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I have to tell you, it is the most beautiful day outside today. The sun is shining, it’s 90°, the birds are singing and we have a slight breeze. I couldn’t have ordered up a more perfect day. Yes, it’s just a tad warm for my taste but everyone else will love, love, love it.

This would be a perfect day to spend out fishing at Beardsley or up at Pinecrest. Speaking of Pinecrest, when is the last time you watched a movie out in the open air? Believe it or not, Pinecrest is celebrating it’s 76th Season of Movies Under the Stars. Though the summer days are warm, the evening temperatures can turn chilly. Be sure to pack a sweater or light jacket just in case the kids start feeling a little cold in the evening air. Please keep this in mind when making your plans to attend  “Movies Under the Stars”.

My handy weather station says it’s currently 88° at 12:10 p.m., it’s risen 3-degrees in the past hour. In fact, as I write this post, the temperature just dropped back down to 87°. I don’t see it getting above 100° today in Twain Harte, time will tell.

We closed up the house last night and turned on the air, which we don’t use all that often — unless we are expecting a very hot day. It stays pretty nice up this way most of the summer. The air condition is used only for about a month (not straight but on various days).

Image via Wikipedia

We also take precautions to keep the house from getting too hot. I plan to make Chicken Nuggets for dinner, (the kind Chick-fil-a serves), for dinner. I’ll fry them up in the deep fryer, on a table set up outside. I also have a small convection oven, that I use outside during the summer months, it’s the perfect size for warming up things that we can’t cook on the grill. The grill also has a side-burner, which we can utilize.

Everything is set up to keep the house at a comfortable temperature, without breaking the bank. I don’t “do” the summer heat well, so anything that will help keep our home comfortable, is explored during the summer months. I try to keep sliced deli meats on hand for quick sandwiches, along with organic fresh fruits and veggies. They make a healthy, easy on the go snack for the kids too.

I was happy to find our turkey had returned yesterday and appears to have stayed the night. He’s here again today. He seems to love it here pecking around the yard, preening his feathers, soaking up the sun on our deck and partaking of the water trough.

How do you stay cool during the hot summer days and nights?

Tomorrow is the first day of summer and with it comes the heat. MyMotherlode reports in part…

According to the National Weather Service, the hottest days in the Motherlode will be on Tuesday and Wednesday before a cooling trend begins on Thursday.

Image via Wikipedia

This will be the first significant heat spell of 2011 so residents are urged
to follow these heat tips:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages such as coffee, soda and tea.

3. Limit outdoor activity between noon and 6 p.m.

4. Stay out of the sun.

5. Use sunscreen.

6. If available, go to air conditioned places during maximum heating
times.

7. Dress appropriately with light colored clothes.

8. Use wet cloths or blue cooler packs on the face, wrists or neck for a
quick cool down.

9. Never leave children or pets in the car.

10. Pets need plenty of fresh drinking water and shade to be protected from extreme heat.

11. Check up on an elderly family member or neighbor twice a day.

12. If heat illness occurs, contact your family physician or call 911
immediately.

These are all good suggestions but I’d like to add to their list…

If you must be out in the heat, try rubbing a little peppermint oil to the back of your neck. When the air hits the peppermint it provides a natural cooling effect and helps to make you feel cooler.

Years ago, I passed by days driving an ice cream truck from neighborhood to neighborhood. I can tell you from first-hand experience, those ice cream trucks can get pretty hot inside. So, I would dampen a couple of hand towels, shape them in the form of a U, then freeze them.

When the temperature went up, I could pull one out and lay it across the back of my neck. It was amazing. Once that towel became warm, I would swap them out, so that I had a nice frozen towel whenever I needed one. Worked like a charm.

Stay cool folks, summer is approaching.