Our days continue to be broiling hot. We hit the low 90s again today and I worked out in the garden for part of the day. It may have been a mistake because I'm not feelin' so perky tonight. Nothing serious and I did make a point of stopping to drink a lot of water while roasting myself in the scorching sun so I'm sure I will survive. (As soon as I get rid of this headache and slight nausea.)
Papa Pea has a really hard time handling the heat when it's like it has been lately. It's a real physical thing with him. His mind and body get very logy and slow moving. So after taking our Suburban into town this morning to get the air conditioning worked on, he ran up a white flag of surrender and chose to spend the remainder of the day inside working on multitudinous projects that were calling for his attention.
Me? Well, ya know we dyed-in-the-wool gardeners just don't know when to quit. (Or when to stay out of the too-hot-to-handle heat.) I had a big amount of cuttings from our little hay field that ended up not being worth keeping for feed so I claimed them as mulch for the garden. In this weather, it was moldering and fast going to become rank so I wanted to spread it as soon as I could.
I got that done and was so hot, sweaty and dirty I figured I might as well thin the beets. And the kale. Then I did a quick run-through of the raised beds pulling all the stray weeds that had started to pop up.
The raspberry canes have been bugging me because they are so big and lush and loaded with developing berries that they needed to be re-tired so I could get in between the rows to pick when the time comes. That didn't prove to be such a bad job because the canes are so tall they actually provided a bit of a shady bower to work in.
However, by the time I finished that job, I was feeling a little woozy in da head so decided I'd had enough of working outside.
Tonight the temp inside our house is hovering around 77. That might not seem high to some of you, but it usually stays much cooler. Lots of humidity in the air today contributed to the heat being so intolerable.
If tomorrow is a weather repeat of today, I might just decide the garden is on its own and stay inside without venturing outside any more than I have to. See? I can make wise decisions . . . after being fried, boiled and baked.
Even being here for seven+ years, my body still needs some time to acclimate to the summer heat. There are a few days when I'll have horrid headaches, sick to my stomach, and, well, some other "icky" things happen. Let's just say I don't venture far from the house. But after a few days it passes and I'm back to normal summer mode.
ReplyDeleteTake it easy woman. You're no good to us keeled over in the blackberry patch. Besides....when was the last time you picked up a fat quarter or looked at the sewing machine?
CR - The last fat quarter I picked up was mine. ;o}
DeleteI hope you take it easy in this heat. It was brutal here temp wise today.
ReplyDeleteNancy - I'm sure you have it much hotter than we do. How do you survive??
DeleteHey Mama Pea, I think you are one very wise woman, no matter what you say!! I hope you are feeling better as all your symptoms do sound heat-related. You've put your time in today in the garden, so I think it's your quilt studio's turn for tomorrow. Okay, 'logy'... how in the world is that pronounced? That's a new one on this deep south girl. :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Did you notice you said 'hay'? Your guess on the full moon was right on. Actually, that one surprised me a little too. Have a good day indoors tomorrow!!
Lisa - Logy? It's one of my favorite words! Pronounced LOH-gee. ("G" sound as in "log.") It means lacking physical or mental energy or vitality; lethargic. You can even have loginess! Kinda of what we all feel when the temp goes over 90!
DeleteHa! The Hay Moon! I'll be eager to read about it.
I'm like Papa Pea and I just can't tolerate high temps. I break out in heat rash and feel sick so I stay out of the heat or make sure to have a water bucket to dump over my head every so often.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you over did it today but with lots of water and a bit of rest you'll be back to your healthy self.
Sparkless - I think we all need to follow your good example and dump a bucket of water over our head frequently!
DeleteI still have a titch of a headache this morning, but I'm sure not going to work outside today. I'll just stay inside near that bucket of water!
Normally we're able to get the house down to 70 before locking it up for the day, but the past two nights we've only gotten down to 76--which means the house STARTS the day around 78 and has nowwhere to go but up. This humidity is a killer. We're not used to it. I've never wanted AC (how do you know it's SUMMER?) but the humidity can go away now.
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself-stop with the outside by 11. Then come in and do "siesta". It's the only way to get through these days...........
Sue - Oh, you are such a wise woman! I'm not even going out in the garden at all today . . . and an afternoon siesta in my recliner in the living room (that's our room that stays the coolest) sounds juuuust right! You stay cool, too.
Delete1st,I love your profile ,red ya know-me and her just do everything togetjer.2nd--you dear friend need to stay out of the heat,gert plenty of fluid ,uou and hubby,do you know when I took jerry to the va yesterday ,they took 20 min trying to get blood from Jerry-had had not drank enough water--you know that h20o stuff,very important,but the good news is there is NO news and that right now is good,from another fed up with heat Minnesotan waiting for a cool down but don't need one as bad as it got at my brothers in deer river (his son was working one of the resorts hit but he is fine )-SO,LAY LOW AND ENJOY THE 4TH OF JULY INDOORS,PLEASE ,I'M DOING THE SAME.,EXCEPT TO COOK OUT AND I'M DESIGNATING THAT TO SOMEONE YOUNGER
ReplyDeletejudy - We ALL have to remember to drink enough liquids these days. Even if we're inside most of the time.
