Hot! Hot! Hot Summer!

HOT JOB #1 Watermelon salemen Jose and Jonathan must face the summer heat in order to make their produce available to customers on Highway 79. The early part of Summer ‘09 has been one for the record books. With little precipitation and plenty of relentless sunshine, adjectives like “brutal” and “exhausting” pepper discussions of the weather -- and it has been the main topic of discussion. The heat has put crops, livestock and even area wildlife under stress. There have been reports of higher-than-usual activity by the snake population.

Last week finally brought some much-needed rain to the area. Residents in Flo reported up to 4.4” and all of the county received measurable precipitation on Friday. In another thunderstorm on Sunday, some parts of the county even experienced hail, with a resident in the Robbins area on Highway 39 reporting softball-sized hail.

LEFT: The players get some turns IN the shady dugout, but there’s no break from the sun for a Little League umpire in a mid-afternoon game. When the July thermometer climbs back up to 100+ degree temperatures and the humidity is factored in, the local “heat index” (the perceived temperature, or how hot it feels to humans) may be over 105. While such extreme summer heat chases most of us indoors to seek air-conditioned comfort, Life -- and Work -- must go on, and many jobs keep folks outdoor even during the hottest of days.

Authorities recommend that persons involved in vigorous outdoor activities take the following precautions: (1) Wear loose fitting and lightcolored clothing; (2) take frequent breaks; (3) drink plenty of fluids. The elderly and people with health issues are at special risk, and should be especially careful to avoid the heat. Parents are reminded that children and pets should never be left unattended in a vehicle even for brief periods of time, since the inside of a closed car can reach lethal temperatures in only a matter of minutes.

HOT JOB #3 ABOVE: A painter wearing plastic protective clothing works on the roof of CC’s Furniture Store. The Press will host a reader’s entry photo contest entitled “Long, Hot Summer” to feature your photographs best depicting our Texas summer heat. Email your best shots in JPEG format (about 500 KB) to buffalopress@ gmail.com. Entry deadline will be August 15 and the photos will be published in the August 18 issue of The Buffalo Press.
HOT JOB #4 If it’s Wednesday it must be Dump Day -- Lisa and George Aghaei of Centerville make a trip to the Precinct 1 trash dump after cleaning up some property on a hot summer day.