Heat Stroke

I am not a fair weather person.  People think I am joking when they compliment a beautiful sunny day and my reply is, it's too hot...I moved here for the gloom.  It is true, I had lived through 33 years of heat and humidity in New Jersey and the Oregon climate appealed to me.  The fact is I don't do well in the heat.  Fortunately when it is hot here I can usually find the climate is perfect under a shaded porch.

I thought I could handle the heat yesterday, but I was wrong.  It wasn't that hot, probably 80 degrees or below.  There was a nice breeze.  I was building an arbour which took some digging and wood to be screwed together.  I was pacing myself.  I had a large mug of ice water that I tapped pretty often.  I took frequent breaks in the shade.  I was doing everything right, but after I finished building what I could in a day I took one more break in the shade before putting my tools away at around 4PM.  I started to sense some indigestion and suddenly all the water I consumed through out the day came rumbling up and was expelled across the lawn.  At that point I moved up to the porch where there is always a breeze and I was cooling off pretty well, but my wife came home and saw how pale I looked and told me I needed to lay down with ice packs to which I complied.  I stayed in bed motionless for two hours and when I was able to get up again I felt like I had a serious ass-whipping.  I rested the rest of the evening and I still feel drained today.  I'm drinking Gatorade hoping to restore the electrolytes.

I think back to the days I would ride my bicycle 30 miles on hot/humid days.  I recall working on a farm in 1969, the summer of Woodstock, which was hot and humid every day.  I just can't do what I used to. I accept that and I'll take on outdoor projects in the early morning and stop when starts getting warm while keeping in mind that the gloom will return one day.