I jokingly say I have the "Vapors." It is a southern term women used before the Civil War. I know we use the term, but I decided to actually look it up. Here is the official definition of "having the Vapors":
In the days before the Civil War, Southern women were known to have "the vapors" frequently, and they would become dizzy and faint as a result. Back then, men blamed it on the delicate nature of a woman's constitution and women were almost EXPECTED to faint anytime something unpleasant happened. Chivalrous men were supposed to catch her before she hit the ground, tote her to a carriage and send her home, where a Mammy could bathe her fevered brow with a cold, wet rag until she overcame her malady.
Have you ever looked at the kind of clothing women wore in those days? They wore thick stockings, tight corsets, a bustle, long dresses, tall shoes, gloves and hats. Think about donning all that garb in a Southern summertime. They were walking around in the equivalent of a fire-fighter's turnout gear in 100-degree heat and high humidity, LONG before the advent of air conditioning.
Now - besides it being HOT, I live with a man who is not accustomed to having the air conditioning on. So, each night, after I have fallen asleep, he turns it off.
Hmm..
Now - I am a woman in my late 30s, who had a certain surgery that may or may not be causing me to have these waves of heat enter my body. Whether or not it is a hot flash, remains to be seen. BUT, I wake up each morning sweating.
Luckily, the egyptian has chosen to sleep in the sunroom, which means I get to keep my fan on in the bedroom at night. In the past, as well as turning the a/c off, he would turn the fan off also.
It's HOT.
The thermostat on my car was at 107 yesterday. (Parking lot - full sun.)
No wonder the mint julep was so popular back in the day. I need something to cool me off!
11 comments:
Oh wow, I feel for you! I hate trying to go to sleep in a hot room! I love having it cold so I can snuggle up under a blanket and wake up with a slight chill in the air to get me going in the morning.
Yes!!! Same here... there is nothing worse than being hot. I know you are in south Florida.. so I am sure you understand!!
Stopping from the Lady Bloggers Social Tea Party... very entertaining.
Just can't stand being hot....I feel for you!
Oh man... I just can't sleep if it's too hot.
And btw, that mint julep sounds divine! :-)
"The Vapors"??? I LOVE THAT!!! Lady, I've got ME some vapors, too! That's going to be my saying of the summer! Thanks for sharing it . . . .
I like going to bed when it's slightly chilly, because I snuggle under a blanket, even in the summer. I'm a warm body in the morning, so the a/c is fine with me. Where it gets me is before bedtime, when I'm not a warm body and the house feels cold.
But forcing you into the Vapors...honey, we need to have a talk with that man o'yours!!
VAPORS HERE, VAPORS THERE, VAPORS EVERYWHERE! Love this post. And, like some of your other fans, love the a/c in the summer - nothing like snuggling up in the blanket when it is still 95 degrees outside and 68 degrees inside. Oh, and the ceiling fan? Well, mine runs for about 10-11 months a year -- and we live in Chicago!!!!! Can you even imagine a ceiling fan in January or February in Chicago? Well I can and I do!!!!
Keep cool! It's only going to get hotter as the summer grows on!
Have a mint julep for me!
Ok . . . so I had to make you laugh and leave you another comment on this one. Today, after reading your post, I spent sometime outside cutting our lawn. My neighbor was out and I, being the clever witty soul that I am, said, "Man, it's a hot one . . . I'm vaporizing today!!"
Luckily - this neighbor is a good friend. She said, "You're what?" and I said, "Vaporizing . . . you know . . . like they say down south?" She looked at me like I had 2 heads. I looked at her like she had 3. And now coming back her to your post . . . I'm laughing so hard I am crying!!! VAPORIZING??? What the hell - am I a vicks rub, or what????
;)
Sorry, honey, but that man doesn't get to decide that you have to be uncomfortable while he gets what he wants... Keep the a/c on just a little higher than normal and tell him he can just adjust the American way of life.
My husband tried that stuff back in the day. The house was so hot, you could see the levels of heat going up the stairs. Of course, he'd take off his shirt when he got home and would sit around all comfy. Sooooooo, I fixed that. Yup. I took off MY top and came to the table au naturelle. WTF?! I told him if he could be comfortable in he house, so could my girls and I and to please pass the salt. The a/c was turned on within a half hour! A man will get away with controlling you as much as you let him. Before long, it's too late, and you have no control.
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