Grandma Zohner’s sister drowned when she was 16. Losing someone that close was tough on Grandma. I paid the price when we went fishing at a sand pit by Columbus. Grandma would tie a rope around my waist and the other end to a tree. It slowed down my fishing, but Grandma was happier knowing her “favorite grandson” was safe. Better safe than sorry.
Bluegill fish were very visible in that clear water and were aggressive. They would bite on anything. Grandma giggled as I excitedly caught fish after fish. We made quite a pair. Often the fish we removed from the hook was the first one to get caught again!
Grandma always made the best picnic lunches. It’s amazing how a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is made with love tastes. There was always pie or great deserts like Kolaches. Those were slower times full of great memories that were more than fishing.
At the end of our fishing day, we rolled the windows down in that 1965 Dodge Coronet to get the comfort of hot air blowing on us. Most of us would not think of rolling down windows for comfort today, but the air conditioning was not as common then.
Comfort and expectations have changed dramatically through the years. We expect to be completely comfortable and safe in cars. Today cars have 30 to 50 computer functions in them. That technology came at a price. It was possible to purchase a car in 1965 for $2K or less. Today a similar car is over $30K, but very comfortable.
Comfort in my grandparent’s homes back then was marginal too. The Zones and Beringer’s both had simple heating stoves in their living rooms. That room was typically hot and the rest of the rooms were cold. The inside of some outside walls had frost on them. That’s just the way things were back then for many. Comfort wasn’t really about wealth.
Today, just like with the automotive industry, things have changed dramatically for the heating and air conditioning industry. Safety and comfort come with the product. Expectations have gone up and computers are everywhere. Comfort takes precise control and is at our fingertips.
Quality thermostats are an incredible improvement to provide comfort. It’s possible to know inside and outside temperatures, humidity levels, and overall system operation.
Thermostats can be set precisely to maintain total comfort on your schedule. Setting the thermostat has never been easier because the thermostat prompts us through the process.
The Lennox i-Comfort and Trane Nexia are two of the better thermostats. They are easy to program and seem to provide the best functions. Cost is slightly more than the Nest, which does not schedule as well because it reprograms itself as it tracks the actual usage and schedule of the user. Nest accuracy suffers because users vary their schedules.
The Lennox i-Comfort and Trane Nexia can be adjusted by touch or even a Smartphone from anywhere in the world. They accurately control temperature and humidity recovery times for peak summer and winter demands. Warranties are better too.
A great example of how incredibly fast change can be in the HVAC industry is this month Lennox announced 24 equipment changes and overall improvements that are taking place this year. The changes will make installation and maintenance easier, as well as improve overall comfort. Trane has similar announcements on the horizon. It’s an exciting industry to work in and an ongoing challenge to stay ahead of changes.
As the world around us is full of chaos and changes, it’s nice to be able to reflect on simpler times and have that as a foundation. It appears we are more fortunate in the Midwest than most.
Our community is made up of approximately 72% of those that have moved here from small towns, farms, and other nearby areas. Many of those have similar “fishing experiences”.
We kind of stick to ourselves for the most part and support local businesses. That’s important because local businesses put approximately three times more money per dollar of sales back into the local economy than national chains.
At the same time, there will be national chains like Lennox and Trane that have a big impact on the safety and health of our community. We will need to rely on their expertise to help provide quality air with proper air filtration and humidity.
As always, my job is to share the changes with you and keep our community safer. Please stay safe and warm my friend!
