Dang It's Hot!!! How do you stand it!!! Tips Please

Toni,

I know the heart has to worker harder to cold down the body the higher the heat. Might be a good idea to tell your doctor. Strange part is I take water pills for high blood pressure but even as a child I couldn't handle the heat well, never sweated much if at all.

Judy

Good morning Judy!

My doctor is all too familiar with my heart as I had a triple by-pass exactly two years ago this past friday. I also have type 2 diabetes so that just complicates matters even more! Watcha gonna do? I thank God He gave me another chance. I just wish I could do things the way I used to be able to. My DH helps me out alot so I can continue to fuss in my garden. As long as it's not too hot...I'm good!

Toni

It seems to have gotten much too hot..way too early here in Texas, with no rain at all. The last couple weeks I worked myself out trying to get caught up on some stuff before having surgery on left thumb on Wednesday. It was miserable then and still is now..but now I have an excuse to stay in. Not much fun inside, either..not much one can do one-handed here. This typing is a real challenge, let me tell you.

Kris

Kris,

Bless your heart!!! If I only had one hand with which to type, I wouldn't, couldn't, etc. !!! Everything is a challenge, pulling your pants up, combing your hair, shower..... Mercy!!!

Hope it heals quickly. How long will your thumb be out of commission? What did you have done?

Judy





This message was edited Jun 12, 2005 9:15 AM

Well, several years ago we lived in a mobile home with no a/c. One night it was so humid and hot out, close to 90 at midnight. The kids all in bed "sound asleep" with fans on them, so DH and I decide to take a walk out to the cornfield in the moonlight....wearing nothing but our smiles. I have to tell you it felt wonderfully free and comfortable!!! (we were way out in the country then) We heard a noise behind us and turned around to find our 9 year old daughter walking behind us, arghhhhh, wearing only a smile!!! We have since learned that even at midnight, 9 year old kids can't be trusted. We never did that again.....but my friend loves to tell the story of how her "farmer friends run naked through the cornfields". Signed, Anonymous :)

misty - any mosquitos??? itch itch

Dang I'm allergic to insect bites, the next morning I would just be one big whelp and be i t c h i n g !! lol lol

Judy

You know Sarv, it was even too hot for the squiters....nothing bitin us ....or maybe we didn't notice ;)

Now get those thoughts right outta your head....keep in mind, we turned around to find a child following us!!!

Oh no, it just occured to me that could be why she's so boy crazy...I'm going to therapy now....LOL

One way to avoid heat - move to Ireland!!!

sigh - I dream of hot weather - we're lucky to go above 60 degrees here - my brug babies are a bit stunted. But, the hostas are doing just fine. We actually had a sunny day yesterday - you should have seen the people out in droves. Went to the Hill of Tara and just laid in the sun with a huge smile on my face.

Judy, I actually escape the heat by living in the mountains. I just cannot do heat anymore!

Darius,

We live in the woods so a good part of the yard is in shade. I just REALLY don't know how people who live in this area but do not have trees can handle this heat.

Judy

It's 73º here in my shade, 4 PM.

darius,
aaahhhhh.......... I say slightly green with envy- LOL!!

Well, it does get hotter, even up in the high 80's sometimes, but not for long. : )

Judy, I had to have the thumb joint closest to the wrist replaced and the joint above it fused. i am in splint from end of fingers (entire thumb) to elbow. this will stay on until 23 rd when I go back to doctor to have cast on. It will be minimum 3 months before i am close to being ready to go back to work. (Little do they know that when that time comes, I am going to retire..lol)

Right now the worst is the itching that is going on under everything. They made some cuts (forgot why..maybe to remove some ligaments to use) along the forearm and thats what is making me crazy. I know there are wounds there which is the olny thing preventing me from using a knife or something to reach up under to scratch.

Thanks for asking. I am finally beginning to feel a little better, but still cant type worth a flip one handed..LOL I DID manage to get out to water my stuff this morning.

I suppose there is no good time to have surgery like that!!! Bless you is all I've got to say. Whew!!!

Judy

Hi sbarr ... while you dream of our warm weather ... I'm dreaming of your beautiful country. I've read soooo many books about Ireland and would love to see the country there. It sounds so enchanting.

sbarr - 60 F is my kind of weather!!! When we peg 100F here I'm too dang hot for sure!!

Judy

Judy, what do you do to get rid of the ticks? I got Lymes Disease last fall and I'm going to try to avoid ticks at all costs.

We were supposed to have thunderstorms yesterday and today. I was so hoping that it would cool off and I didn't water the garden. No rain at all now.

Kris, I hope your thumb heals quickly. Being one handed is no fun at all.

