Often I have observed that September is our reward for putting up with Colorado the rest of the year: Generally clear skies, warm sunny days that don’t get too hot, brisk mornings, glowing aspen leaves — what’s not to like?
Well, as the nights get cooler — our first killing frost typically arrives around Sept. 20 — there’s a problem with windows.
Not with Windows on the computer in my home office; I eliminated those problems eight years ago when I switched to GNU/Linux. This window problem is distinctly low-tech. Like most old houses (mine was built in 1885 and expanded in 1908), mine uses double-hung sash windows with wooden frames. In theory, both the top and bottom sashes can slide up and down to provide for ventilation.
In practice, however, nothing just “slides.”
Opening windows in the spring, so that we don’t suffocate in the summer warmth, involves a work-out with a hammer and several pry-bars, and on occasion, a hydraulic bottle jack.
Closing them in the fall is usually simpler, although it’s not a casual undertaking, either. What this means is that you’re not likely to close the windows on the first cool September day, since you know it will warm up again soon and you’ll want the window open — a big job and one you know you’ll soon want to undo.
So September is not such a pleasant month indoors in the mountains. Close the windows too soon and you’ll bake some days. Keep them open too long and you’ll shiver or else waste much of your furnace’s work. And if you tried the adjust the sticky old windows to suit the day’s weather, you wouldn’t get anything else done.
I love September and I love my old house — but often they’re an uncomfortable mixture, and it’ll be a long time until I have enough money for new windows or even an overhaul of the old ones.
Ed Quillen is a freelance writer in Salida, Colorado.
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