DeleteGood plan to get someone else to do the outside cooking today! Have a nice 4th of July!
You ought to take breaks not only for drinking water but also to throw a cool towel around your neck. And with as much as you did in the heat you have certainly earned a day in the quilt studio.
ReplyDeleteI say this as I prepare to head outside myself!
Jen - Are you joining me in Not Very Bright Land? Hee-hee. No, I am staying inside as much as possible today. And, by golly, I may even find my way to my quilt room!!!
DeleteThat does not sound good. You stay out of that heat young lady. Your body is conditioned for sub-zero temps and 10 feet of snow up in the tundra. I have resigned that I need to be like the dog in this weather and lay on the floor in front of the fan. All that work will still be there when the heat wave is over. Although I think there might be snow flying by the time this scorcher is over. No relief in sight.
ReplyDeleteJane - My hubby was just reminding me today that we usually don't get a spell of this ugly hot weather until end of July/first of August. Does that mean we could have to suffer through 6 more weeks of it? Please, NO!
DeleteDid you know that horses fair much better in the cold than they do in the heat due to bugs and ... well, the heat? Sometimes we humans just don't get the message our body is trying to tell us. We think we are indestructible. I have this problem too but a couple of summers ago, I really had a heat related problem and wised up. My husband is always nagging me to drink a glass of water. I seem to only think to drink at meals. So, MP, I hope this little "uncomfortablenss" you experienced will be a reminder not to overdo. After all, if you couldn't blog how would I get my laughs each week, or new recipes, or gardening tips, or know how to crochet a rug, or .....? Hope you are better today and have a nice "cool" 4th.
ReplyDeleteKaren L. - I took off my dumb hat and put on my smart hat and other than picking a bowl full of strawberries right before it rained this afternoon stayed inside all day. I was a good girl. (Wonder how long that will last?)
DeleteThe flower in my new header photo is a nasturtium . . . one of my favorites. It really is a gorgeous red/orange color, isn't it? Thanks.
PS: Forgot to tell you how beautiful you new header photo is. What a gorgeous color that flower is!!!
ReplyDelete77 for a low is too high. Especially when you're looking at the 90s during the day. July and August are not my favorite months! I try to limit my outdoor activities to the morning, but sometimes things just need to be done.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - My problem is knowing when to quit outside after I start in the morning! As you say, there is always just that "one more thing to do!" We're expecting another scorcher tomorrow. Ugh.
DeleteI wimped out this morning and didn't go do the planting I had hoped. It was pushing 80 already at 730 in the morning. Blah! It is just ridiculously hot out there.
ReplyDeletePlease do take care of yourself.
fullfreezer - I don't blame you one bit for not doing that planting today. As long as you keep the plants well watered in their containers, they'll be fine. You ARE taking care of YOURSELF! Good girl.
DeleteJust saw the National Weather Station's warning for severe weather in Northern Minnesota tonight. I'll be praying for you Mama Pea!! And your garden as there is supposed to be hail with it :-( Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteFreedom Acres Farm - Yep, we had a whopper-doo blow through about an hour and a half ago. Boy, did it get dark! Got another 3/4" of rain but no hail for which we are very thankful.
DeleteOh no :( Please be safe Mama Pea.
ReplyDeleteStephanie - After yesterday, I've been reminded that I'm not Super Woman (well, maybe in the winter but NOT in this heat) and hardly ventured outside all day today.
DeleteSounds like a case of heat exhaustion. I have to be really careful when I am out in the heat as I get overheated very easily. I had a bad case of heat exhaustion a few years ago and don't want to do that again. Pounding headache, spots in front of my eyes, and stomach cramps with nausea, it was terrible.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago my brother almost died of heat stroke. It is one of those things that you don't know how bad it is until it is too late. Be careful in the heat.
We were is the 90's yesterday which was a nice relief from 105. Unfortunately for us, we probably won't see the 90's again until Oct.(Las Vegas)
Peggi - Thanks much for the sensible words of warning. I do tend to think I can handle anything . . . especially when it comes to working in the garden. But I do think the very slight case of heat exhaustion I got a couple of days ago scared me enough so that I will be smarter in the future.
ReplyDeleteOh my, you do live in the land of hotness! I suppose one gets used to it, but when the temp hits three digits . . . well, that is just plain too hot! Stay safe yourself.
I felt a little nauseous this morning and didn't even think of that - I bet it's the heat for sure. Take it easy, your 90's are just as bad as 100's when it's humid, seems to me that anything above about 87 is torture if it's humid, just get out of the beets and into the shade LOL!
ReplyDeleteErin - I truly don't know how you've been functioning in the garden at all for as long as you've had the insufferable heat that you have. Does it strike you as strange that so much of the country has had much higher than normal temperatures this spring/summer?
Delete