Uncategorized – Page 10 – Me, Myself and I

Recycling metal

Today we made the annual trip to the scrap metal place that receives metal for recycling. We work at reusing items by using those items to build or repair something on the place. Sometimes, there is no reusing an item, it is placed in our “scrap metal bin”.

The “scrap metal bin” is a repurposed truck bed. My husband’s son replaced his regular truck bed with a flat bed. He gave us the truck bed as the company was going to charge him for disposal of the old bed. We have been putting any unusable metal for collection in this old truck bed. When the truck bed gets full, we load the metal onto the trailer and take it to a recycling place.

At the recycling place, we are paid for the pounds or tons we bring in. If we were to take these items to the dump station for trash we would have to pay to “dump” the metal there and we would have to sort the metal into another bin separate from trash. The dump station takes the bin to a recycling place and receive the money for my unusable metal. Instead, we save it up and get paid for it.

We do not make much money from saving and hauling the metal to a recycling place. There are people who will come to your place, pick up the old rusty farm equipment, wire and other metal and haul it away. Sometimes they charge to do the clean up, sometimes they do it only for the scrap metal. There is a person in the community where we live who will haul away old appliances and metal items for no fee. Old appliances, farm equipment, cans from canned vegetables and fruits, bent pipe, bent metal posts, anything metal can be taken in for recycling.

It requires less energy to metal scrap metal down and recast than to get the iron from ore.

I also save all the aluminum cans. The aluminum goes into a different bin. It takes over a year to get that bin filled.

It does not seem like much, but we do try to take care of the earth. We recycle, compost and repurpose items.

Times of Evaluation

I am one of those people who like to have a plan then follow the plan. Only thing, my life does not seem to follow the plan. This is true for most of us. We have plans of things we want to do and accomplish during our life, then life happens, plans change and sometimes just disappear. The changed plans are not bad, some changes in our lives are exciting.

Finding the true love, soul mate, person who completes you is often found unexpected. These are happy events in our lives, that do lend to a different plan. Unexpected promotions or job offers are happy received events that change the plans we have, perhaps moving things forward a little faster. Sometimes job opportunities are accompanied with having to relocate to a different area. Then there are those events in life that bring great joy, but were a total surprise.

In my family, my youngest daughter and her husband wanted another child, to be a sibling to their daughter and a happy addition to their family. Their plan was to have two children. My daughter became pregnant, went for an ultrasound and saw a surprise, three babies instead of one. The fact they were going to have triplets took a moment to digest the surprise. Triplets altered their plans slightly, and with joy they moved forward preparing for three babies instead of one.

Not all events are happy events, some events bring stress, hardship, and having to totally change what you are doing and the direction you are going. These events seem to be the ones we remember the most, I think because we have to make tough decisions and fight our way forward.

Seven years ago a huge event changed my plans and lifestyle. My husband went to work as usually, the company had a safety meeting every Thursday morning. When he arrived at the shop for the safety meeting, after being in the field in the early morning, he knew something was different, a sheriff car was parked in the parking lot. Everyone gathered for the safety meeting, only it was not a safety meeting. One of the directors of the company stepped up, greeted the group, then called out four names and said “you are no longer employed. The sheriff deputy will help you gather your personal belongings from the company truck and then you are to leave. ” He called to have me come and pick him up.

The paycheck stopped, but the bills kept arriving. We sold majority of the horses, keep three for personal horses to ride, praying we would not have to sell them. The end of our dreams and plans of raising horses. The plans for building a new house, sit on a shelf collecting dust. Six months we did not know if we were staying or moving, it all depended on where he found a job. We evaluated our situation, made decisions, shed tears, and moved forward.

How many of us evaluated our lives when we were in lockdowns due to Covid-19. Travel plans were changed or cancelled. Family seemed to be more important. There were births, graduations, weddings and funerals we were not allowed to attend. Items in the store were not available for purchase. Drastic changes to our lives, but not from any decision or choice we had made. Yet, we had to make changes to our plans and our lives.

