If you are in this extreme heat wave, how are you dealing with it?

If I did that with the ceiling fan, it might keep ME cool but it would certainly heat my husband up. Maybe I could do that after he goes to sleep. I've heard that before about drinking and also eating hot things to cool off. I was dubious but I tried it. Nope. I broke out in a HUGE sweat from head to toe! I was so uncomfortable I had to go take a cool shower. Maybe it works for some people but I doubt it works for the majority. It definitely didn't work for me! I like iced tea but don't drink that unless I know I'll be staying home or at least near a bathroom. I drink a glass of tea and I pee a gallon! I don't get it. Maybe it's not such a good thing for me to drink on hot days like this since I lose more fluids than I'm taking in. I usually stick to plain water when I'm really hot. Plain or with ice if I'm not too thirsty. If I was too thirsty, I'd drink ice water too fast and get slammed between the eyes with the dreaded Brain Freeze. Maybe we should all take a lesson from the pigs, huh? Go outside, hose ourselves down, roll around in the mud and enjoy.

Oh! I forgot to mention that it got up to 107F here yesterday (41.67C) with a heat index of 112. Today is supposed to be the same, although it's only reaced 104 so far. Right. ONLY 104.

Oh, man! That's horrible! It's bad enough hearing about these things happening but when it's a neighbor or someone we know, it's even worse. (Figures it was a male. ) I feel so bad for those left behind. So sad! I just got in from watering my trees. I haven't watered them since this heat wave started because I was concerned about our well going dry and just watered the garden. But, I noticed one tree I had just planted this Spring was awfully droopy, so I gave them all a good, long drink. It had gone up to 104 today but suddenly dropped to 95 so I thought it would be a great time to water them. It got hotter and hotter the longer I was out there but I just assumed it was because I was out there for awhile. Nope. I came in here and checked... back up to 102. I grabbed a big glass of cold water and am now under a ceiling fan set on HIGH. LOL (If there was a setting for hurricane force, I'd use that.) Oh, about the well going dry, I've just ordered a water transfer pump that will allow me to use the lake to water everything without having to lug the water up from there. I'll just attach a long garden hose to it. I just hope it gets here in time! We're SUPPOSED to get a break from this heat soon. Tomorrow is only supposed to get up into the upper 80's (of course, that will mean lower- to mid-90's) and we MAY just get some rain, too! I'm hoping we do because we sure need it. If we don't, I'm going out in my bathing suit tomorrow to water everything and hose myself down every few minutes. Please take care of yourself throughout this nasty weather. Oh, I know you will but I'm saying that to everyone these days.

I put ice cubes in my dogs' water bowl as well. They seem to appreciate the cold water. Our bedroom was always hot until we installed a ceiling fan in it. The fans we have throughout the house allow us to keep the air conditioner set at 78 or 79 degrees. I've known some people who set it at 72 degrees but I would be freezing my butt off, even in this heat wave, if I were to do that. We have a well, too, so we have the same problem with water. Every morning, when it's really hot, I fill a couple of containers with water and keep them in the refrigerator. But, you can still use a little water when the electricity goes off because there's this thing called a "bladder" that holds water, so there is a bit we can use without power, it just has to be used very judiciously because you never know how long the power will be off. I think I'd save that little bit of water to flush the toilet with. With it being so hot, I can't imagine NOT flushing the toilet!

Vandy, we hardly ever use the air conditioners, because they cost so much to run. Yesterday, though, it was just WAY to hot and muggy, and we broke down and started them. The house had just started to cool down, when we lost power. I think that there were just too many people using them, and we had a "brownout". Fortunately, it didn't last too long, but we did start panicking a little, because we don't even have the option of taking a cool bath when there is not power as we have a well, which means no power no water.

OMG! I remember temps like that in Arizona but they don't have the humidity that you do. It must be horribly miserable there. Thank God for air conditioning!

107 with heat index of 112 and counting!

I don't want to say anything about my air conditioner because I don't want to jinx it. We're surviving but my animals (all of them) have been sleeping a lot today. It's a good day to sleep through. I just might join them soon, after sprinkling water on the sheets.

Tell Santa I said hi!

Sorry, I never got to see Santa. It was already way too crowded up there from so many people going there to keep cool so I was sent home.

All good suggestions but I'm afraid Lake Tahoe and San Francisco are out for me. Actually, I'm about ready to buy tickets to the North Pole.

I have to agree with that 70-80 degree range. That's the best. I've always said that 75 degrees with a slight breeze is absolute heaven! I think we had a day or two like that this Spring. We had an incredibly bad winter, too. We got over 8 feet of snow when normal would be less than a foot. I thought for sure we'd have a mild summer. Sigh! I think I could get used to this heat if our winters weren't so cold because I'd be able to plant tropical fruit trees and they would probably love this heat. But, sadly, we have very cold winters. Maybe it's best because it gives me something to complain about.

