How do amish deal with summer heat?

I was wondering a version of this while our power was out for three days this weekend--we're in a colonial area, and I wondered how on earth the first Virginia colonists managed, especially given that they wore a lot more clothes than we do. We definitely learned that our little rambler is hard to keep cool when it's 95+ outside. Maybe it will help when we get grass in the yard . . . it's currently mostly dirt out there.

Where I grew up in Ohio and later lived in Battle Creek among other places; it would get 105 or higher in the summer. Our little cement block house with cement floor stayed cool on the hotest days. Later in Battle Creek I had a house with a basement. My kids and I lived in that basement during the hotest part of the day. I put our beds in the basement too ; which helped us sleep better. Now along the coast where we live a hot day would be 80F and nights are always cool. I don 't miss those hot days at all. We never had fans or air conditioning. Daddy planted lots of Cotton Wood and Maple shade trees though.

Plenty of shade and couple good electric fans and its not a big deal. I havent used AC in several years here in NW Arkansas. Now how those old timers did it with no electric fans... In summer there isnt a breeze to be had for love nor money on those super hot days. Still tiny bit light outside and I cant see a single leaf even twitch. I remember hand fans from when I was kid, some of the buisinesses gave free ones with their advertising on them. But having to constantly fan all your waking hours would indeed suck. All the old houses with the tall ceilings also tended to be positioned for any prevailing breezes. Remodels did away with some of necessary doors/windows so just cause its old house doesnt mean you get the breeze.

__________________
"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

Until recent years EVERYBODY lived without air conditioning! I've lived 64 years without it. Old timers always had a house with shade trees, a big front porch, a spring house or some kind of stone or cement block building to keep things cool in. You drink lots of water or lemonade, put cool wet towels around your neck, do your work in the morning hours and take it easy in the hot afternoon. Women had outdoor kitchens. If you think about it, how did people here in the USA live in the 1600's? 1700's? 1800's? 1900's? Like someone mentioned, if you get used to it gradually and all the time, you never notice the heat like folks who come in and out of the air conditioning do. Sure, it's been hot - it's something to just deal with.

The mass of our 24 by 24 cabin is 12 inches, and we are on a concrete lab.... so far 21 days of 90 and above and 79 is the high inside.

12 by 20 Bunkhouse is fiberglass insulated wall and roof 2 by by 4 stick built
on piers , 90 or 92 in same period.

Check out this post by SolarGary:

Cooling in hot weather with the power out

Lorian, I loved the Amish lady and the AC story. We live among the Amish and that is exactly the sort of thing they would do. And they'd laugh about it. Seriously, though, these around here have big 2-story houses with lots of shade trees and windows. Actually, that's also what we have: a big 2-story house, lots of shade trees and lots of windows. And, no AC. Never had it and usually don't need it. Now this year maybe if we had it, we'd have it on but this, too, shall pass. Get up early and git 'er dun while it's cool. Anything left to do, we finish later in the evening.

__________________
This world is not my home; I'm just a'passin' through.

yup, I'm fine without AC. Don't even turn it on in my car when I drive to work in the afternoons. Like others said, do the heavy work before full sun is up, and take a nice break in the hot part of the day in the shade somewhere with lots of cold water or tea...its a good time to take a siesta or to get some crocheting done.

I grew up without AC here in Wisconsin and made it through 1988 and 1995 with no problems. I was a lot younger then, so I think I could tolerate it better (kids tend to tolerate this stuff better then older folks or so it seems)... Lots of time at the pool, lots of fans, afternoon nap...activities (fishing/etc) in the morning and evenings... hide in the shade or water in the afternoon...

having said all of that, you can't pry my cold dead hands from my AC right now! I would argue that AC is probably top 3 inventions of all time...right up there with the car and the personal computer...

I m entioned the summer of 36 being the worst on record. Both for the highth of the heat, and the length of it. That was in the last century. Imagine you woke up tomorrow and it was 1936. What would/could you do. Youd have to live with it. Thats what the amish have been doing all their lives. They likely stay away from places that have heavy AC, so that their bodies and minds dont get used to it.
But ACs are like tv, or puters, and whatever else luxurys that we have that they dont. We wouldnt want to be seperated form any of them. The amish never have been near them, so they havent experienced them so that they wouldnt miss them.

