秋老虎以前所未有的热情想留住夏的热烈,其架势盖过盛夏,创造了史上最高温~~连续几天100F多度高温(周五据说最高温高达110F)。
周五在家上班。抬头就见窗外的丝瓜藤叶奄奄一息地耷拉在热浪中。正在我庆幸自己可以躲在空调房里时,意外地发现自家的空调好像不制冷。顶着大太阳跑出去一看,果然空调机器没有在转。空调早不坏晚不坏,在历史最高温的日子坏掉了!
病急乱投医。随即打了几个电话想找人来修,一个不回复,一个说要等下星期才有时间。朋友也说,很难找到马上来修的。加上买配件也要时间。想想也是,这样的高温,不是空调坏了的概率高了,就是维修的人也不愿意出门赚钱了。加上我月初上班忙,他下午了还有电话会议,两人靠着风扇,就顾不上再打电话找人。
想想江南的夏天,小时候连电扇都没有;想想读书时南京的夏天,再想想工作时广州的夏天,还有去北京旅游时北京的夏天。。。常常想,自己和他都是苦出身,过过苦日子,现在条件好了,尤其是这些年被南加的好气候宠着,几乎忘记了夏日炎炎、四十度高温是什么滋味了。
晚上照样做了饭,喊某人下来吃。
他光着膀子,脖子上挂着一块毛巾。
我:“怎么样,楼上热吧。” 停了停,我又接着说,“流流汗也是好的,体内温度高有助于杀死癌细胞。你有没有觉得流了汗,挺舒服。” 我边说边自我安慰道。
他:“我一滴汗都没流。”
我以为他在说真话,因为以前他说自己因常年在空调房待,身上的汗腺系统出问题,很难出汗排汗。疫情这几年在家,这毛病好像不治自愈了。
不过我马上意识到他在讲反话。
他又道:“我要是再蒸一蒸。。。”
我的笑声打断了他。看着他的神情,我就知道他又要开讲了。
笑罢,我接道,“再蒸一蒸会怎样?”
“变成悟空了。”看着我疑惑的眼神,他解释道,“练丹炉里的悟空。” “你看我这个悟空,炼丹炉里抗高温,还上班赚着钱,没有高温补贴的喔。”
他打开了话匣子,“我要传授抗高温秘诀。传男不传女。”
看着他赤膊上阵,明白几分。
“这第一条,能不穿就不穿。第二条,广东话里的“冲凉”,即不停地冲澡来降温,第三,关键情绪上也要cool down。
“再不济,我们有浴缸,泡澡时里面还可以加冰块。” 他真真假假地说着。
上了一天班,吃完饭,彼此都累了,也不想再找人,也不想自己去看个究竟。加州的夜晚再热最后也凉了下来。我拿出放在车库多年没用的那种卡在窗户上能抽凉风进来的风扇,加上屋顶的吊扇,迷迷糊糊地度过没有空调的第一晚。
第二天周六,某人准备自己修了。打开外面空调机上的一块铁板,发现里面应该是电容坏了。我跑去Home Depot找相应的电容, 发现没有货,附近的店家都没有同样型号的货。只有网上购买。又逢是周末周日,等货到,周末也过了。看来还要战天斗地几天。
周六晚上六点有广场舞锻炼。如果说平时我还会犹豫片刻,那天的我没有理由犹豫,没有理由不去。人家是走出空调房去锻炼,我则是逃离“练丹炉”。事实证明,出去是对的,至少那夜有舞友相伴,有暖风相送。待血红的夕阳散去,天边升起一弯如钩的新月。
再次体会到了为什么生活在热带地方的人比较懒惰。周末,除去必要的家务、买菜、去图书馆还书,和两次广场舞,下午闷热的时光则是躺在一楼沙发上追剧中度过,懒散地不想动弹。不过,周日晚饭后还是额外地发了面做馒头。在这样的气温下,面两三个小时就发好了。待两屉馒头搓揉成型放进蒸笼,内衣里一身汗。
我终于在冬暖夏凉之地,体会了一次酷夏(而非“cool夏“:)的味道,重温了记忆里的那股燥热,那种汗流浃背的酣畅。
9/9日周一去公司上班避暑,见到了又一轮新来的CFO。 5:40下班路上,见那一半天空黑雾迷漫--又有山火在山的另一边肆虐。。。
周五9/06 早上8:04的天空,难得一见的满天云朵:
周五下午拿出家里的温度计,放置太阳下,很快温度计上显示(119F)。放置遮阴处,大概是101F。
9/9 下班后6点左右看到的天空。山火在山的另一头:
In the unprecedented record-breaking heatwave days in September, our AC was unbelievably down. It happened last Friday afternoon when we both worked from home. What timing!
The first thing I did was turn the air-conditioner off and on, the way we handle computer crashes, in the hope that a restart will auto-correct the problem.
No expected luck.
Sitting downstairs at a desk in front of a closed window with tightly drawn curtains, I still felt the strong blistering heat permeating the glass.
After a few futile hectic calls for technicians, my anxiety grew with the temperature. “What’s next?” I asked myself. “Didn’t I go through much worse summers in China? Didn’t I survive my childhood dog days without even an electric fan? How could I no longer put up with the weather that I was so used to?”
He came downstairs for the dinner, half-naked with a wet tower hung from his neck.
“How is it upstairs?” I asked, knowingly aware that the temperature there was normally a few degrees higher, especially after the unsheltered roof and walls being exposed to a full day’s scorching sunbake.
