Well, now we can say it.
It’s summertime.
We officially crossed that bridge Tuesday, although based on the sweltering temperatures we’ve been experiencing as of late, it felt like we crossed over weeks ago.
In coming days, according to the National Weather Service, our area will see daytime highs of near, at or in excess of 100 degrees, with a heat index possibly closer to 110 or more.
Needless to say, people should be extremely careful when doing anything outdoors. Take breaks and stay hydrated if exerting yourself, and don’t overdo it.
The other day, I failed to heed my own advice.
A large tree limb had fallen out of a pecan tree in our back yard some time ago. It should have been sawed into more manageable sections, but I was in too big a hurry. Taking the broken trunk section in hand, I dragged it along the ground for about 30 or so yards and, like a dummy, wrestled with it until I could stand it up vertically on its broken end, then shoved it over onto a brush pile for burning at a later time.
Needless to say, I was spent. Hot and very winded, I struggled to take a good, deep breath. In fact, I could not. My breathing was shallow.
I tried to remain calm, but when I walked into the house and sat in a chair, Krista could tell that something was not quite right. She was visiting with a cousin on FaceTime and paused to ask about me. I made a reassuring hand gesture, but my face and labored breathing apparently were less than convincing.
As Krista continued to ask whether I was OK, I finally mustered a few breaths to explain what had caused my problem.
She encouraged me to focus on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. After a while, I was able to regain a normal breathing pattern — and my composure.
I will admit that the incident rattled me. Hopefully, I learned a lesson and will remember that at my advancing age, and in my portly physical condition — particularly during hot weather — I have to be much smarter.
The National Weather Service’s website, which calls heat “one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year,” offers some information that bears repeating:
“Young children and infants are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illness and death, as their bodies are less able to adapt to heat than are adults.
“Older adults, particularly those with pre-existing diseases, take certain medications are living alone or with limited mobility who are exposed to extreme heat can experience multiple adverse effects.
“People with chronic medical conditions are more likely to have a serious health problem during a heat wave than healthy people.
“Pregnant women are also at higher risk. Extreme heat events have been associated with adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm birth and infant mortality, as well as congenital cataracts.
“It is NEVER safe to leave a child, disabled person or pet locked in a car, even in the winter. If you have a toddler in your household, lock your cars, even in your own driveway. Kids play in cars or wander outside and get into a car and can die in 10 minutes! A reported 25 children died in hot cars in 2020. Deaths routinely are reported as early as April and tragedies continue into December in southern states.”
Read more for yourself by visiting the NWS website at www.weather.gov/safety/heat.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also offers a lot of good hot-weather advice on their website at www.cdc.gov, as does the National Safety Council at www.nsc.org.
Some oft-repeated advice this time of year is to remember to check on elderly family members and neighbors, and to ensure that pets, especially those who live outdoors, have plenty of water and a shaded area that will help to protect them from the blazing sun.
Yes, summer is here, and, as the old saying goes, we “ain’t seen nothing yet.”
