Living off-grid is a challenge some days. Hot days with heat index temperatures in the 105* – 110*F range makes it difficult to be without a fan or air conditioner. So, how do we manage? Here is a glimpse into my summer days.
Unless the weather is rainy or the heat index is high in the mornings, I clean laundry using a washboard. Typically, all heavy work needs to be completed by 10am if you want to avoid the worst of the heat & humidity. I get up early while the day is still cool and fill 2 wash tubs with water. I start by washing the least soiled items first and work towards the heaviest soiled laundry. The cool water helps to keep me feeling comfortably cool while I work. The wash tubs are set up in a shady area near the clotheslines. I wash several times a week during the hottest part of summer so that I avoid having large amounts to wash at one time. Laundry hung on the line by 10am is normally ready for me to take down when the little ones are taking their naps after lunch.
Cooking and baking are reserved for the cool hours of the morning or at night. We eat cold meals throughout the day in small portions. One of the benefits of a vegetarian diet is that you eat 5-6 times a day. Meals are smaller in size, but always light enough to not weigh you down in the hot afternoon. I jokingly refer to it as grazing all day. Fruit and yogurt for breakfast, a light salad or sandwich for lunch, and a light dinner such as deluxe nachos or a vegetable stir-fry. We also eat a snack between the meals and before bedtime. Snacks can be more fruit, raw veggies, granola, or trail mix. Most mornings, we will have a small protein shake to insure that we get enough protein in our daily intake. Any baking or cooking (such as for making potato or egg salad) is done the day before we plan to eat it. This gives it plenty of time to chill overnight. By cooking early in the morning or late at night, we avoid heating up an already hot kitchen.
Getting plenty of sleep is a benefit in the heat. It can also be a challenge. We go to bed early have beds in the bedrooms positioned to take advantage of any breeze that may be present. In the hottest part of the afternoon, we take a rest period of 1-2 hours and lay down for a siesta. I have found there to be great wisdom in this. The children and I are able to sleep and conserve our energy during the worst of the day’s heat. It makes it more bearable.
We keep sport bottles of water with us whenever we lay down. I encourage the children to drink as much water as possible to avoid dehydration. Even though the temperatures are high, staying hydrated will help you to tolerate the heat better. Even at night, the children have water bottles with them to drink if they wake up thirsty in the night.
We have a propane refrigerator, but I also keep a back-up of a cooler full of ice on a small table in our kitchen. In the cooler, I keep bottled water and other drinks. This prevents having to open the refrigerator so often. Our dog loves when we drain out the water from the cooler. It is put into his water dish and he gets to enjoy the ice cold water also.
A frivolous item that we have are the hand held battery operated fans. The kids love them! Personally, I enjoy an Asian style fabric fan that I got at an Asian themed store. We use these often.
The kids’ favorite cooling-off method is playing in a tub of water. I run a few inches of cold water in the tub and add a little body wash for kids into it. They are allowed to play in the water as often as they want and it also washes the sweat off. Outside, they have a small pool that we can place in the shade for them to play in. There is plenty of opportunity to get a dunking in the water!
I am sure others can think of more ideas of how to stay cool when living off-grid. These are just a few of our ways.
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