For Ticks:

The Vinegar of the Four Thieves is a super-strong insect repellent. It should be diluted with water to half strength if you spray it directly on your skin. This repellent can be used many ways. Splashed on your socks or shoes will discourage ticks, chiggers, and mites. An herbal cloth kept in your pocket and rubbed on your skin ever hour or so would be very beneficial during outdoor work or recreation. Or, a nightly bath with a little herbal vinegar and oil will keep it on your skin for many hours and could prove helpful for families who live in the country or while out on camping trips.

Vinegar of the 4 Thieves

* 2 quarts of apple cider vinegar
* 2 tablespoons lavender
* 2 tablespoons rosemary
* 2 tablespoons sage
* 2 tablespoons wormwood
* 2 tablespoons rue
* 2 tablespoons mint
* 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped garlic (optional, see note below)

Combine dried herbs (except garlic) and vinegar in a one-gallon jar with lid, and soak in the sun for 2 weeks, shaking often. Then strain out the used herbs, and retain the herbal liquid mixture. Add several cloves of crushed garlic, and close lid. Let soak for three days, and strain out the garlic fiber and discard. This liquid tincture needs to be stored in a cool place, like the refrigerator, or it can be preserved by canning. Fill canning jar with boiling liquid tincture to within one-half inch of top. Cap with rubber seal canning lid, tighten ring, and turn hot jar upside down; leave it undisturbed until it cools to room temperature. This will cause the jar to seal. Don’t forget to date and label it.

(These herbs are available pre-mixed from The Bulk Herb Store, 1010 Pearl Road, Pleasantville, TN 37033. Write and ask for a free catalog at address above or visit www.bulkherbstore.com)

Info from: http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/index.php?id=25&backPID=21&tt_news=85
You should read the info. on the website, interesting story of how it got the name. Plus, garlic is optional... most of the recipes for this vinegar do not mention garlic.

Thanks Darius I'm gonna be bathing in it!!! lol

elsie - we just get poison from Lowe's. We used liquid the prior time, but are going back to the granuals this time. We have two acres around the house to treat.

Judy

Does anyone remember the old-timey fans that you put ice or water in a reservoir behind it and it felt almost like AC when it blew on you?
I remember my Great Aunt had an ancient one when I was a kid. When we would visit in the summer we'd sit on the porch and that thing was soo cool! I was a kid so I can't remember a lot of details or how it looked. I do know it was made from some kind of black metal and it was pretty big.
Wonder if you can still find them anywhere? I guess it'd help if I knew what they were called exactly- LOL! I would LOVE to have one for my front porch when I sit in my rockers.

Berrygirl, My DH said they are called Evaporative Cooler and can be purchased through Farmtek at www.farmtek.com They go from $329 to $1100. You hook a hose up to them and they can be used on patios, barns, etc.

My DH says that many years ago they used to be called Swamp Coolers, but these are something on the same principle.

:) Kathy

Swamp Cooler? At least that's the name I always hear. I have never seen one, but my husband talks about his grandmother's swamp cooler.

A lot of homes in the more arid climates use the evaporative or 'swamp' coolers for indoor cooling rather than 'refrigeration' (air conditioning), particularly in the desert southwest of the US. Those misters under the eaves are really popular for porches and outdoor patios of both homes *AND* restaurants there, too. :)

(I had to pop in after lurking in here all day and chuckling.)

Donna

Hello all,

I normallly don't post on other forums, but in surfing around
tonight I found this to be a fun group and thought I'd join in.
In real life I wouldn't be so apt to just start blabbering, but
heck, this is the internet, alas my alter ego emerges.

Kathy Ann, had to laugh about your mailman. I had the
same issue with a next door neighbor. Over the years
he was quite the perv, but I finally went over for a visit and
a chat with his wife, and suddenly, it stopped. Either his
wife had-a-talkin-to-him, or he realized I was nearing 40 and
I didn't look up close the same way he saw from afar, LOL!

And just what is it with those mail folks driving up and honking?
What happened to the rain, snow, sleet thing? Ours is a grouchy
woman who lays on the horn for five minutes. Then just when you
think she's gone, she lays on the horn again. Get your butt out
of the truck and put the package on the step outside the gate or
something, for Pete's sake! Sheesh!

I've even been waaaay back in the woods when she came, honking
like there was a fire drill, and as I'm trying to get back to the house
I hear her continuing to hoooonnnnnkkkkk. There is NO way I'm going
to run for her.

Now on to the purpose of my post, LOL. I get a kitchen towel
nice and wet, then wring it out and drape it over my neck. Just when
the heat outdoors is getting to me, I take the towel off, wipe down my
face and neck and put it back on my neck. Ahhh. Come break time,
I rinse it out and enjoy a nice cool towel again. Keeps your face nice
and clean, too!

