Hot!

[mjarrels]

I had to cook steaks, sliders and rollers on charcoal grills for a steel beach picnic (USS Ranger and USS Carl Vinson) while in the Gulf... Must have been 130 degrees... Had to rotate cooks every five minutes because it was so hot!

mark

 

[jimg]

Im kind of enjoying the heat/humidity. I used to like winter pretty good but anymore being warm is much better. One things for sure this heat is helping my garden pop right on up. LOL...OTOH Im glad I got my hay in Memorial Day w/e when the dew points temps were low.

 

[N80]

My wife loves the heat. Says the humidity feels good on her skin. I always claimed it was because she never had to WORK in it!

There is a big difference between sitting in the shade with a glass of tea and busting your behind when its 90+.

On the serious side, you folks be careful out there. This heat can sneak up on you and hurt you. Drink lots of fluids (beer and liquor don't count, they make things worse....I know it doesn't seem fair, but that's the way it is), take frequent breaks. Make like our friends south of the border and knock off during the middle of the day.

I have always been extremely tolerant of the heat. I hate it but my body handles it well...or it used to anyway. I think I let it slip up on me this weekend. By the time we finished getting the roof on the shed I was feeling a little nauseated. I think in the rush to finish up I got a little too hot and a little behind on fluids. After fluids and a little rest I was back to normal but it surprised me that it caught up with me. Never had before. But then again, I wasn't 45 before. And working on that metal roof is rough; you got the sun from above and reflecting from below.

 

[WTA]

We were rarely able to go to the steel beach picnics because someone had to keep the lights on and if we weren't doing that we were either fixing something or in our rack. We had our own in the hole though. Everytime one of our guys was mess cooking he was expected to be sneaking steaks down to us and grill them on one of the steam manifolds. It was pretty good too. I fried eggs once on a piece of aluminum foil on the deckplates too.

 

[scott_vt]

That IS hot for up there. You got AC in the house?

And they just changed the forecast here, for the next 5 days 99,99,98,96,95.

Good Evenin George,
Nahh. we just open the windows amd stand under the garden hose for a spell !

Its that darn humidity that gets you !

 

[Redbug]

I'm an outside type of person, too. And I would much prefer to be working outside most days and am pretty much acclimated to the heat. But, mostly my work is inside, and they keep the AC turned down and I freeze. Pretty ironic having to wear a long sleeve shirt to stay comfortable when it's 97 degrees outside. Any of you have AC wars at work? (Yeah, yeah, I know you're thinking, "what a whiner to have it so good")...But I also think, "those guys aren't paying the AC bill out of their pockets". It makes you wonder what our forefathers did. Back in those days they did not even have screening over the windows...and the trees provided most of the relief during the heat of the southern day. Except for the ones that had the wealth and means to go north to the mountains during the heat of the summer. Never mind me and the random thoughts...it's just heat exhaustion and I'm blathering again...

 

[Bird]

I'm an outside type of person, too. And I would much prefer to be working outside most days and am pretty much acclimated to the heat. But, mostly my work is inside, and they keep the AC turned down and I freeze. Pretty ironic having to wear a long sleeve shirt to stay comfortable when it's 97 degrees outside. Any of you have AC wars at work? (Yeah, yeah, I know you're thinking, "what a whiner to have it so good")...But I also think, "those guys aren't paying the AC bill out of their pockets". It makes you wonder what our forefathers did. Back in those days they did not even have screening over the windows...and the trees provided most of the relief during the heat of the southern day. Except for the ones that had the wealth and means to go north to the mountains during the heat of the summer. Never mind me and the random thoughts...it's just heat exhaustion and I'm blathering again...

