I’m heat-proofing the outdoor critters as much as possible for the next several days. I have a misting system and box fans set up in the goat shed and hen house and ice in their water troughs to make sure everyone stays cool during the heat of the day — from noon until at least 8 tonight.

The temperature here in Tacoma where we are is supposed to stay above 65 degrees overnight, so tomorrow will heat up faster than today is slated to.  It’s 9:10 a.m. right now and the temperature outdoors is 69 degrees already. By noon it is expected to reach the mid-80’s and by 5 p.m. it’s supposed to be 97 degrees, which is about ten degrees “too hot” for dehorned goats without some mitigation to keep them cool.  I’ll make it happen.

I just hope we don’t get any days like last summer when I had to bring the goats indoors into the air conditioning for three days. Having four goats in my kitchen/entryway area was NOT fun. But it got to 115 degrees here last year — which was completely unheard of. But with global warming, all bets are off as to how much longer we’ll be able to make that claim!

It’s pretty scary. I can’t help but think of all the other wildlife and livestock that can’t be artificially cooled down by humans. I’ll put a bag of ice out in the pasture so squirrels and other wild ones can drape themselves over it or lie down next to it to keep cool. I know that will help the ones in my neck of the woods.