We had our first heat wave of the summer last week, but I’d seen the previews on Zoom, because two of my online Hebrew classmates live in Switzerland and Germany and they were suffering from the unrelenting, un-air-conditioned heat. Watching them on screen brought back memories of visiting my aunt in Paris, when I first discovered that Europeans don’t really believe in air conditioning. I spent those ten days in Paris, in August, desperately searching for ice cream and trying not to sweat to death. They tell me that heat intolerance is a side effect of my various autoimmune disorders, which is better than what I tell myself, which is that it’s a character flaw. Good people can stand the heat. Good people don’t need to hug their air conditioners for dear life all summer long.
When the heat wave finally came to Long Island last week, though, it turned out that the air conditioner in my bedroom wasn’t up to the job, especially when all of the other air conditioners on Long Island were on at the same time and the power company did brown outs to manage the demand. I spent one night trying to sleep in my room, listening to my poor air conditioner moan in pain every few minutes while I tossed and turned trying to find a cool spot, and then I brought my pillow and blanket into the living room and slept on the couch, directly under the big air conditioner. One side benefit of sleeping in the living room was that, every once in a while, I could look over and see Tzipporah sleeping comfortably in her bed across the room (she seems to be able to tolerate my presence as long as she thinks I’m asleep).
I’ve lived through plenty of heat waves before, but this one seemed to hit me harder than usual. Even sitting right next to the big air conditioner, I could feel the pressure in the air squeezing my brain and weighing down my limbs like concrete. I struggled to move, or even think, and for a few days I didn’t even try to accomplish anything.
Once the heat broke, though, I was able to go outside and visit my pawpaw tree, to see how he’d fared in the heat. Was it last year that the few fruits the tree was able to produce were eaten up by the birds? I can’t remember. So far, this summer’s fruit is having better luck, and for the first time we even have a three-fer, three pawpaws on one stem. There’s something about this tree that resonates with me. It struggles to produce fruit, and stay upright, but every summer, no matter how much failure or success it had the year before, it takes the risk to grow again. My familiar.
Thank you, Monsieur le Pawpaw, for giving me hope when I struggle to find it for myself. Keep growing!
If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my novel, Yeshiva Girl, on Amazon. And if you feel called to write a review of the book, on Amazon, or anywhere else, I’d be honored.
Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish teenager on Long Island, named Isabel, though her father calls her Jezebel. Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes it’s true. As a result of his problems, her father sends her to a co-ed Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, and Izzy and her mother can’t figure out how to prevent it. At Yeshiva, though, Izzy finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment. The question is, what will Izzy find?
rachelmankowitz 
I remember the heat when I lived in Detroit and we didn’t have AC either. Sleeping was impossible. I hope it lets up soon!
I don’t know how anyone survives without air conditioning.
Nobody did, it was only in some stores. Currently, not many people have AC here in SoCal either. Some apartments do offer it, but I’ve never been in a home that has it.
Wow!
Hang in there!
I can relate, Rachel. We have had an extremely hot July so far. Heat indexes 106 to 109 F and stupid-high humidity. Miss Emma and I do not do well under those conditions, lol. If not for air conditioning idt we could survive 🙂 Today it has been a blessedly cool 75F with lots of rain, which we needed!
Temperatures like that are scary. I don’t know how people ever leave the house.
nature is wonderful therapy.
It is!
I spent the first 25 summers of my life struggling with the heat and humidity that plagues Eastern Nebraska. I always looked forward to late autumn and all of winter because I could work and sleep better during those seasons. I’m ever grateful to have air conditioning. I believe it has added years to my life simply because it allows me to sleep more restfully.
I can believe it!
Hooray for the pawpaw tree. It looks great!
Thank you!
We here in New England have had 2 or 3 5 day long heatwaves. I know how you feel.
Two or three already?! Oy.
Exactly! Tough on older people and pets.
It seems summers are getting hotter in the northern hemisphere similar to what we’ve been seeing in the southern hemisphere. The most recent summer here saw so many days with maximum temperatures around 45 °C.
Wow!
I am sorry about your heat and sleep problems. Well at least the dog slept well. About air conditioning in Europe. We never considered airconditioning in Sweden where I grew up because it was completely unnecessary. However, now it might be worth considering. I have to look up the pawpaw tree and the pawpaw fruit. I’ve heard about it but I know almost nothing about it.
It’s an American-born fruit that spoils very very quickly, but it’s delicious.
That is interesting. Thank you Rachel.
Window air conditioners look so heavy. I don’t know how you can lift yours to set it up. Congratulations on being so strong and so determined! ❤️
The maintenance men helped with the air conditioners, thank God.
Currently enduring 38C albeit in air conditioned comfort in a hotel – bliss!
Hotel air conditioning is a wonder!
Isn’t it just!
Congratulations for your novel 💐 well shared
Thank you!
I think we are accustomed to the heat in Florida, so we just roll with it as do our systems of AC, and other things but for some places, now it is a race to catch up. I like how you ask for reviews for your novel. I have to do that, also.
My novel Quest for Absence is expensive for some as is The Bayou Heist. I have a publisher. I have to confess that kindle unlimited does seem to encourage more readers as it is free of charge. Maybe, one time, I will try to self publish with children’s books but for now I write mysteries.
Good idea!
Thanks for the update on the paw paw tree. Hang in there all of you.
Thank you!
Yes, this heat wave is horrible. Almost everyone here in the South, except for the really poor, have whole house A/C. I really feel for the homeless who sleep under bridges and such.
Definitely! I remember when I used to work at the senior center it was designated as one of the cooling centers for anyone who needed it.
It’s good there are places like that, fewer deaths during heat waves.
It is so hot here, and I’ve no A/C. It reaches 90 degrees in my apartment. So, I bought a fan, a tower fan, It makes it tolerable. It cost $60. at Lowe’s.It does not cool the air; but moves it. Additionally sounds like ocean breezes’. You know, I’m rooting for you, and your mom, and pets.
Oy. Stay as cool as you can!
We’re about to have our third, or is it fourth heatwave this coming week. No ac in our house.
Oy. I’m so sorry!
Here in Australia it’s winter. Well, it’s supposed to be winter! This would be the mildest I’ve ever experienced. El Niño is here again! I really feel for you in the heat. There’s no escape, for the most part – even with air-conditioning, there’s that ‘washed-out’ feeling again!
Winter in Australia sounds nice right about now.
True, Rachel, it’s so comfortable for me – someone who doesn’t do as well in our summertime, which is similar to your current experience, weather wise! 🥵
many congrats on your novel! I would be thrilled if you’d write a guest blog post for my site about it. If you think it might be fun or helpful to have my followers (who total about 10k across my various social media) meet you, here’s the link for general guidelines: