The official heat index has finally caught up with my heat index, way over triple digits and climbing. I have seen some hard, hot times, Lucille, but this one is a dandy. I saw a cottontail rabbit standing in a pond and a skunk doing backstrokes at the same time. I mean it is hot.
My close relative has cured lots of colds, patched up many accident victims and has medical knowledge like that of a Shaman. She made me drink some lemonade instead of my regular glass of iced tea containing plenty of sugar. I was assured that the switch would help me out during the heat of the afternoon while I had to continue working. The only thing I believe could have helped would have been to send someone else to do the work.
I ran the tank over in Snip’s pen, haltered and tied him where he would have to stand in water. This dry weather causes all things to suffer and a horse should naturally get his feet wet twice a day watering. I had to trim his hooves and it makes a big difference if the horny parts are softened by moisture.
I led him into the hallway of the barn and turned on a big old chicken house fan that I got at a farm auction. He stood very still and sucked up as much of the breeze as he could while I worked on his feet. I’ve kept him sprayed for pesky flies and the only ones I saw were sitting in the shade with their tongues hanging out, panting.
I loaded up and drove to town, slowly, so I could enjoy the A/C. I wanted to find a watermelon about the size of a washtub and cold as ice.
Knowing where the closest fruit stand was and figuring that the second closest could be made in case the first one did not have the needed melon, I headed east. You could have drawn a line along the rain boundary in the pastures. The welcomed little pop-up showers made the landscape look like big pieces of jigsaw puzzles fitted very closely together. This time of the year it is mostly just pray and watch things shrivel, but God is good and a few scattered showers do a world of good where they dump.
I got a big Black Diamond melon and it was cold. Loaded it in the front with me and Dog, on the floorboard so it wouldn’t roll and get busted. That old Dog got down in the floor with it, curled himself into a position so the melon could cool most of his body. And if dogs could purr, he did!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, the folks in this country have it pretty good. We sleep in a good bed in an air conditioned house, eat cold watermelon, take showers, wear comfortable clothing and nobody gets thrown in jail for complaining.
I remember a few years back when no automobiles had A/C and the bank was the only building in town that had it. The hospital had no cooling technology and surgery, if at all possible, was delayed till cool weather or, as we referred to it, hog butchering weather, rolled around.
It is necessary to stop and remember those times so we can enjoy the pleasure of sitting in our homes, cool, clean, full and happy. Thank God for what we have; this won’t last too much longer.
— Bill
Bill is the pen name of the Gravette author of this weekly column.