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Some of you may remember the phrase, “Open sesame.” It comes from the tale of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, an English translation of Arabic words used in the story to open the mouth of a magic cave. I haven’t heard it spoken in a while but that phrase seemed to float through the popular culture commonly when I was a kid. Back then, it never made sense to me. So I interpreted it for myself, believing people were saying, “Open! Says me!” I liked that command better. All this came to mind after this weekend’s weather allowed me to do something I haven’t done in about five months: open the windows in my condo.
I love being outdoors, which is one reason I enjoy South Florida so much. Even in the hottest months, I can eat outside regularly and I rarely have to consider the climate when making plans to do something. But in the cooler season, the weather turns from sultry tropical to refreshing temperate. Usually from sometime in late October until around May, I can pretty much put my air conditioner into a long hibernation. I always look forward to that.
So to me, the first window opening of the fresh-weather season really does feel almost magical. It’s the flip side of springtime up north, when residents finally get to open their homes after a cold winter. On Saturday here in the Fort Lauderdale area, the breeze was blowing robustly, with enough clouds to keep the sunshine from heating things up too much. And the humidity felt lower than it’s been. Low enough that I stepped outside on my patio and thought, “This feels good. In fact, this feels so good that I’m opening up!” I didn’t say, “Open! Says me!” but I might have. I slid back the glass patio door with real satisfaction. Then I walked through the condo, unlocking and raising or cranking open the windows in every room. It was great. I was inhaling air with the scent of ocean salt and grass on it and feeling the flow of free wind on my skin as I sat indoors. It was still a bit too early to sleep with the windows open, though, so I closed everything up by late Saturday night and turned on the a.c. But it won’t be long now until I can raise the windows again – and keep them that way until next year. And I won’t even require any magic phrases to make it happen.
I love being outdoors, which is one reason I enjoy South Florida so much. Even in the hottest months, I can eat outside regularly and I rarely have to consider the climate when making plans to do something. But in the cooler season, the weather turns from sultry tropical to refreshing temperate. Usually from sometime in late October until around May, I can pretty much put my air conditioner into a long hibernation. I always look forward to that.
So to me, the first window opening of the fresh-weather season really does feel almost magical. It’s the flip side of springtime up north, when residents finally get to open their homes after a cold winter. On Saturday here in the Fort Lauderdale area, the breeze was blowing robustly, with enough clouds to keep the sunshine from heating things up too much. And the humidity felt lower than it’s been. Low enough that I stepped outside on my patio and thought, “This feels good. In fact, this feels so good that I’m opening up!” I didn’t say, “Open! Says me!” but I might have. I slid back the glass patio door with real satisfaction. Then I walked through the condo, unlocking and raising or cranking open the windows in every room. It was great. I was inhaling air with the scent of ocean salt and grass on it and feeling the flow of free wind on my skin as I sat indoors. It was still a bit too early to sleep with the windows open, though, so I closed everything up by late Saturday night and turned on the a.c. But it won’t be long now until I can raise the windows again – and keep them that way until next year. And I won’t even require any magic phrases to make it happen.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 2:49 PM
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