WHAT IS THAT THUMPING??

Well now, that was interesting. It appears I took one for the team Wednesday. Thanks to all the rain we have had, our grass is growing as you watch, I really needed to mow though it had only been 4 days since I had last mowed. It was too wet in the morning, too hot in the afternoon, so around 5 PM, I broke out the riding mower. It had cooled down to the mid nineties. I should have waited till later but I wanted to watch the Arkansas Razorback's game. We are in the loser's bracket of the world series but are not counted out yet. Yeh, I know, that is why I have a DVR. My hindsight is perfect.

Normally, my yard takes two hours to mow so in deference to the heat, I decided to only mow half then and the rest the next day. Sounded prudent to me. So I hydrated, put on my hat, sun block and started. Got to a good stopping point but decided to do just a wee bit more. Probably shouldn't have. I had been sweating pretty good even on the rider, then I quit sweating.

When I finished , I put Mighty on a leash and walked him briefly. When we approached the house, I noticed the thumping. It was coming from inside my ribcage. Normally you can't feel your heart beat unless you have exercised vigorously. Yesterday I could and it was rapid. I checked my heart rate and it was 120. Not optimal at all just walking a lame dog.

At first I was thinking really bad thoughts so I jumped on the Net to get info at medical sites. I was kicking my self for not going to a lawyer to make out that will or making arrangements for my pets. I am one of those who thinks of fixing the roof only if it is raining. The more I checked however, the more I settled down. It looked like I had beginning heat exhaustion. Not good but better than the alternative. Within 20 minutes after a cool down shower and resting, I was fine then and am fine now.

What it did bring home is that I can't do what I always did regardless of how I feel. I had read that heat effected older people more. I just had to prove it. The purpose of this post is not to moan about my age and how I have to look at many things differently. It is to be a reminder to all of you who may be close to my age or are married to someone older. Perhaps your parents still chug around in the midday sun with the mad dogs and Englishmen. Talk to them.

Age does makes a difference. Our systems do not work as they always did. Think of this as a public service announcement. Let my experience save you from the same experience. This one I took for the team. With our increasingly hotter summers,

---- PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE----.

Oh yes, the Razorbacks are still alive beating Virginia in overtime. Go Hogs.