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Well several folks are asking how we are handling the heat. AND....man is it HOT! I heard from an old man at some place that long ago there use to be a chain drawn fan that folks used. If anyone knows anything about this and where I can get one, I would be indebted to your kindness.
The heat cannot be ignored, but to be honest, it is probably 10 degrees cooler at the farm than in town. With all of the shade trees, Cedar, Maple, Walnut and Oak....the house is shaded all day. I draw the curtains about 9am and leave them shut all day. It is not too bad when I get home of an evening. The nights can be a bit muggy, but I have found that a squirt bottle works wonders. If you mist yourself with it once in awhile, it really helps. Don, Jimmy's brother told me when he was little they use to wet the top sheet in the cold Spring before going to bed and wring it out and put it over them at night. He said it kept the "skeeters" off them in the bed, but most importantly, it kept them very cool at night. For some reason, 10pm-12am is the toughest time. Probably because by midnight you are so tired of fighting it that you finally fall asleel and don't notice the heat. I worry about Perrin, being in the air condition at home and then 105 degrees at my place. So when the heat index is going to be very high, Chris generally watches him at Amanda's house for the day.
I don't cook very involved meals when it si so hot like this and we do not use the oil lamps at night. One lamp puts off more heat that you would think it can. We get things done when it is cool of a morning and mostly try to not get over heated in the hottest part of the day.
Getting a wash cloth and wetting it in the Spring to put over your head or around your neck seems to work and also, when I was in Nashville last Fall I got these neck wrap things that has something like baby diaper filling in it. When you hydrate them in cold water, they absorb the water and swell up. You can tie them around your neck and go about your business. They work fantasically well and that helps when doing chores in the heat. Of course, we drink plenty of water as well.
I have my first banjo lesson today and am excited about that. Maybe I will learn something other than Amazing Grace to play. I think even SadieMae is getting tired of the same old song and dance. LOL It should be fun and I am a little nervous, but like I said, it is something I have always wanted to do, so we shall see.
We finally got the mail situation straightened out and got our very first letter yesterday, that was exciting. I like snail mail!
This weekend....wood cutting. We are heading out into the 13 acres of woods and get some trees cut down so they can dry for winter wood. We have about a cord of the oak left from last year. I don't want to worry about wood this winter, so we are going to get some cut down this weekend and haul it to the house and cut it up later. It will help clear out some of the area of the woods as well, where we are going to put a small pasture when we get time.
We also plan to get laundry done and pack away all of the winter clothes...finally.
OH....I have nice big green tomatoes on the plants I bought from the market a few weeks back!
Thanks for the nice comments everyone and the well wishes here and in DM and email. I appreciate you all.
"I heard from an old man at some place that long ago there use to be a chain drawn fan that folks used. If anyone knows anything about this and where I can get one, I would be indebted to your kindness."
A fan that does any significant air movement will take about 15 watts minimum. That may not seem like much, but it means that using something like a cuckoo clock mechanism with a heavier weight would only give about 15 min of fanning. There is an Ericsson hot air engine fan that used to be made, but those are quite rare. Here is a set of castings and a finished one Essex Fan The Amish have hacked and used a compressed air powered fan Emerson compressed air fan - Pre-1950 (Antique) - Antique Fan Collectors Association - AFCA Forums
I know it is electricity and you want to avoid that, but what I've done is take the 12 volt fans from CPUs and computers and hooked them up to a car battery. Cost is minimal and they last a long time.
Lesson to be learned-----------early on Forest Breath was so proud that she had nothing in legal writing with Hazel when she----"bought"--------the land from Hazel.
When you have nothing in legal writing you ain't ----"bought"-----anything.
keep that lesson in mind !
Forest Breath! you owe him NOTHING. Do not even read what he says, you know and we know what is true. Do not explain yourself to him, look away, you...owe...him...NOTHING!!!
Marmac, perhaps you were just trying to point out the fact that we all need to be careful when making legal transactions. If that was your point, then yes, you are correct. That being said, I think that we all realized this very point waaay back on the original thread, so I don't see the need to bring it up now.
Even if you were trying to advise people to take heed, your post came across in a very smarmy and condescending way. I know that sometimes things that we type come across differently than we meant for them to appear. I hope that this is the case with your post. If not, and your post was interpreted exactly as you meant for it to be, then you truly have no class what so ever.
Last edited by 1967hammer; 06-19-2009 at 07:17 PM..
Reason: rethought original wording
Chill folks. Take a deep breath...
Anyone got anymore ideas on how FB can chill (literally) ???
Cummon, somebody has to be able to think of something...
Glad to hear you are enjoying your new house so much. I wish you luck staying cool. Does your house have a basement? Here is a link for some ideas but I think you already know most of them. Good luck.
I have been reading with a lot of admiration of Forest Breath and her husband. I would love to have the strength to get rid of all of this stuff called technology but I just am too addicted to the internet and air conditioning to say no (more so the air than the net.)
BTW, my mom used to live in Etowah and moved to Tellico Plains. These areas are so beautiful. I've been trying to talk my husband into moving up there but all of his family is down here, so moving is not an option right now. Maybe one day but I am really jealous of your 'new' farmhouse and all of your acreage!
Glad to hear you are enjoying your new house so much. I wish you luck staying cool. Does your house have a basement? Here is a link for some ideas but I think you already know most of them. Good luck.
I did the one with putting a damp, cool towel on my neck and back last the other night to cool down. It actually worked!
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Or the branch...whatever she calls it.
