Hot!!
I think it’s fair to say it’s summertime in Oklahoma.
“… I’m Mister Sun. I’m Mister Heat Blister. I’m Mister Hundred and One.”, sang Heat Miser.
“101? Hold my beer.”, replied Oklahoma.
Record Breaking
The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded a record-breaking heat index of 126°F in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, on July 13th. Oklahoma has been under either a Heat Advisory or an Excessive Heat Warning for the last three weeks. I think it’s fair to say it’s summertime in Oklahoma.
Be Heat Safe
If you plan to work outside for the next few weeks, please be safe and follow all the heat safety rules. Heat exhaustion and stroke are no joke. If you can, work early in the morning or late in the evening when it’s cooler. Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to reflect heat. Wear a hat to protect your head from sunburn and keep the sun and sweat out of your eyes. A wide brim would be better, but a vented ball cap will work. Take regular breaks and get in the shade as often as you can. And most important, drink lots and lots of water. Not soda. Not an energy drink. Not beer. Water. You can have that cold one when you’re done.
Know The Signs
I know we rural folks can be stubborn. Got to finish that job, you know. But please watch for any symptoms of heat exhaustion. Don't tough it out if you have any dizziness or lightheadedness, excessive sweating, clammy skin, nausea, or muscle cramps. Stop what you’re doing, drink some water, and cool off. Go sit in the truck with the A/C. That’s what it’s for. If you ignore this advice, you risk getting heat stroke. Heat stroke is life-threatening. If you start getting a throbbing headache or stop sweating, seek medical attention.
Been There, Done That
I’ve experienced heat exhaustion bordering on heat stroke before, and all I was doing was mowing the lawn. Stubborn me ignored the warning signs and mowed the backyard until I was done. I pretty much collapsed the moment I got into the house and was sick for the next few days. No fun.
Here’s a PDF provided by the National Weather Service on heat safety. Worth printing out and putting on the company bulletin board.
Stay safe, everyone.
This Week
Yard Cleanup
I cleaned up the tree limbs from our yard last week. Learning my lesson from that time I got too hot; it took two days to get done. And I did it late in the evening, and it was still hot.
As for that leaning tree, we will call a tree service to take care of it. There is no way I can bring it down safely by myself. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, all the tree services in our area were booked. So, we get to wait.
WxAlert2Mastodon
I had some interest in my Weather Alert code over on Mastodon last week, so just as a reminder, I have it up on my Github. You’re welcome to look it over and use it as you will. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact me at @blogoklahoma@social.tulsa.ok.us.
Lemmy on the Home Page
And speaking of code, I was able to add the Oklahoma Lemmy community headlines to the Blog Oklahoma home page. You’ll find it at the top, where I have the Mastodon and Newsletter boxes.
Regular Business
Other than that, I'll be working on the usual. Be sure to look at our Trello board for project updates.
More later. Time to cool off and listen to something else to drown out that Heat Miser earworm.
In The News
Oklahoma’s Wait for Online Voter Registration is Finally Over | Oklahoma Watch
How attractive is Oklahoma for business? Not very, according to CNBC ranking | The Oklahoman
Some Oklahoma school districts left in the dark over federal funding distribution | KOKH
We fact-checked Ryan Walters on misspent federal money and more claims | The Frontier
Legislature to take up veto overrides again; special session dates set at Capitol | Tulsa World
Guest: Investing in rural Oklahoma means investing in its people | The Oklahoman
City of Tulsa utility payment glitch redirects calls to McDonald's | KTUL
Tulsa completes preliminary search for more 1921 Race Massacre graves | KGOU
Oklahoma’s highest heat index value recorded in Texoma | KTEN
'Frustrated as hell': Blackwell teacher quits after trying to take maternity leave | Nondoc
First Americans Museum recognized for design excellence | The Journal Record
How to get and install Threads by Instagram on your desktop Windows 11 PC | Windows Central
Listening In
Like last week, I listened to the catalogs of various artists on Spotify and rediscovered some favorite albums: Birdy, Unleash The Archers, Within Temptation, Filter, Cheap Trick, and Nightwish.
Yep, still on Demon by John Varley. Feels like I've been on this series for a while now. Even though it's very good, I'll be glad to listen to something else on Audible.
Something To Watch
Red vs. Blue: Restoration - The Final Season | Rooster Teeth
(Watch full seasons of Red vs. Blue)
Red vs. Blue is Finally Coming To An End | EruptionFang
Red Hat: why I'm going all in on community-driven Linux distros. | Veronica Explains
Why is North up? - Map Men | Jay Foreman
Neuromancer: The Origin of Cyberpunk - A Horrifying Dystopia | Quinn's Ideas
Why Humans Avoid War Complete Series | Adastra
Feedback Welcome
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave a comment on Substrack, email me at blogoklahoma@blogoklahoma.net, or connect with me at Mastodon at @blogoklahoma@social.tulsa.ok.us.
Have a great week.
– K.
