Those in the know say hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I’m trying, but I’m not sure it is working. I’ve even bought some Pedialyte because on the World Wide Web, where everybody knows everything, they say aging folks like me should sip on that stuff just like a baby. I have. I am. It isn’t really doing anything I don’t think but I’ll keep trying.
The Pedialyte is very, very sweet. That can’t be good. Nothing sweet has ever been, or will ever be, good for you. Just ask those people who know everything on the World Wide Web.
Anyway, after mowing the acreage this past weekend, I was feeling a little drained. It was just so hot and the air was thick with moisture, and the sun bore down on my bare back with evil intentions. So I hydrated, and hydrated, and hydrated. And then to add insult to injury, I got popped on my bare shoulder by a red wasp laying in wait for me just inside the screen door.
It was not a pretty site!
I might have cursed.
And hydrating didn’t help a darn bit once me and the wasp had our round. Not one darn bit!
They say, you know those good people on the World Wide Web, that it might cool down some by the weekend. Obviously! I don’t believe it can get any hotter, so cooling down will be the only direction things can go.
I hope!
It is this “feels like” business that is ruining a perfectly good summer week. All the humidity makes it feel more like 900 degrees, rather than 90 degrees, and it just never seems to let up.
I’m not sure when the “feels like” temperature took the place of the sure enough temperature, but it does seem to me if it feels like 99 then it pretty much is 99. It is as simple as that. Hot is hot.
On that subject, the young weather man said Monday that the “feels like” was going to feel like 105 to 115. Honestly, can we even tell the difference after a certain point on the thermometer. I’m not sure we can, but we may find out about the same time this paper hits the streets on Wednesday.
Also Monday morning, while sipping a cup of coffee in my thermostatically controlled 68 degree kitchen, the early morning news folks said we needed to set our thermostats to 78 degrees during this heat wave. They got to be crazy.
If I don’t want it to be 78 in my house in the dead of winter, I sure don’t want it to be 78 in the heat of the summer. That’s hot! Airconditioning is supposed to be cold. The colder the better.
If it were not 68 in my bedroom at night the sheets would be wet with sweat by sunrise and I would be very tired because I would not have slept a wink all night long.
Mind you, it is 68 degrees and there is a fan in our bedroom. I’m not sure what that “feels like” but it feels pretty good most of the time, and on occasion it might even feel a little warm.
I suppose we might all have different “feels like” meters in our individual bodies.
Regardless what is going on inside, without a shadow of a doubt, it is going to be hot on the outside. It is not only going to “feel” hot it is really going to be hot, so y’all take the necessary precautions.
The American Red Cross says:
• Stay hydrated by drinking a cup of water every 20 minutes, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid sugary, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.
• Stay cool by spending time in air-conditioned places. If your home is too hot, go to the library or a cooling center.
• Stay connected by checking on others and asking for help if you need it. Don’t forget to make sure pets have access to fresh water and shade.
• If you’re an athlete or you work outdoors, think about how you can alter your schedule to avoid the hottest times of the day. Consider how you’ll stay hydrated and find a cool place to take breaks.
• Plan ahead. To be ready for extreme heat, think about how you’ll stay cool. If you have air conditioning, make sure it’s working properly. If you don’t have air conditioning, think about where you’ll go to cool off, how you’ll get there and what you’ll take with you.
And, remember, it won’t be that long before we’ll be saying I can’t wait for summer and some warmer weather. This is Mississippi after all!
