AZ SUMMER

107 degrees by Monday!

Most of my ideas have been related to business (my progress and general info) since this has a link to a couple business sites. On occassion, I will be adding ideas on other topics. Today, while working in the back yard, I thought I'd add some relating to dealing with high summer temperatures.

I have a dog and his water bucket can get pretty dirty and stained in a short time during the summer. I regularly rinse his bucket out with bleach water. I then make sure I rinse it really well with clean water before re-filling it. There is no more green build up along the inside. I always keep his water in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Extra water is important, in the event of an emergency and you can't fill it up when you usually do. Also, even for inside dogs, keep water outside in case they are left out, for some reason, longer than planned.

The small patch of grass in my back yard has very little shade. I limit the amount of water I need by moving around lawn furniture every few days for added shade. I also put a chair over an area when my dog has targeted a spot for eliminating.

Urine burns the grass faster in the summer. Be sure to check with your vet first, but I found out that adding something w/tomatoes to his food a few times a week, cuts back on the spots in the grass.

Ants attack his food more in the summer. I put his food bowl off the ground. If you're sure your dog won't eat or chew it, you can put a plastic ant bait disc under the bowl. My dog is older and doesn't bother it.

I water my plants heavy two days in a row hoping to encourage deep root growth. I then skip a day to help the roots become hardy and also discourage root growth too close to the surface.