Hey there, oh dear reader! It's windy where I live. In the afternoons, I can barely stand upright when I go for my walk and have to cover my head with my hood, holding it at the neck to keep the wind out. It is lovely and sunny though, so inside it is very nice.
Next to my desk, I have two huge windows that reach two stories high. In the afternoon around four o'clock, the sun streams in, making my office area unbearably hot. Not only that, the rays that bore into the room like a laser beam bounce off the door behind me and onto my computer screen rendering it unusable.
After putting up with this for a number of years, installing air conditioning, and enduring an unfortunate incident with a handyman, Home Depot, and a protracted refund negotiation, I decided to hire professionals.
After a long, hot wait (thanks Covid,) my brand new electric blinds arrived. And my, were they magnificent. Pressing the button on the remote was like asking angels to sing.
Like a pair of synchronized divers, the blinds would drop, silently and in unison. Just as the edge of the blinds came level with the bottom sills, my screen's contents would come into view, and the temperature would drop at least five degrees.
That was a month ago. I haven't used them since.
The blinds remain tucked in their housing, the remote sits on my desk unused. Four o'clock rolls around and I twist my neck into unnatural positions in order to be able to read my screen. I wipe my brow as I fan myself with my clipboard containing plot notes.
Why, you may ask, have I returned to being a wilting, squinting mess in the late afternoons?
Good question.
This is why.
I mean, if you're not sure what I'm talking about, look at this face. Who could deprive this little thing her late afternoon snooze in the sunniest spot in the house?
The things we do. If I'm ever late with a book, you know who I'm going to blame.
Happy reading!
