Ever think of snoozing on the lawn of the State Capitol in Lincoln just to catch a breeze? Folks did it back in the 1930s instead of sleeping in stifling bedrooms, turning their pillows over just to feel the cool side, or dragging cots onto the front porch. Plenty of people remember the days before AC was common. We talked with a few for tips about beating the heat on sizzling summer days.
***
Louise Abrahamson's second-floor bedroom in her family's Omaha duplex became a hotbox in the summer.
"It was awful,'' the 92-year-old said.
So a couple of nights a week, she and her parents and brother would head out for a little urban camping to cool off.
Some nights, the family slept on the lawn of Omaha Central High School. Other nights they were at Elmwood Park.
All they took were a few blankets, pillows and sometimes a picnic dinner of hot dogs, chips and pop.
