Oh, I know that! I’ve read several historical novels about life in the early 1900s in Florida — heat, hurricanes, snakes, gators, insects, diseases — life was very tough and uncomfortable. The way people complain with a/c, most here could never have survived then.

Personal fact, I lived until 2000 without air-conditioning — childhood years in Maryland, Virginia, and Maine but 5 adult years in Atlanta and 22 in Florida.

My first two adult abodes were rentals when I was 18–21 — one a mobile home and one a house in Melbourne, neither with a/c. Then, I bought a house outside of Gainesville and later lived in my new husband’s grandmother’s turn-of-the-century house — both without a/c. Then, 5 years in a very hot house in Atlanta (I think summers are worse in Atlanta than anywhere in Florida). Then back to Gainesville — one year in a rental without air and then my previous husband and I built a house and did not include air-conditioning. Figured we used to it so why spend the money? It wasn’t until the state was burning in 1999 and our home was smoke-laden that we made arrangements for a/c to be installed in 2000.

Since 2000, I have been living in modern comfort although, pay attention, Ben and I keep our home a/c set at 81 during the day and 82 at night. Anything lower and we freeze. I wear sweaters at the offices where I work.