Working outside in the Summer.

Working outside in the Florida Summer can be fun. This I know because reliable sources have assured me that it has been done. I guess it has a lot to do with what you are working on and with who. It could also be a measure of the lack of entertainment choices you have going for you. But there are are some givens that are going to interfere with the fun and these are not Florida exclusives but rather Florida specialties. It will be buggy and muggy. Depending on the task and location it may be toothy and muddy. Slimy, scaly, rotten and smelly are also common adjectives used to describe an outdoors task in the "sunshine" state.

Do not let this discourage you it is part of the sacrifice you pay for living in paradise and if your state offers conditions that are comparable to the ones listed here I suppose it could be considered paradise as well but I am here to tell you a beach is a big bonus for the clean-off after the mess has been conquered if you have one you know exactly what I mean.

There are a couple of necessary steps to successful completion of a task outdoors in a hot climate. If your idea is calling a guy and paying him to do it then I am talking to that guy not you. But if you are the guy/gal then step 1 is to hydrate. I mean with water or other body friendly electrolyte carrying drink designed for that purpose not knocking back cold-uns in the sun till you give up and swear you'll fix it next week end. Step 2 unless you are blessed is the bug juice to keep the worst of the biters at bay and until I pick up a sponsorship I'm not going to recommend a specific one. This only helps with the everyday pests and not with particularly nasty beasties you may run into during the course of whatever task you have set in front of you so if you are afraid or allergic there may be other situation specific precautions to take. Step 3 is dress for excess. In other words it's gonna be hot but you need to be smart about your clothing. When I framed houses as a younger man the uniform of the day was shorts, sneakers, a t-shirt and a ball cap. And the t-shirt came off early to handle sweat rag duties. I mention this because it is true that the wisdom of age is wasted on youth and quite frequently on other people of a similar age.

Dressing well is key to comfort and longevity (can you say melanoma?) I find that sunscreen properly applied makes me hotter so a lightweight long sleeved shirt works best. A long sleeve shirt will actually contribute to cooling you down by absorbing sweat and giving an evaporative cooling effect and it will keep the need for the sunscreen down as will the lightweight long pants you put on for the same reasons. Pitch the ball cap in favor of a full brim to keep the sun off of your neck and don't even consider flip flops. You are now ready to brave the chore ahead good luck.