Heat is the Enemy of Productivity

I've been discovering (re-discovering maybe) this summer that excessive heat is the natural enemy of productivity. Take any task that you have any desire to complete, add give or take 110℉ and that task quickly becomes insurmountable. Even if you manage to somehow complete the task, your remaining energy and wherewithal to complete subsequent work diminishes rapidly. As attempts to continue working progress, this draining effect is exponential.

Extreme heat results in a peculiar condition of the mind. Any task, no matter how menial, makes you feel like you deserve a break. Merely walking outside to take out the trash warrants a cool drink and 30 minutes of watching Wipeout. This same act done in reasonable weather is hardly noticeable. Similarly, upon completion of your work, you are left with an unrealistic view of exactly the scale of your accomplishment. You can look back, put your hands on your hips with pride and exclaim, "Look at what I've done!"

What I did: Took out the garbage
What I felt like I did: Hiked a mountain with 50lb pack

What I did: Replaced brake pads on car
What I felt like I did: Conquered the Babylonian Empire

What I did: Went grocery shopping, filled up gas in car, picked up dog poop
What I felt like I did: Ran a marathon

I think you get the idea. There are exceptions to the rule though. If the task involves using water, such as washing the car, or hosing off the back patio, the negative effects of the heat are more or less neutralized by the cooling effects of beloved H2O. In general, though, heat will be the bane of your existence when it comes to trying to accomplish anything in the summer in Phoenix. I wonder if I can just put off everything that needs to be done until winter...

Summer is here!

Summer is here and that means only one thing in Arizona... choose to die a slow and painful death or go on vacation for the whole summer! Just kidding... but it does allow us to do one fun thing... SWIM! We're having lots of fun swimming with the dogs this summer as they absolutely LOVE the water! We have a community pool by our house but there is a "no pets allowed" rule (Boo!). Mom and Dad Van Sande have been nice enough to let us use their pool though! The other dog in the picture is their dog, Shelby. The pups love to play fetch in the water. Sadie just had her first birthday yesterday and Sam is getting big! We're going to take them camping next weekend with some friends. It'll be Sam's first camping trip and the first time we take both of them at the same time so hopefully all will go well! We're going to go back to Heber next to Bear Canyon Lake so the pups will have plenty of water time there. We've recently acquired a lot of new camping equipment too so we're excited to put it to use. Pictures to come soon!