When I moved to these parts I thought that life was going to be a lot easier.
I was getting out of the conflict-laden South, where social issues seemed to be a real problem. I was happy to be moving closer to my family and looking forward to having more social support in my immediate area. Besides that, I was excited to get away from the burning heat and humidity that fills the air every single day. Down in the South, you have to operate your central cooling system all day if you want to have a livable residential home. You really can’t rely on overhead fans, box fans, or other forms of ventilation. Without a cooling system, you are doomed to be sweaty and uncomfortable all day long. The other problem is keeping your air conditioning system safe. Because I lived in a region with extremely tall and robust trees there were constantly branches coming down and breaking my AC unit. When I got up north, I was excited for the open space that could keep my AC system free of falling limbs. However, I didn’t expect that all of this open ground would result in garbage rapidly blowing across the plains and collecting against my AC unit. My cooling system is just as prone to breakdowns in disrepair now as it was before. It’s constantly being clogged up with empty bags, pop cans, and assorted plastic pieces. Now, I can’t even use a metal air conditioning cage to keep it safe… The garbage is so pervasive and the wind is so strong that my cooling system is always at risk.