Sunday, July 2, 2017

It's Curtains for You!



Why do so many people live in the dark?

We were at an RV park in Stuart, Florida, and we noticed the "rig" next to us had those foil bubble sheets in all the windows.   I am not sure if they were developing film in there or whether it was a portable grow-room for marijuana.   One thing's for sure - no natural light was getting in!

We also noticed that newer RVs have few windows.   In some rigs, one whole side has no windows whatsoever.  The doors, which used to have frosted panes, now are just blank slabs.   And another trend is to put windows way up high, so light comes in, but you can't see out.

Houses are not much different.   Many modern homes have few windows.  They will have windows on the front, but few on the sides or back.   People want dark rooms, it seems, to watch television.

What is going on here?  Are Americans turning in Vampires?   Or privacy freaks? 


Maybe we're freaks, but we like more light and more view, not less!

We recently took out the old wooden double-hung windows in our bedrooms and replaced them with sliding glass doors.   We had poured a concrete patio and then added a screen room (#3 on this house).   The nice thing about a screen room is that it can act like one-way glass.   You can see out, but others can't see in.   So you can leave the drapes open all the time without worry.

Others are less sure.   I think a lot of people live in real fear of being seen naked.  They are convinced that the neighbors will see their titties or something and they will never live down the embarrassment.

And I am not kidding about this.  I know folks who are convinced that light will bend around corners (which it will, near a very, very heavy celestial body).   They are so scared of being "seen" they stuff rags in the cracks around their window shades, convinced the "peeping Tom" has some sort of zig-zag vision and will "see in".   Venetian blinds are never enough for this set - hey, if the light can come in then surely people can see in, too, right?

As I noted, a lot of this Count Dracula behavior relates to television.  People want to watch Tee-Vee and outside light glares on the screen.  So they turn their living rooms into darkrooms.   And maybe some of it is related to energy saving, trying to keep heat in or heat out, depending on the season.

But lack of natural sunlight can be hazardous to your physical and mental health.   Sunlight productes vitamin D in your body.  And it keeps your mental attitude sunny as well.   Living in the dark is depressing and dull.

Let the sunshine in!  Pry open your coffin, and live!