Keeping cool!

[red]

I don't about anyone else but I can hardly take the heat. My sweet hubby got me a cooling vest last year & it has been a life saver. It is primarily for people w/ MS but is also very good for those of us that just can't take the heat.
You put frozen ice packs in the pocket area & it last for about 5 hours. I just stick it the freezer until I need it & then put it back in when I come in from outside. It's a little pricey but it is really worth it if you can't take the heat on these really hot days.

(not me in picture!)
http://www.steelevest.com/

Red

 

[knabe]

i used to use those chamois hats that stay wet for a while.  also keep the sun off your neck for a modified farmers tan.

also found these for hog sensitive areas

http://www.akamotorcycleaccessories.com/koolinklothz.shtml

 

[red]

oh, I can just picture you in a doo-rag!

 

[knabe]

uh

at the hollister 4th of july hog fest, i see these all the time.  last year it was so hot it burned the tips of redwood trees for the first time in years.  the dykes on bikes club (yes real name) sold funny ones for a while and they caught on for some cuz there is no where to hide during theparty from the sun.  the county kicked them out of the county park,the airport, everywhere, but they still come.  mostly it's over not paying taxes on concessions.  there is a bar in town called johnny's which everyone has to visit where there is a 2-d replica of marlon brando outside they made the movie after where a guy drives his hog in the bar.  really happened.  not as big as sturgis by any means, nor as well organized.  a lot of the hogsters are friends with the cops so that's not much of an issue, except when the angels and the outlaws start itchin.  both of them usually call the cops and say hey, were riding through to minimize the trouble, but like everything, there's a few bad apples.

 

[shorthorns r us]

red-at what temp do you have sensitivity.  lucky you are in OH and not farther south.  my family custom bales hay and about all of us have been to the hospital with atleast severe heat stress.  obviously, i won't be able to help this year; but i have an incredible knack for breaking the ac in the tractors.  those airless bottoms can get those cabs up to 185.  ag can be dangerous. trust me; i know. be careful in the heat.  i don't; but i know several folks that wear long sleeves to get some evap cooling.

 

[red]

It seems that when it starts getting over 85 & lots of sun I get hit hard.
I try to do as much in the yard early in the morning. The vest really helps when breaking the calves because I sweat like crazy too.
It seems like the AC always goes out in the tractors or trucks first!

Red

 

[jason]

I just refilled the freon in my truck on Monday, the air was getting a little warm and I have a feeling some hot weather is coming.

 

[chambero]

Baling/hauling hay is one of the greatest inspirations for higher education there is.

We ship our calves to the feedlots late June/early July every year.  Replacement heifers are weaned and branded.  We have big, open steel lots and chutes where we gather, sort, and work cattle.  Up until this year - uncovered.

My wife has black hair and she always nearly gets too hot even with a hat on.  Father in law is 70 and more sensitive than he used to be.  He decided the fans on our show calves in the barn should be put to better use.  So, this year he had a cover put over our chute and alley at our "big lot".  We are wiring it this weekend to be able to hang some steer fans over the working area to make life a little more pleasant on July afternoons in north Texas.

Last year, we built mister systems in all of our sheds at our lots in town where we calve heifers out in September.  Made a world of difference for not much money.

 

[shorthorns r us]

getting soft riding a desk 60 hrs a week and then jumping into the tractors on evenings and weekends is a killer.

 

[bluegrass]

Putting up hay is bad hot!, but cutting and housing tobacco in late august is a killer. You get that sticky gum all over you and then the head aches from all the nicotine you absorb thru your skin.

 

[knabe]

Baling/hauling hay is one of the greatest inspirations for higher education there is.

Hey Chambero, that is one of the most salient things i've heard in a while.

one year i bucked hay in KS 95 degrees, 95% humidity.  could work about 15 minutes at a time, sweating faster than i could drink.  of course it's worse cutting alfalfa hay in the same weather on a cabless mower.  the bugs are absolutely awesome, especially the weevils.  keep your mouth closed, your glasses on, and your scarf over your nose and plugs in your ears, collar down.............

 

[red]

worst job I had was working on a grain bin crew. There is no place hotter than inside an empty grain bin holding the bolts while they tighten them on the outside. Was enough to make you sick & then some.
On my last day they told me that either I climb the leg to the platform or get my butt painted green. I climb the leg & took a nap. Amazing but now that would have been looked upon as sexual harrasment back then it was self preservation!

Red

 

[frostback]

I have started to believe that the dumbest thing I ever did was learn how to bale hay!! I too cannot handle heat and learned this year that the farthest east I could live is western Nebraska. I took a trip to Indiana in the first week of May and the humidity then almost killed me. When I first married my husband he had to buy a second cab tractor if he wanted my help with hay, I am also allergic to grass hay. I dont plug the baler much.

 

[red]

Is life fun though Frostback? It's funny how we end up doing things we just know we shouldn't but love to anyway!
I wore my vest today to walk up to the farm. It's about a 1/4 mile each way. usually make the trip a couple of times a day. Also wore it to check the cows. Really made a big difference today.

Red

 

[knabe]

Amazing but now that would have been looked upon as sexual harrasment back then it was self preservation!


this is probably going to be taken the wrong way, because when i talk about this stuff with my wife, she won't discuss it, but you have true equality when everyone is equally harasseed. ;D  not on this subject but broader, in orwell's 1984, some people are more equal than others.  in my view, no one is equal, we are differently abled.  some are more easily compensated for being professionally offended than others.

at work a couple of years ago, a gal was talking about going to the doctor to be, in her words, "poked and prodded" and how she didn't like the pill, and how doctors, and dentists were always staring at her breasts which were always fairly visible.  someone chimed in that she should try an alternative birth control mechanism that had proven different side effects, and that most of the concern about it were on previous versions associated with size.  she complained immediately about sexual harrassment without going through her supervisor, me, who was present listening to her go on and on and on.  i asked the conversation to be shelved, but this wasn't enough.  the other person has comments in their file while the accuser has zero, everyone hates her, and makes endless claims about how everyone is ruining her carreer.  boy was i glad when she left.  this has major repurcussions because that file follows you, but it should actually be the other way around.  reminds me of the duke faux rape case, but in a smaller way.

makes me be more cognizant of moving things along at work, even at break time.

 

[bluegrass]

Knabe, I know exactly what your talking about. I was a state employee for almost 8 years and seen several cases of women that would flirt with every man that had a set just hoping 1 of them would cross the line. And every time some poor fool would bite and then came the investigation, then all the facts would come out and in the end the poor fool would get the reprimand if not worse, and a couple months later the female would get a promotion she didn't deserve because the ones that make the decisions were scared of being next on the hit list.      I am not trying to offend anyone, the very best partner I ever had was a women and we worked very well together, but these women that are "constantly harrassed" are often just looking for a short cut to the top. Jmo.  Seems to me that the biggest problem with sexual harrassment is that the burden of proof is on the accused. I know there are alot of women on this site and want to convey that I respect every one here equally. Sorry for the rant.