Some forced to work from home, learned they enjoyed working from home and did not want to return to an office building to perform their duties. Others lost jobs and found new careers. Some businesses closed, others became mobile. The community I live in, has a mobile beautician as well as a mobile dog groomer.

Then there are life changes such as graduation from high school or college, getting married, and retirement. My husband and I are getting close to retirement. We are evaluating what we will be able to afford, what we should keep and what we are going to do when he retires. One thing is certain, our income will decrease dramatically when he retires.

One item we are working on now is to have the house and place paid off, no house payment. When he was laid off, we paid off all our debts except the house, the only debt we have. We made a decision to never have a credit card again, if we can not pay cash, then we do not get it.

amtolle

The Demise of Food

Majority of people go to a store to purchase food. Recently in the United States, some food products are not on the shelf. Regardless of where you live, you need food to survive. But where does food come from?

As an example of illustration, a can of green beans. We find the can of green beans on a store shelf. The can of green beans arrived at the store via delivery truck from a warehouse. The can of beans along with hundreds of cans of beans arrive at the warehouse from a production facility. At the production facility is when the can of green beans was created. What goes into a can of green beans.

First, the facility has to have green beans. They arrive in crates, are cleaned, chopped, and blanched or lightly cooked with steam, and ultimately placed in a metal can, with water and sealed. The first item needed is the green beans. Where do they get the crates of green beans?

The crates of green beans comes from a cool storage facility that purchases the green beans from farmers. Farmers sell or store the green beans they spent a year in growing at these cool storage facilities, until a production facility purchases the green beans.

The farmer has acres of land they plow, seed and pray for rain for the plants to grow and produce their fruit of green beans. When the beans are ready, the farmer harvests and ships to the cool storage facility. A year of work.

In Indiana they are in the process of putting over tens of thousands of farm acreage into solar power. Covering the area that once produced corn into solar panel electric farms. I know of these solar farms, as my son is working on the installation of the solar farms, to be completed in seven or eight years.

This is also taking place in other states. I am for green energy, but at what cost. In Indiana they do not want wind generation as the windmills are unsightly. I agree, Texas has many wind farms, and the skyline is ruined. But with wind farms, the land is still able to used for wheat, cotton and cattle production. With solar panel farms, only sheep are able to graze. Cattle destroy the solar panels by rubbing on them to scratch an itch. Sheep are smaller and can not damage the solar panel. The solar panels are placed close, a farmer is unable to work the ground or harvest.

I live on ten acres of land. I raise sheep. I produce enough lamb to feed five families for a year. If I were to raise my own food, I could raise enough vegetables for my husband and myself for a year, but I would not be able to raise wheat for flour, sugar cane for sugar, and other items. I could only raise enough vegetables and limited fruit for my husband and I for a year. I would still have to purchase flour, sugar, spices, dairy products, coffee or tea, and cleaning products from a store.

The need for electricity is growing, the demand is high. With the push for everyone to have electric vehicles, and all appliances in a home being electric creates a high demand. The shutting down of coal generated electric in twelve years, 2035. Solutions to supplying an increased demand for electricity with fewer power plants is solar and wind generation. There is plans to have all natural gas generated electricity stopped in 2050.

Texas during this heat wave is to hit the required use of 80,000 megawatts of electricity per day. Only 20% percent of the electricity produced in Texas is from wind and solar. Texas is leading in the production of green energy.

If hundreds of thousands of acres are removed from the production of wheat, corn, soybeans, etc., where will we get the “green beans” to place on our dinner table?

amtolle

Mental Pressure

I raise sheep as a business. I have help when I handle the sheep, my best hands, my border collie dogs. The border collie was bred to herd sheep. Generations of selective breeding has created a dog which works very hard to please their person.

Border collies choose their person, as much as the person chooses the dog. We have five border collies. Two of them I use daily in handling and feeding the sheep. Three of the dogs are in training learning to do the job of sheep herder.

