Ways To Handle The Heat

I put this together last week in the middle of our 100+ degree days and posted it on Facebook.  The worst of the heat wave might be past us now, but just in case you need to know.....here's my two cents worth on the subject.

Having lived all but 4 years of my life in the south, I’ve become well acquainted with the how-tos of dealing with high temps (and I mean more than keep water available for the critters, here).  So in the heat of the moment (tehehe) I’m going to give you my best recommends for staying cool as a cucumber.  FYI…these are in no particular order …..except that the first item IS most important….the rest are random.  And no, I didn’t google this….this is life learning here….just for you.

1.        Water.  I would say stay hydrated, but some people think sweet tea hydrates.  It does not.  WATER!  And LOTS of it!

2.       Turn the lights out…psychologically it’ll make you feel cooler.

3.       Take your shoes off or at least wear open shoes.

4.       Wear light colored clothes.  Cotton is my favorite too….who cares if it wrinkles, it’s breezy.

5.       Unless you’re body is trained for it, DON”T exercise in the heat of the day and put yourself at risk.  Change it up a little and workout in the mornings or evenings.  And for heaven’s sake…..don’t mow the grass at 2, 3, 4 or 5 pm!!!  Use common sense.

6.       Fill water bottles 4/5 full, cap and freeze them over night.  In the morning before heading out into the heat, top them off with water and carry along.  As you go through the day the ice will melt and give you cooler water.

7.       Eat cold foods.  Using the stove REALLY heats up the house.

8.       Air conditioners can really only cool your house about 20 degrees less than what the outside temps are (unless you have a larger unit than necessary, which I highly recommend!).  That said, be kind to your equipment and reset the thermostats to match the expected heat wave temps.  You’ll be glad you don’t have to call the a/c repairman when he can’t see you for several weeks out.

9.       Chew/suck on crushed ice.  : )  My favorite is ice from Sonic.  It's like a snow cone without all that sugary syrup....crunch, crunch, crunch.

10.   Leave the windows of your car cracked for air to circulate when parked in the heat.  Believe me, if somebody wants to steal your car or break into it, they don’t need that little window crack to do it. 

11.   When opening a car that’s been parked in the heat for a while, be aware!  Open the door and let the heated air seep out for a few minutes before getting into the car.

12.   If you have leather seats in your car, keep a towel or light blanket handy to put on the seat when you’re wearing shorts or have the kiddos along.  I promise, NOT doing this will give you a hair removal treatment on the back of your legs when you get out of the car that will make waxing seem like a trip to the candy store! 

13.   Fans.  Every room.

14.   Swimming may seem like the logical thing to do in a heat wave….but….no, not so much.  Yes you’re more likely to burn and all that, but….that swimming pool gets heated up, too.  And le’me-tell-ya….iIt feels like a warm bath!  So, unless you want a warm bath on a hot day, swim early or late, not in the heat of the day.  And again, DRINK WATER!  Just because you’re soaking in it doesn’t mean you’re hydrated!

15.   Garden early.  Like 6am.  Then you can sit on the porch and snap beans all afternoon, right?  Lol  Well, I did it…..

16.   Store Noxema or aloe in the fridge for sunburns.  It’ll give you a quick cool down as well as heal the skin. 

17.   And finally……….THINK SNOW!    What you think about determines where you go…..so take you body mentally to a cold place!

What do you recommend to stay cool on a hot day in the south? 

Will You Be Doing the Dirty Work or Hiring Out?

It’s that time of year again, a time when nature attempts to redirect my attention.

The color red blazes. Red symbolizes romance. Candy, flowers, cards, follow undying declarations of love. Hearts of lovers swell with affection. Love has its day. Valentine’s Day hang-over begins…

Welcome to no man’s land. Spring is still far away but pollen filters through the air. The mind, tricked into thinking spring is near, yearns for adventures out of doors. Sinuses ‘spring’ a leak, causing a myriad of problems for weeks on end, and evenings bring rise to the glorious song of the whippoorwill.

Hark, what silhouette on yonder horizon brings? Look up in the sky! It’s a plane! It’s Captain Jack! No. It’s Birds!

Black birds have been descending upon my lawn, searching for seeds, worms, anything nutritious. Like a cluster of pepper in white gravy, the fluctuating spectacle bubbles and streams, reminding bird watchers of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Will I get pecked to death, if I go check the mail? It’s so hard living in the country.

Birds like my porch, you see. Early in the morning, birds sing outside my bathroom window. The melodic chant holds promise, like the movie Mary Poppins or Enchanted. I catch myself singing, "Just a spoonful of sugar..." Warmer weather is but weeks away, however, proving my jovality senseless. How do birds understand time? Are they privy to the predictions of the Almanac? Are birds related to Punxsutawney Phil?

Intrigued, I study these marvels as they perch in numbers upon my climbing Honeysuckle, feathers plumped, scalp locks fanning in the breeze. Alerted, too, are my cats who sit like sentinels at the bottom of my windows, scrutinizing the sense of their prey. Even a cat seems to know an Indian winter when he sees one. And yet, against my will, these birds make my heart race at the thought of the colorful display my garden might provide if I gird my loins and go outside and do the work.

“Do not coerce me, heathen! I am not ready to venture out of doors!”

No, I’d much rather stretch out on the couch with a good romance, a research or writing book, under a soft, cozy blanket with a mug of hot tea or hot chocolate. But birds, however, are not to be appeased. They do not know or care how hard I must toil in the soil in order to save my flower beds. Still these birds cry for seed, which we willingly provide, in honor of the next generation of annuals and perennials.

Ode to neglected flower beds. “Medic!”

Just when you think nothing can fix your garden, mixed within last year’s branching skeletons are green sprigs of tulips, daffodils and creeping thrift. In a month’s time, clematis will begin to creep and leap, producing large blooms which will draw splendorous attention. Yes, not long from now, my out-of-doors will resemble a Shang-ri-la after Medics or Gnomes have ‘cleared’ the way. I remind myself at this time of year, without bees, there would be no honey, no pollen. Without birds, there would be no rich music to be heard, no volunteers to enhance the fertile scene around my home.

It’s that time of year again. Time to reflect on what makes love great, what sets a garden apart, and what makes a great book. Everything unto its season, right?
Right now, though I tremble at the thought of the work needed to prepare my garden, my muse is dropping seeds (story ideas) and creating a beautiful hybrid (plot). As my new book idea blackens out all else like pepper in white gravy, the ideas layer in my mind, like the bones of a garden. Medic! I call upon a writing friend who soothes the savage beast and assures the bones are ready to be fleshed out. With a little love, the seeds of my plot germinate and the new book takes form, historical romance. Will it be an annual or a perennial? That remains to be seen. But in the end, I’ll be able to stand back and enjoy the glorious spectacle, the colorful spectrum created by the written word.

Which garden are you interested in planting? Will it involve a Medic or a shovel? And will you be doing the dirty work or hiring out?