April 30th, 2020

I watch a lot of HGTV.  Usually either while I am ironing or when I'm very busy not sleeping in the middle of the night.    Each of the decorating shows has it's own unique perspective, their own style which I appreciate.  Some are more minimalist, others kind of glitzy.    This stylist is more contemporary and that one more traditional.  I enjoy them all even though they are each so very different.  But I have noticed that the one thing they all seem to agree on is that they hate ceiling fans. 

Which makes it obvious to me that either none of them lives in and old Florida house OR they  prefer form over function.

Not  Tim and I.  We would rather be comfortable.  Which means we have ceiling fans of one sort or another in every room of this house (two in the family room), a box fan and one large fan on a stand that isn't actually being used at the moment.  Come August it will be pressed into service.

Our ceiling fans are on 24/7- 365.   In the warmer weather, it circulates the cooler air conditioned air which helps the house feel cooler without lowering the temperature more than is a good idea.  In the cooler weather (and yes we have some of that too), when the heat rises up to the ceiling (as heat does) the ceiling fans push that nice toasty warmth right back down to us. 

On a really hot day, when you just feel like you are melting, sitting under or in front of a moving fan is bliss.  The droning hum is kind soothing and the gentle sweep of cool air over your hot sweaty skin is instant relief.  If you have an oscillating fan it's nearly hypnotic.  Oh you poor people with your hermetically sealed and perfectly temperature controlled buildings will never know the pleasure of relaxing in room cooled by a fan.  Seriously, it's therapeutic.

The box fan?  Well that is in our bedroom and is only on at night.  I think it provides "whitenoise" for Tim and therefore helps him sleep.    Doesn't bother me one bit.  Once my hearing aides come out, I don't hear it anyway.

Or at least that is what the box fan is usually  used for.  Recently it was called into service in the kitchen window above the sink for a change.

It started because I wanted to make a special dinner for Tim.  A treat!  Something I don't usually do.  As I perused the contents of the freezer  and the pantry (to see what there was available to work with) I decided to make fried chicken.  Tim loves fried chicken.

I don't often make it for several reasons.  First of all, fried food is not especially healthy food and I do try to cook healthy for us.  Secondly, I avoid fried food because my body does not like it.  My mouth does, but whenever I eat fried foods my digestive system becomes more of an exorcism.  Not good.  And the third reason is because it causes such a dang mess!

Now I am the first to admit that I am a messy cook.  Good but messy.  But fried food cooking kind of mess is an entirely different level of messy.  Anything oily or greasy  is a major pain in the arse to clean.  AND then there is the smell.  It lingers.  

And it's a funny thing about some cooking or food related smells.    They are initially yummy but within an hour or so of eating, kind of gross.  I find that with bacon especially.  The entire time that bacon is cooking our tummies are just about singing and dancing with bacon joy.  An hour later I'm scrubbing the entire kitchen down, opening windows, spraying air freshner and swearing that I'm never again cooking bacon.

And it's not just fried foods either.   Cantelope and Corn on the Cob are two other culprits that immediately come to mind.  I love both of them.  I love the smell of them when I"m preparing, serving and eating them.  But in the garbage?  Cantelope rind and the empty corn cob are so gross it makes me gag just thinking about it.  Bah.

Back to dinner the other night.  Because I knew what was going to happen, before I even began frying the chicken, I asked Tim if he would please put the boxfan in the kitchen window facing out so it pulls the inside air outside.  It works.

Once upon a time I had a sort of exhaust fan above the stovetop.  It was a part of the microwave which is above the stove.  Having a microwave above the range is honestly not ideal, but it's a small kitchen and again, there was a built in exhaust fan in the microwave unit that we bought.  Please note "Was".  Past Tense.

I didn't have one for very long.  Not long after my beautiful kitchen reno was done we had a smallish kitchen fire.  Broke  my heart.  Other than the smoke on the ceiling which was a major pain in the arse to clean, the only thing permanently damaged was my microwave oven. Dang it.  While it still works as much as I generally use it (re-heating and popcorn) the exhaust fan part was fried.  Soooo one does what one must.

At some point we will replace the microwave and then once again have a sort of exhaust fan (honestly the microwave ones are not fabulous anyway)  at least the box fan in the kitchen window trick works for now.

So there you have it.  For many reasons, we are pro-fan.

Oh not the fans cheering in the stands kind of fan. Also we like those too. I'm talking strictly about the mechanical fans.  Those we are big fans of.  And one thing we know for certain, I will never be an interior designer because apparently they are Anti-Fan.  And I think maybe we are anti- anti-fan thoughts. Don't two negatives make a positive?