When friends from out of town ask to visit, they know they’ll be sleeping on a pull-out couch. No one seems to mind. But in the summertime, when I inform them I have no air conditioning and no screens, few believe me. The original in-the-wall air conditioner in my 1959 condo conked out in 2006. Replacing it would require ripping up and rewiring
the wall and I’ve never had the inclination to do so. Neither can I bring myself to replace the broken dishwasher or stove.
Hot spells can be oppressive, even claustrophobic. When heat envelops me, I sweat, swell up, get dizzy. At times I feel like I’m going to faint. The failure of my body to adjust disrupts my circadian rhythm and agitates my sleep cycle. To cool off, I sleep with my windows open for the nighttime breeze from Lake Michigan which means on weekends I hear 2:00 am passersby mixing it up from the bars down the street and cars and motorcycles gunning it on my corner. North Lake Shore Drive makes an “S” curve at Oak Street Beach right outside my building and the occasional emergency siren wakes me as it hones in on late night crashes.
Summer sleep can be exasperating. I rise with the sun at dawn because my blinds are open all the time to catch the changing light and moving clouds. Oh, there are some — I’ve run out of wall space, so I hang paintings and dangle sculptures from drapery rods in front of partially closed blinds.
When I was about 10 years old, I occasionally slept outside in the summer on a porch with no screens. Mosquitoes didn’t bother me there. But when I slept inside, the bloodsuckers buzzed my ears until they found a juicy spot to prick my skin. I figured this was because mosquitoes come inside through the screens and can’t get out. I vowed to get rid of all the screens as soon as I had control over my own surroundings. And so I did. 
Some visitors are afraid of the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus so they spray gobs of poisonous DEET all over themselves. I’m as afraid of West Nile as I am of getting hit by a bus. Bugs fly in. Bugs fly out. Mosquitoes, moths, flies, bees, wasps — they come in, take a look around and go out.
An occasional sparrow or pigeon may fly in too, but they find their way out once Ozzy the dog wakes up and gets wind of them. City life with all the windows open, nature buzzing around, birds chirping, cars honking, buses burping, lake breezes, the sound of rain on the trees – all of it fills me with joie de vivre. I wouldn’t live any other way.
So, if you’re nostalgic for life before air conditioning, come to my place. You’ll be cooled and calmed by slow-whirring fans and iced lemonade.
Regan Burke 
An interesting peek into the life of Regan. I think I’d manage the heat better than the threat of mosquitoes. We used to sit in a screened porch and enjoy hearing the little buggers diving for our arms, only to be thwarted by the screens. You have a way of making even the flow of traffic sound enticing.
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I liked this explanation of your way of living. Good descriptions. I admire your stoicism.
Mosquitoes have loved me
Inside or out. As a little girl my mom had to spray me. The bites would get infected and I was miserable. Today- I mow at Carol’s and use a special
Spray- the mosquitoes are huge there”. I use a special spray. According to what I have read it depends on your body chemistry whether or not mosquitoes like you.
A
Sent from my I Phone
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You have brought summer pre-airconditioning back wonderfully. And a great bunch of lettuce from the farmer’s market brought a small butterfly into my condo Saturday, entertaining my clerical cats for days!
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I love this essay for so many reasons, especially the way it gives readers a picture of Chicago they may not have considered before: many, many Chicagoans live near a huge body of water. And you, dear Regan, have a unique way of appreciating that fact. Thanks for sharing. _____
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You captured much of my childhood and I thank you for this!
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