Turning UP the Heat Here in the Pacific NW

I received a red alert this morning from Pierce County Emergency Services. Temperatures are going to be dangerously high starting tomorrow and will last at least through the weekend. We might even see triple-digit temps here, which is a  rarity on the west (wet) side of Washington State.

 

Add the usual humidity to the high heat index, and I had to make extra preparations this morning to make sure the goats and chickens (but especially the goats, who don’t do well in temperatures much above 85 degrees Fahrenheit) don’t  perish, in the heat wave that’s on the way. (Chickens will pant, open their wings, and stand in sprinklers to stay/get cool; goats hate water!)

 

I put out a fan and a mist system. The mist system can blow through the fan and cool the air on the other side, where the goats hang out when it’s hot.

 

There is a stand of big trees in the pasture, which will give them ample shade and protection from the sun, but I just want to be sure they have everything they need.

 

I may need to get several bags of ice to put into a bucket in front of the fan to help cool the air starting tomorrow. That has always worked well before… but it has never been 100 degrees here before when I had goats, so I’m Mother Hen-ing the situation, trying to consider all scenarios so I can address them if need be…

 

I have also invited my elderly next door neighbor to spend afternoons and nights with me whenever the temperature in her house gets oppressive (she doesn’t have AC), so that might happen, too.

 

I don’t know her very well, and she’s quite the chatterbox (which wears me out at warp speed!) but I can’t stand the idea of her having no place to go except for a mall or a cooling center where she won’t know anybody (she’s here taking care of her ancient mother, who is in the hospital right now), so I reached out to let her know I’m here if she needs to get away from the blast furnace that’s coming…

 

Helping out is what neighbors do! She’ll need to buy her own meals (I don’t have enough extra income to feed her) but at least she’ll have a place to stay where she won’t roast or expire while the temperatures are horrid here!  That’s the main thing…

 

Lisa and I have been riding bikes three days a week for the last four weeks. We’ll go out super early both of the remaining days this week to make sure we get back before the heat gets oppressive…

 

NOT looking forward to this heat wave! Can you tell?