Ever since I can remember, my father has been a landscaper.
Regardless of the season, dad would be outside working.
He spent the summer tending to lawns, and creating yard art out of hedges and large shrubbery. I loved going with him to see the beautiful statues he created with nothing but hedge trimmers and clippers. He was a true artist. When we got home, he would disappear into the garage. I thought he was cleaning his equipment or sharpening them, but mom said he was escaping the air conditioning. Because he worked outside all summer long, the air conditioning was too cold for him. He had heat in the truck when he was plowing snow in the winter, and he would freeze if we didn’t have a furnace. The warmer the better with the furnace. I never thought about how it would affect me if I had to work outside full time. Now that I am older and have a home, I often call dad. Mom passed away, and I know he often forgets to turn on the air conditioner. He is no longer working full-time, but he still putzed around in his garden. When they put out a heat alert, I call to make sure he isn’t out in the sun, and hopefully he has the air conditioning on. He always tells me he has the fans running, but he still doesn’t think he needs the air conditioner. I hope my father has the ability to continue working outside for a long time. If he ever needs to stay inside and use air conditioning to be comfortable, I think he’ll just give up.