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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,June 27,2019 theifp.ca Furnace Air Conditioning Gaslines Boilers Water Heaters Radiant Heating 905-877-3100 proud local dealer of Canadian made products .ca Furnace Air Conditioning Gaslines Boilers Water Heaters Radiant Heating THE WAY WE WERE An old Mowbray Wines Fire Truck gives a ride to local scouts in the Canada Day parade in 1997 in this Esquesing Historical Society photo. EHS photo Now, the first thing here, I want to be abun- dantly clear about some- thing. I'm not complaining - I'm simply stating a fact. Last Tuesday was super- hot, at least as I remember it, and to remember some- thing that long ago is pretty good for me. In a very short time, Tuesday suddenly went from being a pleasant day to probably the hottest day of the past week. And as usual, it was the day that I decided to do some work in the heat of the shed. You know the type of thing - one of those times when a guy has to do some- thing productive, like change the oil in the lawn mower or sharpen the blades. And that day I decided to update some electrical wir- ing in the shed. For months I'd been putting off install- ing a couple new electrical boxes and switches; the day was right. The Sidekick was at work - in her air-condi- tioned office - so I happily jumped into the task. When I started at 9 a.m., it was a super nice day. Sunny, breezy, clear blue sky up above - you know the type. But suddenly it became hot, man it was smokin' hot. And when one is work- ing in a steel shed, that sid- ing heats up pretty quickly, and holds the heat. When I first started in the shed, Hamish, my faith- ful and fearless Border Col- lie (a.k.a. "man's best friend") was happily fol- lowing me around as I worked in the shed. He was panting and smiling, his tail wagging, following me in and out of the shed, pouncing on imaginary 'grass monsters' in the lawn and chasing the occasional squirrel. The area of the front of the shed is a bit like a para- bolic mirror, concentrating the morning sunshine into a closed area. I set up the ladder, got out the electri- cal wire and other tools, and prepared to feed the wire through the structure to the other side of the shed. Whew, it was hot. In time, Hamish was no- where to be found. I looked around to see where he'd gone. After call- ing him a couple times, I fi- nally found him at the far end of the shed, stretched out, laying on the cool con- crete floor. "What are you doing in here, Hamish?" I said. "You should be outside with me." His expression said it all: "Man, are you kidding?" he panted. "It's freakin' hot out there, and it's only 9:30!" (Hamish is a very per- ceptive dog ...) I went back outside, and reached down to pick up a hammer that had been lay- ing on the ground, in the sun. Wow, was it hot! Geez, it felt like I'd pulled it out of a blast furnace. As I progressed, I had to remove my long-sleeved shirt as it was simply too hot and sticky wearing it in the shed. I continued for an hour- and-a-half, finally getting the job done. And when I finished, I was totally whacked. I gathered up my tools, the ladder and assorted bits and pieces, and put things away. The dog was still in the same spot, laying on the cool of the concrete, stretched out on his side. He got up, yawned, stretched and looked sleep- ily in my direction. I was soaked in sweat, totally beat and used up, and my shirt was so wet with sweat you'd think I'd fallen into a lake. Once again, his expres- sion said it all ... "Told you so ..." as he yawned through half- closed eyes, stretched and laid his head down again ready to doze off again. As I walked to the house to get a drink and cool down, one thing became abundantly clear - and I'm not complaining here. You know it's a hot day when your dog bails out on you for cooler ground. Ted Brown is a free- lance journalist for the IFP. He can be contacted at tedbit@hotmail.com. YOU KNOW IT'S HOT WHEN MAN'S BEST FRIEND BAILS OPINION WORKING IN THE SHED A MISTAKE, WRITES TED BROWN TED BROWN Column