A dog whose training is “complete” or finished is a beauty to watch work. The dogs are not finished in a matter of months, but in a term of years, at least one but more like two years. Two years of working side by side with the handler and the sheep, to learn how to perform their job with grace and beauty.

I have one dog that is finished, my top hand Hank. When we work together, my dog reads the sheep and situation, there are very few commands. My other working dog, Annie, is not finished, although she tries very hard to please and a strong drive to herd, she will not be finished as she can not handle the mental pressure of commands and herding.

When training a dog, even for obedience, the handler must watch the mental pressure being put on the dog. The really good handlers/trainers can gauge the amount of mental pressure on the dog, and keep the mental pressure low and not break the dog with training.

I was not the first person to start Annie in training to do herding. The other trainers “broke” her mentally. When we received Annie, it was to take care of her and her pups for my husband’s son, who owned her at the time. He had decided she would never herd anything, but her bloodlines would produce good puppies to use and sell. It took a couple of months for Annie to develop a bond with us. After a second litter of puppies, my husband’s son decided to sell her to us, since she would come when we called her, and he had no use for her, even to raise puppies. We gladly took Annie.

We started her by letting her work with Hank. When two dogs work together, the dogs will often fall into a dominant herder and balance herder. Meaning one dog will do the actual herding, the other dog is support and responds to what the dominant dog is doing. Letting Annie work with the sheep, with the mental pressure coming from the other dog and not us, helped Annie to learn to handle the mental pressure of herding. With patience and a lot of time, Annie can work the sheep alone. When the mental pressure gets too much, Annie will find a water trough to jump into and sit for a spell, relieving the mental pressure she feels. Annie does her job well, but she is not going to ever be a finished dog, or top hand. Annie is limited in using her full ability and talent as a herding dog, due to not being able to handle mental pressure.

There have been times in my life, I was hinder in how far I could go in a job because of mental pressure. The mental pressure I put on myself. Like Annie, I would let mental pressure I put on myself, freeze my actions and decisions. Learning to gauge the mental pressure we put on ourselves take experience and years to learn. Mental pressure left without a release will break us.

When the mental pressure starts to get to me, I find a release, I look for my “water trough” to release the pressure, then I am able to return to the task. My “water trough” is sometimes breathing, or prayer, or a short break from the task.

Taking care of ourselves is our job. We can not depend on others to take care of us, as we are the only ones who feel what we feel. Others can see symptoms of when things are not right with us, but they do not know all the thoughts or feelings we are dealing with at the time. Since we are the only ones who know all the is going on with us, we have to take care of us. Part of taking care of ourselves is to gauge and release mental pressure in our lives.

I know I have a much higher expectations for myself than I do for others. These higher expectations, put mental pressure on myself when I am not meeting those expectations. When the job I am not doing is not perfect, then I put the mental pressure on myself to make it perfect, although it was not capable of being a perfect job.

An illustration of high expectations, and the job not capable of being perfect is the work I am doing refinishing an old dresser for my daughter. The old dresser is made from red oak wood, but it is old. There are dings, that I am not going to be able to get out by sanding to remove the ding. To remove the ding would require the board to be sanded to depth that is too thin to use. I can only sand so much of the wood, before I start damaging the wood, and the dresser. I have to talk to myself and accept the imperfections that will be in the dresser. I am not using new wood and materials, I am repairing and refinishing an old treasured dresser. It will look great, but it will not be perfect. It will be unique.

amtolle

An Old Dresser

Currently I am refinishing a fifty plus year old dresser for my daughter. I have spent hours hand sanding the old paint varnish off, and removing splintering wood fragments from all surfaces. The wood is old. The dresser has not been used for nine years, and been in a storage building. The need of some minor repairs to the drawers is required. Most of the repairs are glueing the dovetail joints.

One of the drawers required repair of the dovetail joint, the corner where the front of the drawer and side connect. The joint had become loose, and the board forming the side a little warped. Using clamps, glue, and care I made the repairs.