Dave, there was a time when I had about 20 women answering phones in the same room. There was no way in the world to regulate the temperature to satisfy all of them. We always had some who thought it was too hot while others thought it was too cold. As for what our forefathers did, well . . . mine worked in spite of the heat usually. They were all in central and south central Oklahoma. But my Dad took a job in the Social Security offices in Baltimore when I was a baby. He said they told him that they shut down the office and sent everyone home when the temperature hit 90. He thought that was silly because he'd always worked on the farm even when it was over 100. But he said he learned his lesson. The humidity was so bad that when the temperature went over 90, he and mother did the same thing hundreds of other people did; went to the park and looked for a place to sit in the shade. And after a couple of years, he quit that job and we moved back to Oklahoma. But even I never lived, worked, or went to school in an air-conditioned home, school, or workplace until I was 19.

 

[N80]

It makes you wonder what our forefathers did.

They got hot. They also got yellow fever.

But, I will admit that you do get used to it. For my 4 years of college I lived in Charleston, SC with no AC. We weren't there most of the summer but we did start back in August, and September is no picnic around here. Where I went to school we also had a strange fetish for wool cloths. (Don't ask.) And during the summers I lived here in Rock Hill with my grandmother and her (80 year old) house had no AC. And I was working out doors on a telephone line crew. The pole truck had no AC. And the second summer was one of the hottest on record here. And it was hot but like I say, you get used to it. You get used to going to bed late, sleeping on top of the sheets and having a fan blowing directly on you too. You also come to appreciate the benefits of an attic fan.

There are lots of 'Fergit Hayul' southerners that claim that AC and window screens ruined the south more than the Civil War. During the war the Yankees came, made a mess and went home. When they invented central air and window screens, they came down here and stayed!

 

[Sigarms]

Who could ever forget sleeping in the barracks with the hum of that large fan for "air conditioning"?

Hit 98.6 today when I measured it.

Tonight, it's a "nice" evening pushing 80% RH.

 

[Skyco]

Calling for 103 in Columbia today which will break the record. Way too early in the summer for that.
Worked outside much of yesterday and it wasn't fun. Luckily I was in one spot and I used my large portable squirrel cage blower. My Ryobi 18v cordless system portable fan has become a cherished possession when away from house current. I always tell people I don't mind being HOT near as much as I hate being SWEATY. My headband to keep it out of my eyes and my -ahem- synthetic wicking underwear- are also necessities. Hate the cotton brief "soggies" in hot weather. Saw where a lot of outdoor workers have started wearing KILTS to keep "things" ventilated and cool

 

[Redbug]

Yes, hot vs sweaty is the real issue, Skyco. My method...I keep a hand towel nearby and wipe sweat off with that. I also keep an extra brown t-shirt, (my normal fashionable attire), handy. Once I am soaked, I rinse the sweaty one off, wring it out and lay it in the sun. Then put the other dry shirt on. I just keep rotating shirts. You see...it's a mental thing. Heat really is not the big issue as much as being sweaty is.

In my workshop, I've got one of those big fans on wheels. That really helps. Hmmm...cheating with a cordless blower...

Kilts are out of the question...even if I were Irish. Something about having your legs exposed. I'm out in the woods all the time and the redbugs would have a parade, (you know where), if I wore a kilt.

 

[N80]

Kilts are Scottish and so am I. I'm sure they're Irish too but I'm reminded of the SNL skit: "If its not Scottish, its crap!" I like the idea of kilts but kilts are not for me. I'm pale and my legs are skinny. So my work outfit is worn out dress pants and long sleeve white worn out dress shirts. If I'm out in direct sun for more than about 20 minutes I burst into flames.

It was 100 yesterday. Just going out and watering was an exercise in sweat! And I totally agree about hot vs sweat. When I work outdoors in the heat I'd say I carry a good 4-5 pounds of sweat in my cloths.

 

[Bird]

I wear short sleeved shirts almost exclusively because they seem cooler. But to the best of knowledge neither my Dad nor his Dad ever owned a short sleeved shirt. They always wore long sleeves, but they both also spent a lot of time out in the sun and for over 40 years each of them went regularly to have skin cancers removed from their faces and back of their hands.