“I am like a Wukong roasted in an alchemy furnace.” He teased himself, “But I am still earning bread inside.”
The next two days turned out to be more intolerable, as the heat wave reared its ugly head without any sign of retreat. In the early Saturday morning before the heat wave raged on, he squated down beside the machine and took off its cover, peering into a box that contained colored wires. An initial diagnosis of the broken capacitor was followed by a disappointment of its unavailability at Home Depot or any nearby store. An online order was placed in the end, and the quickest delivery was early next week.
Life goes on, whatsoever. With humidity hovering around 56% and temperature dropping to 80s, we were able to sleep with the help of non-stop whirring fans - - a bionaire window fan from the side and a hanging fan from the ceiling.
Saturday’s night dance was scheduled as usual, absent the teacher was on her vacation to Europe. Eight of us showed up. While they were cheered for being brave to step out of air-conditioned rooms, I embraced a night getaway from the heated dome. In the open air, I whiled away my otherwise sweltering night, in the company of friends, the music, the crescent moon, and later night winds.
The heat would last at least five consecutive days.
On my way home after work on Monday, I saw plumes of smokes heavily darkening half the sky. It was wildfire again, rampaging through the land we humans don’t cherish.
暖冬这篇文写得真好,在破纪录高温、空调机坏了之中夫妻的对话幽默风趣、娱乐消暑,很有情调:)赞暖冬好文笔,好心态!现在加州的气温降下来了吧?
祝暖冬十月金秋愉快!秋安!
这就快进入漫长的冬天了。祝你们节日快乐,一切安好!
我们的确要准备过冬啦,这周会有霜冻。 今天必须把所有的豆角西红柿全部收进房子里。 中秋节要在劳动中度过啦。
加州的天气基本还好,这次是运气不好:)确实楼上比楼下热很多。你们那里应该凉下来很快要入冬了吧。谢谢七月再次临帖留言,中秋节快乐!
你们那里还好,晚上会凉下来。 你家那位能够pinpoint to 电容,真是厉害。 我们都不知道电容这个词:) 估计现在都修好了吧?(另,热天的时候,肯定楼下比楼上凉快。 他还在楼上办公,那温度至少比楼下高5-10度。)
暖冬中秋快乐!
Oncemm你忙,没事的,我这些就是流水账,不要紧的。记下这些日子以便给自己提个醒。这两天天可凉了,坐在窗前上班,不穿鞋子很觉得冷,突然间觉得一两个星期前的热好像发生在上一世纪呢:))没事,我们以前在国内过过比这难熬的夏天,所以那两天没有空调也熬过来了。空调也被这个悟空修好了:)这个温度计是朋友送的,他们去旅游时买的。
Oncemm,这就中秋了,日子好快啊!隔空抱抱Oncemm,祝你中秋快乐,花好月圆,我们天涯共此时!
这里的天气凉下来了,最热的那几天也过来了,人的弹性真的很大,更何况我们是吃过苦的人。这点小问题不碍事。谢谢等等的慰问和花时间认真写下的留言!周末愉快!中秋快乐!
抒发了对自然的热爱,当然要对暖冬家的空调没眼力见地在盛夏临时罢工表示抗议和慰问,但你说得对,我们没有空调的小时候也这么过来了,而且在印象里始终是美好的。
迟来的慰问,顺祝暖冬中秋快乐!
Btw, your home is new, and you should be worry free for at least 10 years. Good luck!
Below is the link for the replaced part of a broken garage door we once ordered. But of course,each home may have different models. But the concept should be same. For my own future reference too.
https://www.liftmaster.com/screw-drive-coupling/p/K025C0020
FYI,he recently fixed the garage door, replaced a part for less than $10. The technician quoted $120. A neighbor a few months later had the same issue,and he helped fix it for free. Learning to be a handyman is fun and economical.:)
Thanks for dropping by, my friend.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JYCVL56/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9
不一定要用英语写作,随意就好:)我是对英语比较感兴趣,也想再提高,所以来练练笔:)
谢谢维兄临帖留言!
国内的夏天更可怕:)以前(没有空调电扇之前)人家说武汉人抗高温就是晚上睡着露天的地方不停地用水冲地面或竹椅。谢谢你的留言!
我们这边常常万里无云的,难得看见满天云朵,特别喜欢。想想这么好的云朵这么碰上这么恶劣的天气:)云多还是因为有湿度。谢谢辉蘑菇留言,enjoy your stay in London!
另外,特佩服你用中英文写作。俺曾经尝试过用英文写作,但基本上都是虎头蛇尾,New Year Resolution。
https://youtu.be/ypDwKwCzR8M?t=102
过去这类事情,我还设法修理,包括很多房子的问题、汽车换油、院子割草等,现在通通不干了。体力下降是一方面,还有就是动不动就说俺的“时间是宝贵的”,呵呵。
你们附近停电就更可怕,我们至少有电扇。你的朋友还好有你帮她,还可以来淋浴,否则真要住酒店了:)
谢谢菲儿临帖!
暖冬辛苦了!
我们这里前段时间是有好些地方停电,幸好我们小区没事,朋友过来放冰箱里的东西,淋浴。
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JYCVL56/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams
每家的空调可能不同,电伏也不同,你要打开空调边上的铁板,看自己家的型号。操作时要小心电。另外youtube上可以找到很多如何判断如何修理的videos.谢谢你的留言!
晚些时候再来读文。问好暖冬亲!
加州东西坏了,千万不要请人修,人工贵得吓人,自己修修补补混一混吧。你先生这一出手,好几百刀就省下来了。:-)