I have some knowledge of furniture since I worked in a very exclusive furniture/cabinet shop. I had the privilege of working with different types of woods, some very exotic. I worked on pieces for very wealthy persons, such as Oprah. The owner of this shop was short with their employees, but they took a little time with me, explaining wood because I loved the wood.

Strange to many, I love sanding wood. The gradual exposure of the unique wood grain to each piece of wood is pure beauty. Different woods have their own characteristic color and grain formation. The wood grain is the way the tree forms tree rings during the growth of the tree.

Not every piece of old furniture can be refinished. Some pieces are wood boards with laminated wood paneling, very hard to refinish as it is easy to sand through the laminated wood paneling. This dresser was solid wood, no laminated wood paneling.

You can not refinish particle board. Most of modern furniture is made with particle board. Particle board simply described is sawdust and glue pressed together. Wood laminate is sometimes glued to the particle board to give the appearance of “all wood” furniture. Most of the furniture is particle board with wallpaper glued on.

If you do happen to find new real solid wood furniture, expect to pay a hefty price. Solid wood furniture will last generations, a good investment, unless you like to change the furniture in your home often.

This old dresser will be completed with new drawer slides to prevent the drawers from coming out of the dresser. I will add a few current safety measures as this dresser will be used for my grandchildren. Once completed, the dresser will serve them many years and future generations.

I am thankful I had the opportunity to learn some about working with wood in order to bless my grandchildren with a piece of furniture I grew up around. The old dresser used to belong to my adoptive parents.

amtolle

Freedom

Today is July 4th, a day the United States celebrates freedom from British rule. A tradition is this celebration is getting together with family and friends, eating good food, and when the sun goes down, watching firework displays. We celebrated with a Bar BQ dinner, watermelon and watching the fireworks from our patio. Our home is in a location to observe the aerial firework celebrations from five different area town.

Watching, and thinking of this celebration of freedom, I question what is freedom? Freedom from what? In the beginning it was freedom from British rule, taxation without representation, religious freedoms, and poverty.

At what price would we pay for this freedom today?

There is a large influx of illegal or undocumented people traveling to and into the United States through Texas. These people want freedom, freedom to raise a family, to build their dreams. The countries they come from are Mexico and Central American countries. Somehow, they obtain money to pay “coyotes” or the drug cartels to transport them across miles of Mexico and into the United States. Once here, they can not obtain work as they are not legal to work in the United States, but they work for money that is not documented, and sometimes they end up working for free, as the person putting them to work does not pay them. What are these illegal immigrants going to do? Tell the police that they worked and were not paid? No, they go somewhere else to work.

Recently in the news was a discovery of a semi trailer used to haul warehouse goods to stores, abandoned with people yelling for help. Locked in a large metal trailer were people searching for and risking their lives for freedom. When the emergency responders opened the locked doors of the trailer, they found stacks of dead people, and many others very ill from heat exhaustion and dehydration. The number of those dead in the trailer 46. Forty-six people died to have the freedom we celebrate today.

Why do they come? Is the United States a so much better place to live that it is worth dying for?

The Mexican president stated “poverty and violence” as the reason for those coming and dying in the trailer.

Yet, I hear on the news of the violence in my country, murders, mass shootings including schools. How do these people coming to the United States illegally think that their children will not be involved in a mass shooting or murder? Is the United States really “safer” than where they are coming from? We have bad crime. Even the small town I live in has crime. Are they coming expecting there to be no crime, no murder? In Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, people are shot daily, robbed, mugged and raped. I live an hour away for this metroplex.

Poverty is a popular topic on current news for the United States. I hear constantly about child poverty, children not having enough food to eat. A major problem when school is out, thousands of children, born in the United States, do not get meals, food daily. The small town I live in knows it is a serious problem in our community. There is a Blessing Box, where people who need food can go to at anytime, to get food. It is a large cabinet, open at all hours to receive donations and to be a blessing to someone who needs food.