I like this. I must be old timey. We have a whole house swamp cooler for my house, and another for Mom's. Mine is hanging in the south window of the bottom floor, and I open a window upstairs on the north. Better than AC since it doesn't dry things out, (me included), and oh the difference in my electric bill! In 1983 we had a large home in Tucson, with central AC. Electric bill averaged $250 a month. In 1980, we had a different home in Tucson, with a swamp cooler on the roof. Electric bill averaged $35 to 40.

I'm sure glad I'm not paying for A/C now, with the current rates for electric!

If you go to Froogle (under the Google banner) and type in 'Swamp Cooler' you will find many listed at far less than the Farmtek units. I think that's partly because many are single-room units.

Whew!!!! I'm outside doing chores and it is terribly hot already!!! It's suppose to be 94 F today..... dang!!

Judy

Judy, it is feeling pretty humid this morning. The blueberry farm near us opened this morning for picking blueberries; I was going to go, but it was so humid from all of last night's rain and it is sticky out, I just knew that I would be inundated with mosquitos. Wasn't in the mood to be bit today. I like to get there early in the a.m., they open at 8:00 and I'm there when the gate opens...then out of there before the sun gets too bad. I bring a few people with me and we can get several gallons in an hour and a half time.

BTW, I liked your picture. Did you get your hair cut? or just have it pulled back? It was a nice picture none the less. :) Kathy

Hey Judy! Back when I was younger (and dumber) I used to lay out in the sun in the zillion degree weather down here. Anyway, I would take a floor fan outside with me! Keeps the bugs off too - course you kinda have to stay in one place. Hee hee.

Oh and last Thursday we went my son's class to a local 'zoo'. Did a wagon ride in the sun. My mom had a spray bottle filled with ice cold water. It was fun squirting all the 3 year olds! They loved it!

Nicole

nc,
see my Elvis reference earlier- fans and sunbathing.

Good ideas, now I'm making a list.

Fan on a wagon so I can pull it around with me, long extension cord
A spray bottle of water
Misting wand if I'm going to be in an area very long
Cold towel around my neck
chilled witch hazel in a bowl, cloth for applying to exposed parts
Minimum clothes
Sprinkler going so I can run through it
Outside shower - Mount a clip on the back porch to hold the plant watering wand, affix a water cutoff where it connects to hose!!

It's a plan..........

PS Reminder mailman comes in the afternoon, therefore no wet t-shirts until after he has delivered.

Hey Judy ... you forgot 1. Do like MistyMeadows and just wear "nothing but a smile"! *giggle*

You must get your mailman to change his route! He should come to your house in the morning so you don't have to worry about that! Tell him we said so! :)

It's 1/4 mile to my mailbox and from there he wouldn't be able to tell, but he comes up to the house when he has to deliver boxes of plants. I'm not going to stop the plant shipments so, I guess the "strays barking" would give me enough time before he was far enough up the driveway to see anything.

IO1- 'Wearing nothing but a smile' is reserved for twilight rendezvous on the mosquito net enclosed porch hammock.......

Hey Judy, I think Fed Ex does night deliveries....:)

I was thinking you should have your plants delivered to a neighbors' :)

Judy,

Saturday when I finally got to mow the yard between rain showers, it was so hot that I kept going to the hose and just wetting my head. I got my hair cut short and I had a towel to soak as well around my neck. It works. DH said I wasn't near as red as usual when I got finished.

And - always a nice cool shower aftewards!

m.

Ok, yall, we have our swimming pool for sale LOL. someone called on it yesterday, it's an above ground, guess were wanting too much for 4 year old pool. kids don't have time, and I only take baths in it LOL.

our mail man does ride out to the greenhouse if he does see me out there, so I shouldn't complain about him. our female mail lady waits for me to come hither.

it has been a scorcher here, my son and I worked outside till noon yesterday then I couldn't stand it anymore, I had to stay out there with him, he was mowing around my plants, and moved my malibar spinach and knocked it over and ran over the plants with the lawn mower before I realized what he had done, and he said plant some more mom, I wanted to shoot him, but he's still alive, so yousee he's l4 and doesn't give a hoot, youknow the age. so I had to stay out there with him. he's thrilled when I give up ands ay let's go in.

I admit I didn't read every word of this thread but when Elvis's name came up I thought of his song that we regarded "naughty" at the time and part of it says "I get hot every time". Was that gardening he was talking about?

I like to get out early and be in by 11 on the hot days but often the 11 goes into 2 PM and I'm drenched. I used to be able to take the heat better and when it got too hot I'd just put the hose over my head. Met a neighbor, when we were new here, while I had the hose over my head just pouring down on me. He still hasn't forgotten it.

Now, if I had Elvis (without the gut and drugs) and a fan going I doubt if I'd think a second about gardening. I do wish he'd stop driving by on his bike and asking me questions about flowers - he always interrupts my train of thought.