It is finally getting cold here in south Georgia so I figured it was time to bite the bullet and remove the window units.

Don’t you have central air?  Yes as a matter of fact I do have central air but I also have an old system that decided to crap out in one of the hottest weeks this summer and so we bought a couple of window units.  They have been fantastic.  Especially in those last few weeks where it wasn’t hot enough to get the entire house cold but too hot to sleep comfortably, turn on the window unit- perfection.

But like I said, it’s getting cold and the heat register for our bedroom is right underneath the window so the a/c had to go (especially since we did not weather strip it at all so the cold air was just pouring in.

Here are some things I learned in this process.  Things I will hopefully remember next year.

Dear self:

1. That window unit has been sitting there for months.  You have been living in south Georgia for long enough to realize that if anything sits for longer than a few minutes then it will be covered in pollen and pinestraw.  Not sure why you thought it would be all right to just pull it on in the house without checking the top of it.  Sidenote: remember to pull up register to clean out pinestraw you dumped down it.

2. Once again- been here awhile now, lizards are everywhere.  And when it gets cold they might just seek out a small little opening in which hot air (for which you are paying) is pumping out of.  The appropriate response is not to scream and damn near drop the a/c.  Just give a quick nod and tell him to move.  If he decides to then crawl up inside the window ensuring a gruesome death when the window closes, there isn’t much you can do.  No blood on your hands, you gave him plenty of warning with the stick thing to the blinds.

3. When the halfassed weather stripping job falls from the window, it is not a lizard and therefore once again, screaming and nearly dropping the a/c unit again is not an appropriate response.

4. When you hear water pouring onto the floor don’t automatically assume it is one of the dogs peeing.  The time you spend trying to twist around (still holding a/c unit precariously on windowsill) to see which one is peeing and tell them to stop and go to their room will only allow more water from the a/c unit to POUR onto the floor and down the register.  Sidenote: remember towels when cleaning up pinestraw which is now wet pinestraw.

5. For the love of god that piece of plastic that is whipping around in the draft is not a lizard!

6. There is more water in the unit than you think.  But don’t worry- you’ve got three dogs who seem to like the taste of water that’s been sitting inside a window unit for god only knows how long.

I’m beginning to think it would be best if these things don’t make a return appearance.