Poverty in the United States is very real. Many families live below the poverty level. In our area, adult children with their own children, live with their parents unable to afford a home of their own. With the Covid-19, some children with families moved back in with parents due to loss of job and home. Inflation is beginning to affect everyone. My grocery costs has doubled since three months ago. We are not eating different, our grocery list stays the same, the prices have risen. With the cost of fuel, and utilities rising, my budget is seriously stressed.

How do those coming here from other countries because of poverty, expect to do better when they can not legally work in the United States?

There was a time in my life I lived in a tent, not able to afford a house to live in although I had a job. I have lived in poverty. I have lived in income based apartments. The United States is not paradise, there is poverty, crime and many other horrors.

Why risk your life to come to this place? What makes people want to risk everything to live in a country that does not want them?

Questions I have no answer for, and I do not think many people do, except those who are coming.

One thing is certain, they believe with everything they have and their own lives, they are traveling to a better place to live. Those 46 people thought it was worth the risk of life to have our freedom and opportunities.

amtolle

Dreams and Goals

My opinion is dreams and goals are interconnected. We have dreams of what we would like to do, places to visit, travel to other places, have a certain income or occupation, family, and others. We may have started dreaming about these types of subjects while we were small. We add to our dreams. As we get older we add more dreams and refine the ones we carry with us, and sometimes decide the dream is not what we want.

In order for dreams to be fulfilled, we have to make plans. If our dream is to travel to France we need a plan. First, we need to decide where we want to visit in France and how long our trip will be. Then we need to search what is the cost of this trip. Once we have a monetary figure we can examine our finances to see if we have what is required. Most people have to earn the money and save for the trip. They set a goal for saving. When they reach the required amount they have reached the goal, then can proceed with the plans.

They get a passport and travel papers if necessary, book an airline ticket, reserve housing arrangement, plan their day to day trip. The day before leaving on this fabulous trip, they pack and schedule a ride to the airport. Board the plane, land in France – Goal accomplished, and the Dream is being realized.

Dreams can be big or small. Dream of having a beautiful flower garden in the yard, redecorating a room in a home, remodel a bathroom. These dreams require a similar planning process and goals to bring the dream to realization and experience.

” When you stop dreaming your soul begins to dry up.”

I can not remember the person who said this to me, but I always thought it was important. When I was younger I did not give much thought to the quote as I was busy with dreaming and planning.

Now that I am in the golden years of my life, finances are tight, my body does not respond as when I was twenty, I realize the need to keep the quote in mind.

People who retire and do not keep busy, die earlier than those who are busy and still pursuing dreams and goals.

Keeping the mind busy, learning how to make a beautiful flower garden in the yard, one you dreamed of having, but did not have the time when working. The process of learning to do a new skill, keeps the mind from slowing down and being forgetful. Keeping the body moving helps the muscles to stay active and the bones strong.

Doing an activity, especially new learned activity help fight off depression. When Covid-19 hit, and everyone was put in lockdown, not able to socialize or do activities, depression soared and suicides increases dramatically. Mental health was a much a concern as someone being infected with Covid-19.

Not everyone lives in a home with a yard or a balcony. Some have to share a home with others. What is available for them to learn and do in a confined area. Sewing, I have two friends who are older and not able to get outside to do things in their yards, but they sew lap quilts for a nursing home. Perhaps a new hobby never tried, always wanted to learn to paint. There are plenty of painting tutorials on youtube.

Go back to school. During Covid a friend in her late twenties who worked as a waitress, was forced to go home, the restaurant closed. She was getting unemployment, did not have to pay daycare as the children were home. Used the stimulus money to go to college online, work towards a college degree and a better job. I still have the dream of finishing my college education to a bachelor’s degree. I currently do not have the time or money, I will not do student loans again as I finally got mine paid off last fall. But it is still a dream. Will I teach school with my bachelor’s, probably not, but I will have completed a goal and feel the accomplish, pride and satisfaction from having done so.

