These past few weeks have actually felt like winter. This has been a very mild winter to say the least. I have bumped into seasonal residents who tell me they come here for the mild winters and this cold is what they escape from. I respond that we just escaped the triple digits so I will welcome this any day.
The one downfall to this time of the year is that the mornings are much colder, so it’s harder to go for your morning walk without really bundling up. That’s uncomfortable when you’re out for exercise. Again I will take the change of cooler weather any day, especially this year.
A few months ago I was driving and decided to turn on my air conditioning. When I turned it on I heard a hissing sound, but it went away quickly so I thought to myself, oh well, if something is wrong I have a warranty.
This past January we were having an 80 degree day; I rolled up my window and turned on my A/C. Well, what do you know. The air was blowing but no cold air. I called the dealership and explained I have heat but no A/C. They said I just needed A/C recharge.
I took my car in to a local shop to get my oil change and told them I also need the A/C recharged. I told them to go ahead and do that, too. They said my car would be done in 45 minutes. I took advantage of the time and went for a long walk around the park and the Overlook Trail.
I approached the shop to see my car still up on the lift. It had now been over an hour. I sat in the waiting room for another 45 minutes.
Two hours later, I hear, “Mr. Cruikshank, your car is ready, but we have some bad news.”
The news: my compressor is dead and I need a new one along with an injection hose. I shut my eyes because I realized my car is now 2200 miles over the warranty.
I am not going to say how much this will cost but it’s enough to be thankful for this cooler weather and to delay as long as I can to get this fixed.
It is funny how warranties work. I had a home warranty on my house and no joke, one week after I let it expire, I ended up spending thousands in repairs the few months following its expiration.
The day is approaching that I will have to get this repair done. In the meantime I watch the weather outlook for the next 10 days every day. According to the forecast I am still okay but we all know that can change in March in a hurry.
Seasonal people who are in town often start to head back home after Easter. I guess that is when temps start to creep into the mid-80s. Visitors sense what is coming and pack up.
This year, when I sense that first blast of heat I will be packing up and heading to the local repair shop. I have to admit it will be nice to have my AC back because with the windows down you can’t really turn up the music without others knowing what you are listening to or even place a Bluetooth phone call without privacy.
I will end this by saying thank you for the cooler weather, and if you are a seasonal resident we welcome you to stay as long as you like or year round. Summer is not that bad; as you know it’s a “dry heat.” Stay in the pool or indoors or in your vehicle but A/C is a must. Having this luxury for me will come at a price.
