Prepper's notes on Fun for the Fourth

     I remember years ago taking my sons to the big fireworks show at the lake downtown.  It was a circus.  I hope we supplied as much amusement for the crowd as they did for us.  I remember the snobs who talked about the bourgeois event.  I mean who were they? really?  THEY were at the same event.  I remember telling one of my sons to look at the woman beating her child and I think I mentioned how easy it would be for me to trade her kid for one of mine....okay that was cruel, but he stopped poking his brother.  But the memory that comes to the front first was this poor woman under attack by every flying pest known to man.

     This sweet lady had obviously had her hair professionally done, and it was lovely.  It was also full of scent and the bugs just loved it as they swirled around her head, buzzing and annoying her, she would stop her conversation, swat at her head and go back to talking till they returned and this went on for ages before she decided to move away from the lake's edge.  As she went, the setting sunlight caught the swarm following her.  What I wouldn't have given for a digital camera way back then!

     Here's some advice from a prepper you may wish to consider before going out for fun this Fourth of July.  
Go unscented.  

Floral scents ATTRACT flies, bees, butterflies, gnats and mosquitoes.  

Going unscented includes deodorant and body powders.  Baby fresh deodorant is also an attractant.  

Clothing harbors perfume from laundry detergent and fabric softener even the sheet kind.  Go unscented.

If you must wear a scent, wear lavender, any of the lemon scented flowers from lemon gardenia to lemongrass, or peppermint.  To keep bugs away from hair and head, shampoo with a tea tree shampoo.  This won't kill bugs, but it is a great repellent.  You could put a bay leaf or a couple of cloves in your pockets  to repel bugs of all sorts and its just a fresh scent.

    After you take care of the bugs and your are settled to have a good time, HYDRATE.  The symptoms for dehydration are:

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff   Mild to moderate dehydration is likely to cause:

• Dry, sticky mouth  Sleepiness or tiredness — children are likely to be less active than usual
• Thirst  Decreased urine output — no wet diapers for three hours for infants and eight hours or more without urination for older children and teens  Few or no tears when crying  Dry skin  Headache  Constipation
• Dizziness or lightheadedness    
• Severe dehydration, a medical emergency, can cause:
• Extreme thirst  Extreme fussiness or sleepiness in infants and children; irritability and confusion in adults
• Very dry mouth, skin and mucous membranes  Lack of sweating  Little or no urination — any urine that is produced will be dark yellow or amber
• Sunken eyes  Shriveled and dry skin that lacks elasticity and doesn't "bounce back" when pinched into a fold
• In infants, sunken fontanels — the soft spots on the top of a baby's head
• Low blood pressure  Rapid heartbeat  Rapid breathing  No tears when crying  Fever
• In the most serious cases, delirium or unconsciousness

foodbabe.com 

Dehydration occurs while you are drinking alcohol, as it is a diuretic.  Hydrate properly.  Many hangover remedies begin with hydration, do that instead of "drunking till you thunk you are drink!"

Don't forget to eat well.  Healthy eating can replace the electolytes you need.

www.walmart.com

Beat the heat.

  

Keep yourself cool.  

There are a number of products sold that absorb a great deal of water, tied around the neck the cloth evaporates and cools you as it does.  Product names like frogg toggs area available at Wal Mart.  

www.walmart.com

Any cloth, bandana or kitchen towel will do the trick, but not last as long as these new fibers.  Wet the cloth thoroughly.  squeeze just enough to let it stop dripping and hang around the neck.  

1onewolf.com 

     At a powwow, once, a woman told me for staying cool all day long, walk into a shower fully clothed, reduce the temperature until it is just cold water, turn it off.  Take off all your wet clothes and shower as normal.  Dress and return to the shower.  Soak yourself completely in the new outfit and have a seat.  Dry out.  The air drying immediately made me almost cold enough to shiver in May, in south Florida.  No clouds anywhere just hotness!  But not me!  I never broke a sweat that day and I was on call at the exit of the dance circle to take out the over heated dancers and get them to the EMT, as needed.  These beautiful young ladies are dancing in all weather in regalia made of up to a dozen layers of fabric!  

Best advice for fun on the Fourth, with the kids:  

Hose them down, let them air dry.  Repeat as often as they ask you to do it again!

So, prepper's advice is pretty much the same as our grandmother's advice.  Keep cool, hydrate, eat sensibly and have a good time!