Keep dreaming. Keep setting goals.

amtolle

Solicitations

You ever get tired of those random calls from solicitors wanting to sign you up for satellite television, extended car warranties, medical insurance or mortgage loans? I get tired of them.

I do not answer any phone calls with an unknown number. If there is not a name, I do not answer. But all these unwanted calls leave a message.

The best one is political surveys. I have a Colorado cell phone number, I live in Texas. Every election year, I get phone calls wanting to know my opinions on Colorado political candidates. If by accident I answer the phone call, I tell them I do not live in Colorado and have not for years. I had one person tell me I needed to change my phone number.

I do not change my cell phone number as I have people and family that sometimes get in contact with me. I do not want to go through the trouble of informing everyone in my contact list or who may have a business card, I changed my number. Who cares what state my cell phone number is in, no one pays for calling an out of state number anymore. I would also have to remember a new number.

Or, Direct TV telling me I can get a discount on my account if I sign up for a certain plan. I have never had a Direct TV plan, my husband did twelve years ago.

My least favorite is extended warranties. I accidentally answered one of those calls. I asked about restrictions on getting an extended warranty, like miles on the vehicle and year of the vehicle. They do not apply to vehicles with over 200,000 miles. Both our vehicles are over or at 200,000 miles. One person was rather pushy about wanting to sell me an extended warranty, told me I needed to buy a newer vehicle, “no one drives a vehicle with over 200,000 miles”. I think he thought I was lying to him.

I have asked where do you get my phone number from. They say a list.

Where do you get the list? We buy the lists from companies that compile the lists.

What companies compile the lists? We would rather not say.

Medical facilities, grocery stores, cell phone companies, insurance companies and others sell your name and number to companies that compile those lists. They can not give out your date of birth-but can give your age group, can give the state you reside in-but not the street address.

They sell just enough of your information so solicitors will pay for a list to harass the general population with.

Used to be, ages ago when I was a wee lass, you could get a private telephone line. No one was allowed to know your phone number or information, unless you gave it to them directly. We changed cell phone carriers a couple of years ago. I asked the sales person for a private number. Her reply, “What is a private number?” I described to her what a private number was. “I have never heard of that. And no the company does not provide private numbers,” she replied.

We can put our numbers on a no call list, but that only last for a year or two. You have to remember to call each year to keep your number on the no call list.

Yes things have changed.

Thank you for stopping by.

Who is your least favorite soliciting phone call?

amtolle

Overturn of Roe vs Wade

There has been numerous articles and blogs written about the rights of women being restricted due to the overturn of Roe vs Wade. I am not writing state my political ideas, or say you are wrong or right in your thoughts and decisions. I want to share a different perspective.

Our ideas and opinions are shaped by our prospective, life experiences, and spiritual beliefs. Take a moment to stand in the shoes of someone who may have a different view of the situation than you.

I understand that women will not have the legal right to terminate a pregnancy. I also feel that other rights will be in jeopardy with the overturn of Roe vs Wade, such as mask mandates and vaccination mandates. Texas used Roe vs Wade to protect the rights of Texas residents to make a choice in wearing a mask and receiving the Covid-19 vaccination. The medical rights of women are not the only medical rights at risk, the medical rights of men, the elderly, and Native Americans are at risk as well.

But the perspective of abortion being legal or not being legal. I personally am glad that abortion is not legal. Now before you turn me “off”. Please take a moment to see my perspective.

Roe vs Wade was decided to be constitutional protection for the right of a mother to decide on abortion, a medical procedure, her body-her choice in January 1973.

Contraception was not legal until the late 1950’s at the state level. When contraception was legalized in states, it was only for married couples. Single women and men could not get contraception to prevent pregnancy. The birth control pill was approved for use by the FDA in 1960, but states outlawed the advertisement and use of birth control pills. In 1965 the Supreme Court ruled that restricting the use of the birth control pill was against the rights of medical privacy of married couples. Available for married couples but not for single women. It would be in 1972 when the birth control pill would be available for all women, married or single, in every state.