 

[scott_vt]

.

It was 100 yesterday. Just going out and watering was an exercise in sweat! And I totally agree about hot vs sweat. When I work outdoors in the heat I'd say I carry a good 4-5 pounds of sweat in my cloths.

Good Afternoon George,
If it makes you feel any better its in the 90's here, high humidity, just palin hot !

BTW I have skinny legs too but when its this hot I dont care, Im wearin shorts !

 

[Sigarms]

Remember, the human body cools itself through evaporation.

Sweat produced by the body needs to evaporate to "cool" the body.

Not to go too in depth on Relative Humidity, wet bulb and dew point, but the more moisture in the air (relative humidity) the harder it is for the sweat to evaporate.

Example. Indoors you're t-stat could read 74, but you seem to be hot. In another house, your t-stat could read 74, but you seem a lot cooler. The difference? One house the RH (relative humidity) could be 60% (high) and the other house it may only be 45%. The lower the humidity, the easier it is for the body to cool itself.

Heck, in one house you could feel "cooler" at 78F than in another house at 73F depending on the humidity.

One reason why fans help cool the body. The air flowing over the body helps the sweat evaporate itself.

May be science 101 for some, but it took me a long time to figure out why I didn't need A/C in the car up north (which I didn't have), but you darn well better have a/c in your car in the south. Up north, I could drive 60mph and roll the windows down on a hot day and get cooled off. Down south? No way. The difference? Higher humidity "down south". Same airflow going over the body (with car windows rolled down) however, with more moisture in the air (down south) it didn't help my body to "breath", so I stayed hot.

After only my first two two weeks in N.C, I broke down and bought a new car with A/C because I sweat like a pig naturally. And I always thought cars with A/C were for wussies.

For the record, this was taken in the shade a little while ago. The price you have to pay for little snow (temperature is "T1").

 

[scott_vt]

For the record, this was taken in the shade a little while ago. The price you have to pay for little snow (temperature is "T1").

View attachment 104206

Wheww Joe,
Wow that is a bit warm ! Maybe a bit of snow isnt so bad afterall !

I notice your on the computer today rather than out in the middle of one of your fields sittin on the tractor seat !

 

[scgargoyle]

Florida is hot and humid, but y'all are hotter than FL this week! Another thing to watch out for if you work in the heat is kidney stones- very common in the southeast from not getting enough water in ya. Some days you can't drink enough water to keep up!

 

[N80]

Very true. BTDT. Its no fun. The southeast is known as the stone-belt. As you mention, it is thought that a certain degree of dehydration is the cause, if not the trigger. And as far as I know, staying well hydrated is the only thing proven to be effective in preventing kidney stones. However, it is thought that lemonade and citrus drinks can help prevent them too. So in addition to water and Gatorade, lemonade is one of the main things I hydrate with.

Its about 100 here today. They were calling for 102 yesterday so I guess we got a bit of a break. I'll have to admit, I haven't done much outdoors this weekend due to the heat. Worked hard last weekend finishing up my tractor shed, but this weekend I've wimped out. Sitting behind a laptop and watching the Nascar race right now.

I did pull the PTO shaft off my mower and disassembled the slip clutch, cleaned it up and put it back together Friday afternoon.

 

[Sigarms]

Wow that is a bit warm ! Maybe a bit of snow isnt so bad afterall !

Perhaps you've forgotten, my wife is a native Vermonter, and I was born in Maine.

I'll take three real hot months than rather than 250" of snow a year plus mud season!

I guess it's all give and take

 

[Redbug]

Don't feel bad George and Scott...I have "chicken legs", and hot or not I ain't wearin' no kilt! Sorry to the Scotts, I was wrong about Irish.

Yesterday...I changed oil, rotated tires, and greased one of the vehicles. You know it's hot when you gotta move the dog...so you can sit in front of the fan.