The coolest it got overnight Friday was 73°F — not exactly chilly, but it’d have to do. The temperature inside the cabin went down to 75°F, so managing the environment for Smudge and me would start there.
I closed the windows at the north end of the cabin (they’d been open while we slept) and moved one of the large fans to draw from what should be the coolest corner of the cabin during the morning hours, the northwest. The other fan I placed so that it pulled conditioned air out of the bedroom.
Outside, the temperature had passed the 80°F mark by 8am, on its way to an afternoon high of 94°F and a forecast heat index of 101°F. Essentially, it’d be a repeat of Friday.
Relative humidity was a muggy 79%. At least there was a breeze.
I harbored no illusions that I could keep it truly comfortable in the cabin. My plan was to extend how long it’d remain tolerable the first half of the day and, as a result, shrink The Window of Misery at the other end.
Though I’d take no steps toward continuing to insulate the walls yesterday, I did calculate that the two unopened rolls I have left would get me to the southwest window. With two more rolls, which would set me back 50 bucks, I could insulate the rest of the open space on that wall, and cover the south wall behind the head of the bed.
I believe that’s what I’ll do. I think it’ll make a difference, however small.
With windows and doors closed, heat that builds inside the cabin has to go somewhere. The only outlet is a passive ridge vent running the length of the roof.
I’m sure it works. I’m equally certain it’s not nearly enough.
It may make sense, when resources allow, to install a passive vent on each gable end. That might encourage cross-ventilation, as well as giving heat another avenue of escape.
You may recall that polystyrene rafter baffles were installed in the cabin last summer. Their purpose is to direct air entering through the soffit vents along the inside of the roof and toward the ridge vent. In hot weather, they channel heat (rising from the sun-baked exterior walls) away from the living space.
On one hand, they went up too soon — six had to be cut back to make way for electric and plumbing and will need to be replaced. More than a dozen weren’t attached securely, and I’ll also have to re-staple those.
But on the other hand, right now the baffles take unwanted heat in the right direction. I won’t complain.
And what about installing (and insulating) an actual ceiling? Yeah, that’d be great. It’s just not in the budget anytime soon.
At 10am, I took the pulse of conditions — 87°F and 66% humidity outside, while in the kitchen the numbers were 80°F and 62%. Still good, pretty much what I expected. Very comfortable.
An hour later, it was 89°F/67% outdoors (heat index 99°F) and 84°F/56% inside. It looked like we’d be heading into the bedroom around noon (as usual).
Right on schedule, then, we beat our retreat as the outside temp reached 92°F and the heat index was 102°F. I stopped taking indoor temperature readings at that point. Lo que será, será.
Miss Smudge and I wouldn’t begin to get any natural relief for the next seven hours.
I walked out the front door shortly after 1pm. The east wall was out of direct sun by then, though reflected heat from the back yard gravel wouldn’t let it start to cool off for a couple of hours.
Coming back inside confirmed that it was, indeed, cooler there. Maybe a better description would be, “noticeably not as hot.”
Sometimes I have to get creative with fan placement. This one — sitting atop a drawer unit, a first-aid kit, and a toolbox — scavenges cooled air from the AC and directs it toward the bed. It works… sort of.
With an eye on combining the objectives of keeping cool, refueling the Silverado, and rehabbing Smudge, around 3pm we loaded up and headed out. I wanted to make the trip memorable for her, though, and in a good way.
McDonald’s.
We traveled the back way toward Gassville, up and over the east end of Hall Mountain and through Rea Valley. We took our drive-thru meal down to Big Spring Park in Cotter, and then it was on to Casey’s in Flippin. A few snapshots:
All-in-all, Smudge did very well. Only once — at the park, when a family got out of their SUV on her side — did she go to the floor. I coaxed her back onto the seat with fries.
While we were out, I took notice of something she did as we drove along — she rested her head on the console, wedging her snout between the cupholders and the padded lid. I remembered her doing that as a puppy, when she used to ride in the truck almost every day.
And that had me recalling her personality back then — jumpy, shy around people, not at all interested in socializing. (Later she went through a full-tilt Cujo phase, but whatever.) It got me wondering, when was the last time that she had to interact with strangers?
It was March 29th, of course. Oh, she’s laid eyes on the electrician and my plumber-neighbor from the comfort of her crate, but that’s it.
The truth is, and for better or worse (you should pardon the expression), this is her personality. It’s been months now since she’s been around anyone but me, and it would seem that she likes it that way.
Smudge and I will keep working, but I’m not gonna over-think this. She is who she is.
We got back to The Mountain about 4:30pm — still insanely hot, and only a bit cooler in the cabin. The time between 3:00pm and 6:00pm is The Window of Misery, impossible to manage with the tools I have.
And yesterday was the longest day of the year.
As 6pm approached, the south wall went into shade and the north wall got direct sun, albeit only for 90 minutes or so, and then the cabin would begin the gradual process of cooling down.
It may not be readily apparent, I suppose, but it’s not just the structure and the air inside that get hot — every fixture and piece of furniture and solid object acts like a heat sink. It takes a long time for that to dissipate, even after the sun is down and the air is cooling.
Looking back, I think I did everything I could yesterday. I didn’t get a win, necessarily, but the loss could’ve been worse.
I may have learned a few things. The experiment continues.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable