safely mowing the lawn at 113°F
Posted by Zonie on July 09, 2023 at 01:58:38
The afternoon temperature reached 113°F (45°C) in Phoenix, but at this time the relative humidity had dropped to a mere 7%. This means a lot of potential for evaporative cooling. Rather than keep putting off the yard work, as the heat wave is expected to last at least another week, I figured I'd find a way to get it done without heat-related illness.
Things to leave inside:
mobile phone (who wants to take calls when mowing the lawn anyway?)
wallet (no more money-laundering allegations for me)
chip keys (probably safe to get wet, but I'm not driving anywhere)
Get-up:
camouflage ball cap
bandana
thick cotton button-down shirt
tan duck overalls
white cotton socks
jungle boots
First I grabbed the hose, turned on the spigot and let it run for a bit to get rid of the solar-heated water. Then I head under the grapefruit tree, point the hose upward and partly cover the hose with my thumb to aerosolize the water and propel it upward at a higher speed, bouncing the big drops off the canopy of the tree and creating the impression of a natural cool refreshing heavy rain shower, soaking me in seconds. Then I make sure to spray any dry areas, and the water goes off for a while.
The next step, I fuel the mower and mow the two sections of grass in the back, emptying the catcher twice.
When I'm done with that, I'm already mostly dry, so I go back under the grapefruit tree with the hose for another fake heavy rain shower. Then it's off to do the front lawn.
Once I'm through with that, I'm again merely damp, but as I need to handle electric cords next, I figure I'll put up with that rather than be dripping wet. I do the edging and use the leave blower and then put the cords and equipment away. Time for laundry!
- Re: safely mowing the lawn at 113°F Wetnboy 13:53:03 7/09/2023
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- Re: safely mowing the lawn at 113°F Zonie 18:44:15 7/09/2023
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- Re: safely mowing the lawn at 113°F Squishy Plushie 23:00:01 7/09/2023
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- Re: safely mowing the lawn at 113°F Squishy Plushie 23:00:01 7/09/2023
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- Re: safely mowing the lawn at 113°F Zonie 18:44:15 7/09/2023
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