This heat wave is pretty awful, especially if you’re very young, very old or if you are health compromised. Maybe you’re lucky and have AC that you can afford to run but if, like me, you have chosen to discard the AC or if you just don’t have it, you should make some plans about how you will handle the heat.
I begin each hot, humid morning by closing up the house. I shut the windows and doors and close the curtains to keep the hot air out and the cool, night air in. I put jars of water with lots of ice in a cooler on the counter. This prevents people from constantly opening the door to the freezer and the refrigerator to get something cold to drink. I put a pile of wash cloths in the same cooler and use those to mop the kids down from time to time.
I head out to the garden in the very early morning. Any work that needs to be done is finished before 10:00 or waits until late afternoon. I give any tender plants a good drink very early so the water won’t evaporate before doing any good. The heat of the day is not good for travel. You will use far more gas by running your AC and car trouble is no fun if you find yourself waiting on hot asphalt for help to arrive.
We move our bunny, Olivia, to a cool spot under the pine trees and check her water often. She’s pretty old and I fear this heat will kill her. I don’t have a dog but if I did I would be extra cautious about keeping her cool as well. We use to put our dog in the basement on days like this.
I keep Phoebe inside, even letting her watch TV just to keep her occupied and quiet. My kids don’t seem to wilt in the heat as quickly as I do but it’s still hard on little bodies. This is the day to put myself to work in the basement. I have a lot of chores down there to keep me busy and the cool, moist air is fabulous.
I also plan my meals first thing the in the morning. Food tends towards cheese and bread, fruit and cold salads, things that can be prepared without heating up the house. If I do need to cook, I try to use the solar oven. I will really appreciate that summer kitchen.
Maybe today I’ll use my weekend tag sale find. I spent $25.00 on a nifty hand-crank ice cream maker. An identical model in Lehman’s was $139.00 plus shipping and handling.
July 18, 2011 at 7:40 am
those are some great ideas! I’ll try some of them out…it’s got to be better than sweltering.
July 18, 2011 at 9:04 am
Back in the 80′s when I lived in Oklahoma, we had rabbits. We kept them cool in the summer by freezing 2 liter soda bottles full of water and then placing them in the cage with the rabbits. The rabbits would snuggle up to the bottles and keep themselves cooled off. Even if you don’t drink soda some of the store brands are cheap enough to validate buying them for the bottle only and pouring out the soda, but any bottle you can get a tight seal on and is safe to freeze will work. The 2 liters are good because they are just about bunny length.
July 18, 2011 at 9:51 am
For your rabbit you can freeze a plastic (I know but it works) 1/2 to 3/4 full and give it to her they will sit on it or keep it close to the side. I do two for each one that way they can have one on each side. It really keeps them cool.
We are having a heat wave also and so humid….the midwest.
July 18, 2011 at 10:04 am
Thank you! I just popped a bottle in the freezer.
July 18, 2011 at 10:36 am
We invested in heavy lined curtains for the windows. That really helps.Living in Florida we live with the heat alot during the year.We NEVER open our curtains, we have ceiling fans, and we do not cook inside. We set up our “summer kitchen” in the garage. My grandson loves the water and will play in the bathtub forever.
July 18, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Kathy, you’re doing just about everything to keep cool just right. Don’t forget that coolish to tepid water on a washrag or bandana at your pulse points helps a lot in cooling off. These points are the back of your neck ( arteries to the brain) wrists, ankles and I find any water on the feet helps. I hope this heat breaks soon for everyone.
peace and coolness, shamba
July 18, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Record breaking heat in Minnesota is expected to last all week. We too have chosen to opt out of AC, but keep a small unit in our bedroom for easier sleeping. Kiddie pools even help adults keep cool in this weather. If you live in the city, public libraries, $2 movie theaters and walking through the malls help keep us cooled off. Iced tea is cheap and easy to make. You needm’t even bother to set out sun tea. Just stash tea bags into a container and refrigerate until the “right” tea consistency is observed. Pour and enjoy!
July 18, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Good reminders and hints all, thanks! Kristi, love the “bunny bottles” idea.
Janine, we’ll try the fridge tea thing – that would be more energy efficient than heating it in the sun only to cool it in the fridge. We use bulk tea and strain the cooled-overnight suntea into carafes that keep it cold all day.
We also wash down with cold tapwater regularly, in addition to the cold wet bandanas – we wet our hair, face, and neck, use washcloths on arms & legs. That helps with feeling much fresher, less wilted.
Kathy, you said “kids” – do you mean Phoebe and your son and DIL? Or have you expanded your family yet again?
July 18, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Kids include Phoebe and Karen and all my grandkids. I have 6 of them and 4 visit regularly. The 2 in Florida will be here for the month of August. We aren’t expanding anything around here but garden space and waistlines.
July 18, 2011 at 7:11 pm
I’ve found that if you’re sitting down to do anything inside during a heat wave, keeping your bare feet in a bucket or basin of water is very good for keeping you cool.
July 20, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Kathy, have you done any posts on your solar oven? I’ve tried searching your blog but it brings up everything with “solar” in it, which is a lot! I’m looking at doing a project in Haiti, teaching the villagers how to build and use them and maybe they can eventually make money selling them. I’m looking at designs, but i’m wondering if you built yours or bought it and if you have any thoughts on this. Thanks.
July 20, 2011 at 5:39 pm
By the way, here in Oregon we’ve hardly had any summer yet. I appreciate the rain and coolness when I hear about your heatwave, but i’m afraid it’s going to be a “green tomato” kind of summer.
July 21, 2011 at 11:38 am
You are welcome and I hope you cool off as well as we do….but they are saying at least 5 more days of over 100.