I like the party idea! Funny, I was just looking at pools. One of the other members here is buying a pool and that made me realize just how much I miss one we used to have. We live on a lake but there's no way I'm setting foot in that water. I've seen snakes in it and I know there are a lot of turtles. I don't cherish the idea of being bitten or pinched! I've known other people from Arizona and I know it's hot there. Hot is hot. Humidity makes it worse but even dry hot is not nice! It reached 107 here with a heat index of 112 today. It's normally about 20 degrees cooler. (I'm in Virginia, in the mountains.) I'm an outside kinda person and love being out in my garden or fishing but I've been staying in for the most part, only venturing out to water my garden. Even that little bit of time has been giving me some nasty headaches. I have prescription sunglasses but made sure that they were the darkest possible and they work pretty good. Another thing you mentioned made me smile... Super WalMart. I'm SOOO glad we have one near us! I was thinking about going there either late tonight or very early in the morning, well before the sun comes up. If I miss that timeframe, I'll just stay home and make do. It's supposed to be the same temperature tomorrow, maybe a degree or two cooler (less scorching) but still nasty. I wouldn't wear black, though. That makes you hotter. Maybe it's because I'm at the age where I don't give a poop what people think and if I have sweat stains, so what? Most of them do, too. Oh, by the way, welcome to myLot! I hope you enjoy it here as much as most of us do. It can be addicting, so my advice is to just go with it.

lol, thanks.. Only time I wear black is when its a spaghetti strap shirt - and thats cuz those are the thinnest material shirts I own right now lol I like outside too.... When its 70-80 degrees lol And thanks for the welcome. Ive been here quite a while, just havent done anything till now lol

It sure does help. Thanks! Just wetting parts of your body with cool water when it's so hot helps a lot to cool the body down. I can't even imagine it being 120 outside, not even the heat index! I may get a chance to experience that today, though. The temp has reached 107 with a heat index of 112 so it's not far. We live in the country with well water and are always concerned about the well going dry in times like this. I've just ordered a water transfer pump because we have a private lake. The level is low right now because of the lack of rain but it's a good-sized lake and there's lots of water in it. I'm going to pump water up from the lake to water my vegetable and flower gardens and my fruit trees. Some trees I just planted this past Spring so they need a little extra help in this heat. I also use "gray water" (bath water, laundry water, etc.) for other things besides their primary use when we're under drought conditions. Hope you can stay cool! By the way, welcome to myLot!!!

From 1980 to 1984, we lived in a rental that wasn't heated well, and after the first miserable summer, we got a window unit ac. None the less, Maggiepie spent most of the that summer over at a friend's apartment, and I was going home and taking care of the cats. One Saturday, I had it with the dust and stuff at the place, wet a shirt and cleaned. I actually had to wet the shirt TWICE to get the place cleaned up. It was a long sleeved cowboy type shirt, light weight cotton, but the long sleeves, because they were wet, helped keep me nice and cool. And the cats were thrilled to have MOM home all day!!! And it was nice to have a mostly clean place for us to sleep. I was sleeping there every night, even tho Maggie wasn't.

Grrrr! I had an entire response typed out but it disappeared when I hit "post comment". Grrrr!!! Anyway, I think that idea of wearing a shirt soaked in cold water is an excellent idea! I've heard of using a wet towel on your head or around your neck but this is the first I've heard about a shirt. I can see that working VERY well! You know, I grew up without air conditioning. None in our house, none in our car. I can't remember more than a couple of times when the heat was really miserable. Isn't it funny how we get so used to (and spoiled by) things like air conditioning? We keep our AC set high, like around 79 or 80 degrees and keep a fan on wherever I am in the house. That works just fine! I've heard of others setting the AC way down, like around 70 to 72. I think I'd FREEZE if mine was set that low! I'm going to try that wet-shirt idea when I have to go outside to water the plants or whatever. Thanks for sharing it!!!

Hi there.. I will try your ice trick. I actually can't afford an air conditioner at this time so I'll weather it out as I always do. My car also doesn't have one. The sun is down now and it is a bit cooler. I only notice it when I go downstairs to use the bathroom and come back up. Our lower level is really quite comfortable and has been. Unfortunately all that is down there is the bathroom and 2 of my girls bedrooms. Kitchen and LR is all on 2nd floor.

That's a good idea! Even before this heat wave hit, I got so hot when I was fishing or gardening. I'll have to pick up one of those fan-sprayer things myself. I know what you mean about going stir-crazy. I love being outside. Gardening is my passion but I've only gone out long enough to water everything, then I had to come back inside. It's hard to breathe in this heat and I don't have any problems with breathing, not normally. We're supposed to get some relief from this oppressive heat tomorrow. It's only supposed to get into the upper-80's, which of course means that it'll be in the lower to mid-90's but still, that's 10 degrees lower than it's been! It hit 104 today, 104 yesterday, 107 the day before that, 105 before that, blah blah blah. I'm SOOOOO glad that rain is on it's way!!!

