terribly hot in the small, central Kentucky town where I grew up.
Our home, like most of the simple, brick, ranch-style homes where I lived, did not have air conditioning.
We did have a window unit in the kitchen, but otherwise, it was open windows and fans for any type of relief from hot days.
Even the elementary school I attended didn’t have central air. Of course, we didn’t start school until September and were out by the end of May, so it was just open windows and fresh air.
Still, late July and some days in August did get hot.
On those hotter days, my mom would get up early in the morning and water the house. Then, she’d water it again after lunch.
She told us this helped keep it from getting too hot inside.
Apparently, there is some evidence that watering your brick home helps keep it cooler.
On this particular day, Mom sent my sister and me outside and told me to fill up our kiddie pool and then water the house.
I was maybe 7 or 8 years old. My sister a year younger.
