It was August 1, the hottest day of the year, and I was unloading a hay wagon in jeans and a long sleeve work-shirt near Seeley’s Bay, northeast of Kingston.

My face must have been red. After the first load uncle Dan, of Seelby Holsteins, gave me a mesh hat to wear.

"Are you okay? If you need to take a break do so," he said. "Between loads go to the bathroom and splash water on your face, it helps."

"I’m okay. If I pass out I will let you know," I said jokingly.

I kept wondering how the other five guys were doing. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that I hadn’t hayed in six years, or the temperature, that made me feel weak.

My cousin, Devin Simpson, said they could barely breathe in the mow, since where they were working was far from the one window that could be opened.

"Why did you come back to hay again?" He asked with a smile.

"Right now I don’t know," I replied.

If I hid from the cloudless sky between loads and drank water I felt better. Environment Canada recommends people stay out of the sun and not do strenuous activities when the humidex reaches 40. I felt dizzy and weak.

It took us from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to unload four, 150-200 bale wagon loads, slower then average. At 1 p.m. I had to leave and I couldn’t have been happier. After that, the guys did six more loads..

That evening, Glen McDonald, a Winchester dairy farmer, told me they hadn’t been able to hay that day because of the heat. I smiled.