Summer Puts the "Bake" in Bakersfield

8/29/2015

Again, I hate to complain, but man has it been hot. The weather forecast is calling for a ten degree drop for next week, but we're all doubtful that it's going to happen.

Our humidity is low, thank goodness, but instead of feeling sticky, it feels as though we live in a pizza oven.

NOT the daily high temperature ...

I think the reason this week's heat really got to me has everything to do with my work schedule. During my summer vacation, I get to the barn by 6:30 a.m. and work and ride until 10:30 or 11:00. It's hot by noon, but it happens gradually.

I now get to work at 6:00 a.m. - the coolest part of the day, and alternate between my air conditioned classroom and being outside for P.E. or walking to the library or standing in the lunch line, all of which are outside. It's hard going back and forth between such extreme temperatures. By the time I leave work, I already feel like my internal thermostat has taken a beating.

I get to the barn by 3:30 p.m. - just when our maximum heat is starting to build. Some days it's around 98℉ while I am dragging the sprinklers out and mixing feed, but within two hours it can climb another five or six degrees. That's what happened on Friday. It was 100℉ while I was saddling just before 4:00, but by the time I was unsaddling an hour later, it was a 102℉.

After an easy 15 minute ride.

I am already "late" for my Saturday barn visit, but it's hard to get up every day at 4:45 a.m. only to do it on the weekends too. Even if I get to the barn two hours later than my summer vacation schedule, it will still be at least 20 degrees cooler than it is at 3:30. I appreciated the slower start to my morning.

Hopefully your own weekend will be cooler than expected.

Judy

8/29/2015 01:19:06 am

We got a half inch of rain last night! Woo hoo!

Bakersfield Dressage link

8/29/2015 12:16:23 pm

Hallelujah! :0)

lytha

8/29/2015 05:12:00 pm

I've heard that going back and forth between temp extremes is what makes people sick (as opposed to what the Germans say - AC makes you sick). Is this true? Do you often get ill?

It's "only" 88 here today, but the humidity is 80%, it feels like the air is trying to choke me. I miss the crispy brown grass of Seattle.

8/30/2015 12:39:17 am

Without getting too metaphysical on you, Lytha, I really believe that mental fatigue is what causes most illness. When we keep a positive attitude and balance in our lives, we tend to maintain our health. With that being said, I also try really hard not to touch my face with my hands during the day while at school. Kids are dirty!!! :0)

I've been to central America a few times in the summer, so I have at least a tiny idea of what humidity is. As hot and humid as the jungle was, I think the wet heat was easier to deal with than our scorching heat. Our summer sun literally drains every ounce of energy from your body, and it's hard to replace it. I also find that if I really heat up my core, it takes a long time to cool it back down.

I bought some of those sun shirts this summer and have a blog post coming about their effectiveness. Everyone deals with the heat differently and different kinds of heat affect us differently. I am not sure I'd want to live somewhere with high humidity either. I think I need to move to Canada!

Calm, Forward, Straight link

8/30/2015 01:20:23 am

Heat + high humidity is definitely harder on the body. It's a fact.

The mechanism meant to cool your body is not effective when sweat cannot evaporate. You basically cook in your own juices. Below is a link to a calculator that where you can compare. Sorry, wordpress won't let me embed.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/epz/?n=wxcalc_heatindex

Here's looking forward to the fall! :D

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage