It's Never Like This Here

BadAunt's complaints about the heat in Japan remind me unhappily of how much time we spent sweating in New England. The little churches where we performed every night were not air-conditioned and after taking on heat all day resembled hell much more than heaven. We had the choice of singing in attic-like conditions or opening the doors and being devoured, along with our audiences, by mosquitos.

Nothing in northern New England is air-conditioned. This is, no doubt, on the theory that since it HARDLY EVER is very hot there, the expense of air-conditioners is not justified. So during the hot days, which actually come EVERY year (and surprise and annoy the residents EVERY time), everybody just sweats all day and all night.

We have the complementary problem here - it does, in fact, snow or ice here in North Carolina EVERY winter. EVERY time, the city councils are taken by surprise and guess what, they don't know how to deal with it and haven't got enough snow plows (because it HARDLY EVER happens), so the kids get a snow day when there's an inch of snow - or, as last winter, get stranded overnight in their schools for 1/4 inch of ice on the roads.

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