Triple Digits
Here in my little corner of the world the heat is on. The days of triple digit heat are bearable only by getting outside work done by 9:00 A.M. and staying inside the remainder of the day. Air conditioning is a help.
The critters are also reeling from the heat. Box turtles and garter snakes are seeking refuge on the shade of the porch. The startle effect is great even when you know they dwell in the garden. The toads look forward to the watering cycles and seek hiding spots under the portulaca and cucumbers.
The heat is on high this time of year. Noon lunches no longer happen outside as temperatures edge closer to the triple number. Nor do evening dinners as the cool down often occurs after bedtime.
Indoor Activities
Central air allows me to work in the kitchen after the heat chases me indoors. Canning tomatoes, grape jelly and processing beans for the freezer is doable with the cool air. I am thankful for living in the time of electricity. And sympathize with those across the world without reliable energy. Rolling brown outs would make life difficult. No electricity even more so.
Other activities take place in the basement. The craft room is a combination of sewing space, book shelves and garden planning area. The underground aspect provides a naturally cool place to hang out. I can see why early settlers to this part of the country lived in dugouts.
Ways to Combat Nature when The Heat is On
When we first moved to this small town on the High Plains we lived in a house built shortly after the First World War. Naturally, the house did not have air-conditioning. We were fortunate to have a row of mature evergreen trees on the west side of the lot as well as a towering poplar tree on the southwest side of the house. This experience gave us ideas for when we were finally able to build our present house back in the early ‘90s.
Deciduous trees planted to the south and southwest of a building will provide shade in the summer and at the same time allow the sun to warm the house during the colder months. Porches also provide a relief from the sun.
Windbreaks also help. Trees can act as windbreaks as can hardscape fences. A twenty mile an hour wind can be brutal at extreme temperatures-such as triple digits when the heat is on. Those southwest winds can create an oven effect. Not a pleasant experience and why this time of year is my least favorite.
Back in the days of no air-conditioning, we cooled down in two ways not related to nature. The first was to take the kids to the community pool on nights it was open. The second was to frequent the town’s lone cinema. Both provided relief.
Last but not least is drinking plenty of liquids. Non-caffeinated, sugarless are preferable. And that means a heavy concentration of water. Staying hydrated combats the intense heat.
I am counting down the days until September 22nd, the first official day of fall.
Providing Natural Cooling