I have my grandads 1934 hand crank Case tractor. Its the only tractor ive had here up until the last couple years. Yes, I know about starters on tractors, and had a couple when I was a kid, BUT, I got used to hand cranking and because of that I come to not miss haveing a starter on a tractor. TILL I GOT OLD LOL.

We don' have AC either at our house in the burbs or at the ranch. The house in the burbs gets coastal breezes and that keeps it comfortable in all but the worst heat waves. It has gotten to 110 a few times. We still had power, so I run a fan. One year I got a mister bottle and would spritz myself with water, then sit in front of the fan. it helped a lot!

__________________
I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam.

Popeye

The old farmhouse never had a/c and we did ok because of the 8 ft ceilings, 2 story with lots of windows, porches, screened sleeping porch and a cellar, surrounded by old growth maple trees.

But I recall one very cool place and that was the old shop building that had a dirt floor. We never kept much in there except to use it to spread out the walnuts to dry in the fall of the year.

It was made of thick wood siding and had a thick metal roof painted the reflective silver color that the traveling barn painters used on everything. The building was fairly air tight and built on a concrete edger foundation, but the floor wasn't ever poured and left as a thick hard dirt. It had 2 single doors and one small window facing west. It's where us kids played during the hottest days.

__________________
There are endless combinations of truth.

Well.....there will be a few in Berne, Indiana, who will hire a driver tonight and just quietly go to the Black Bear Inn. AC, TV, POOL.......

geo

In England we don't tend to have AC in our houses - and yes, it does get hot occasionally! As other people have said, what you never had, you don't miss.
I lived in Australia in the Seventies . No AC, very, very hot. We went swimming a lot. The old, wooden houses with their trees and verandahs coped a lot better than our concrete box.

we have never used AC ..I'm 61

__________________
Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

Sure aren't any in the TX heat! We don't get by w/o 108 most of the summer.

__________________
My book is out! Go 'like' it on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Goo...83553391747680

I was at the Topeka, IN Livestock auction, last week where the temp was in the middle 90's.

Some (not all) of the younger Amish men/boys, were wearing WOOL SOCK CAPS. Some wearing them, riding bikes down the hot roads.

Not sure what keeps them from overheating, as I did not see them chugging bottled water. and they did not appear woozy.

Maybe when they finally take them off, it feels just like air-conditioning.

Wool should wick sweat well, and it keeps the sun off your forehead to wear a cap. I'd rather the wide brim straw hat myself though.

I grew up with A/C every summer. But since leaving home 30+ yrs ago I have not had it. It has never bothered me and I do all the same things every one suggested. This summer though my neighbors brought down a portable A/C unit for our bedroom. Since DH's stroke he hasn't faired as well....And I worry about the dogs. They are inside dogs, but they seem to suffer much more than me. I'm thinking about buying a portable unit for us, but I would never want the whole house cooled. I feel like I'm refrigerated : (

The Amish deal with it just like anyone else would w/o air conditioning. They drink lots of water, get their chores done early or really late and they set around in the shade when it's too hot to do anything else.

We don't have air conditioning except in our car and we survive. We also have a commercial bakery and we don't use air. It sure is hot, but we get by.....

__________________
Be a fountain, not a drain!

^()^
http://tubbsfarmstead.com/

DH and I were talkin about this last night-- we don't understand how people allow themselves to literally; die, without air conditioning.

'Specially in places back east that have been settled for hundreds of years before AC was invented.

We live in Phoenix, which is both one of the hottest regions in the US, and also one of the most heavily populated.
Vegas doesn't figure in because people didn't hardly live there until the mob built Casino-opolis.

We came to the conclusion that, while there were not nearly as many folks living in AZ year round back in the 19th century, the people who did live here lived mainly in earthen homes, kept a lot of shade trees, and were built practically ON water. I have a theory that the few grand old farmhouses there are all have basements.

We never had AC in Oregon, and we did without it in Northern Nevada as well for most years. An Evap cooler sure takes the bite out of a dry 117 degrees though for 25$ a month. We've been out of power for days in high summer before-- it was rough, and I was heavily pregnant at the time. We did as little as possible, stayed wet (lucky we had a pool), and thanked Providence for every little bitty breeze that blew by, hot or cool.

I could learn to live without AC if I lived in another state-- but I think the cost of cooling measures are worth it for what a comfortable night of sleep does everyone's mood, 'specially here.

__________________

There is a time and a place for decaf coffee.
Never, and in the trash.
Are you an AZ farmer too? Arizona Backyard Farmers on facebook