You're so right about the sunscreen! I'm past the days of being outside for prolonged periods when it's extremely hot outside. I just can't tolerate it anymore. But, I still have to go out to water the garden and other things as they happen. I always put on sunscreen. I even use lip balm with sunscreen in it and always wear sunglasses with UV protection. It's also important to know that the UV rays even go through fog and clouds. I remember being at the beach once when it was so foggy you couldn't see more than a few feet in front of you. I was walking along the boardwalk, maybe an hour or so, and actually got a bit of sunburn on my nose! I was shocked but that's when I knew I had to use a sunscreen ALL the time, not just when the sun was shining. Your story of camping out in the house reminded me of a winter when I was little when a snowstorm took our electric wires down outside and we were without electricity for a few days. We all slept, ate and everything else (except going to the bathroom) in the same room. I had a BLAST!

Hazy days actually seem to be the worst for getting sunscreen. I think it is a combination of the rays that are able to penetrate the haze and the fact that many people forget to use sunscreen when the sun is not shining brightly in the sky. That is a very dangerous combination, and it has resulted in some severe sunburns. Yes, making an adventure out of an otherwise troubling situation, such as a power outage or a heatwave, can have very positive effects. It not only makes the situation fun and therefore not seem bad at all but also it can give us some fun memories to look back on. In fact, my older daughter used to look forward to the times that we had to camp out in the living room, and I am sure that my youngest will be the same way.

Actually you shouldn't water them in the sun, or wet the leaves in the sun, it burns the leaves. You should only water them in the early morning or evening as the sun is going down or coming up, not when it is at it's height during the day. They love the heat and humidity after they have gotten a good start in the spring. Our garden is growing like mad right now.

I hear you! I'm staying inside as much as I can but go out once a day to water my poor flowers and vegetable garden. My flowers are doing okay, so far, but my poor veggie garden! It those plants could sweat, they would be. They aren't growing well at all and look droopy even with enough water. I wish I could bring them inside!

Nice summer? Well, err, thank you, fish. It's nice as long as the air conditioner doesn't break and we don't lose electricity because of everyone in the area using so much to keep cool. I thought of another idea... go to a mall or just visit some shops that have air conditioning at the hottest part of the day. Or, visit several shops throughout the day. Of course, you have to resist the urge to spend a lot of money.

It has already reached 107F with a heat index of 112. It's too hot to even TRY to go out to a mall or shop!

Hi abj. I believe that what we had yesterday, 105 Fahrenheit, was 40.5 Celsius so I know it was hot where you live. Wearing lose, white or light-colored clothing is the smart thing to do if you have to be outside. I can't believe how many people I've seen wearing black t-shirts with dark pants! I want to tell them that they would be so much cooler if they wore light-colored clothes but they probably wouldn't listen to me, anyway. I eat much lighter in the summer. I never eat meat when it's very hot outside and usually eat only fruits and vegetables. I hope that others in this heat wave will listen to what you have to say here because they are easy to do. I would hate to hear of anyone having to go to the hospital because of heat stroke or even worse. Thanks so much for these great tips!

It has reached 107F which is 41.67C. WAAAAY too hot for here!

Lots of cold fruit, like watermelon and cantelope are very cooling. Mom always said lemonade "thins your blood" and that is why it is a good summer drink. Putting mint sprigs in my beverages makes me feel cooler and helps me drink even more.

Hi stoimirov. Welcome to myLot! Normally, the hottest time of the year for us is the third or fourth week of July but I've never known it to get this hot before. It reached a high of 107F (41.67C) today with a heat index of 112. Luckily, the humidity wasn't TOO high today. Still, I couldn't stand it outside. It's normally in the mid- to upper-80's at this time of year. You really should drink more water, though, especially when it's hot outside. I've been guilty of not drinking much water before but have learned the importance of it as I've aged. Actually, it was when I had to go to the hospital for something or other and they told me that I was dehydrated. That's when I started drinking more water, although I don't drink that 8 glasses a day that I've heard we should. It's usually more like 4 or 5. Ice cream is ALWAYS good, whether it's hot or freezing outside.

I know what you mean. I was outside watering my garden and felt like I was going to pass out. Even people with no lung issues are still breathing in all that really hot air which, of course, heats us up even faster. Our last week has been 100, 101, 103, 105, 107, 104 and 104 today for highs. Something's gotta give!!! Actually, it's supposed to be a little closer to normal tomorrow and we may get some rain. Saturday, it's almost guaranteed that we'll get rain. I sure hope so! Our grass is brown. Some kind of wild critter ate all the green tomatoes off my vines, too. None were near ripe so I assume the poor thing was desperate for any kind of food that wasn't all dried up. One thing I'm hoping that comes from all this heat is that it kills a lot of the nasty bugs outside, like ticks. Oh, man, I hate ticks! Such creepy bugs! I haven't seen any since this heat wave began. I'm hoping they're dying and not just hunkered down somewhere waiting it out. Enjoy your pool!!!

I like to put a cool washcloth over my eyes and temples when it's very hot. I agree that it feels very good. I also like to take a cool bath, just lie in the bathtub until I've cooled down. You're right about the clothing. It should be loose and made from cotton because cotton is so absorbent.