I was born in 1963. Some contraceptives are available for married couples only. The birth control pill is prescribed for menstrual cramping to by pass state laws. Abortion is illegal. I am born, I put in a Catholic orphanage, until I am adopted in 1965. To a couple who could not have children.

With Roe vs Wade, abortion was legalized nationwide in 1973. Ten years after my birth.

If abortion was legal in 1963, I would not be alive. My four children would not exist. I would not be married to my husband. My grandchildren would not be alive. I would not have touched and encouraged young people to keep going, to finish school and strive forward.

There would be a void.

Today, there is birth control available to anyone who wants it. If they can not afford birth control, planned parenthood will give it to them. I have used planned parenthood to get birth control pills free in the my past. There are ways to prevent pregnancy available to women now, that my biological mother did not have access to.

I think abortions done today are due to lack of planning, not lack of access to contraceptives. If you happen to have done an abortion, I do not dislike you or judge you. I was not in your shoes, living your life when you made the decision.

I like being alive. I also believe that life comes from God, our Creator. I believe a baby is a baby at conception, because God gave it life.

I do not say what you think or believe is wrong because your belief and thoughts are not like mine. I do not judge you as that is not my “job”. But realize some have different thoughts and opinions due to their life experiences.

I wanted to express a different perspective and the reasoning.

The one thing I hope people do not do is turn on each other for having a different opinion. The division and hatred is not good for either of us. There is too much hate in the world today.

Thankful to be alive.

amtolle

Summer Is Here

Summertime is here! The smell of Bar BQ’s being used, gatherings for evening backyard dinners or pool parties. The sun is in the sky longer.

The children are out for summer break, meaning they are busy playing softball, fishing, helping parents with outside yard work, attending sports camps and practices and visiting relatives.

People are enjoying the outdoors and going places.

Summertime also brings higher temperatures and sunshine.

Summer where I live brings daily temperatures into the high 90’s and 100’s. I still have work that has to be done regardless of the outside temperatures. One chore that has to be done everyday, twice a day is feeding and watering the animals. I feed in the early morning just as the sun is up, and I can see what I am doing before the temperatures reach the highs. Why do I feed so early, to prevent heat stress on myself and my animals.

One major chore is making sure every animal has plenty of water. In the hot summer temperatures it is important that I drink plenty of water to prevent heat stress. Likewise, animals can heat stress and die from heat exhaust just like people. Water and shade are the tools needed to prevent heat stress on hot days.

Heat stress if the first stage of becoming overheated in the summer. Signs of heat stress is headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, sweating a lot, rapid breathing and rapid heart rate.

Signs of heat exhaust include the symptoms of heat stress with nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps and passing out or fainting. Heat stroke is much worse as the person’s body temperature is at or above 103 degrees fahrenheit, they are confused or unconscious. Medical treatment is needed for those with heat exhaust and heat stroke. This information is according to the CDC in the United States.

Heat stress does require care in getting those affected cooled down, but can be done by those around them. Heat exhaust and heat stroke require medical attention.

Elderly, children, pregnant women and those with certain illness are more prone to heat stress.

I still have to do the work outside every day, fix fences, repair or build structures. I start my work in the early mornings. When the temperatures rise I work for short periods of time, 10 to 15 minutes outside. I constantly watch for signs of heat stress. I drink lots of water. My dad had a saying, “Water out, put water in.” Meaning when you are sweating, you need to be drinking water.

In the summertime, I do not get as much outside work done as I do during the fall and spring. I do plan my days to do work inside, painting and maintenance on the inside of the house.

Summertime brings the fun and vacations. Just be aware of the temperatures and stay cool. Be watchful of those around you and yourself for the signs of heat stress.

I hope everyone is having a fun summer. Stay cool and safe.

amtolle