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On The Bricks

July 28, 2020

For ten years the On the Bricks column has been written by me, putting something down to try and make you smile or ponder, but then followed by things happening in town. I try not to tell the same things that the newspaper and facebook is filled with, but something different. So, I pulled out the information that I had squirrelled away that is just, hopefully, interesting trivia and Oklahoma trivia. It doesn’t hurt to learn more about our state, by any means. Today is mostly trivia. We can learn some of this useless trivia and be a much better conversationalist. That’s a good goal, don’t you think? To not be so boring is a good goal for us all. Heck, we both know, if you don’t think so, you just won’t read it. It’s a good way to handle things.

Walking barefoot on hot coals isn’t as mysterious as it seems, according to The Book of Bizarre Truth. The secret to walking on hot coals has nothing to do with mental might and everything to do with the physical properties of what’s involved. It comes down to how fast heat can move from one object to another.

Some materials, like metal, conduct heat well. They’re good at transmitting thermal energy to whatever they touch. Think of your frying pan. You het it up, slap a juicy steak down on it, and witness an instant sizzle. The metal passes its heat to an object of lower temperature.

Now consider the bed of hot coals that’s used for fire walks. It started out as chunks of wood and wood is a terrible conductor of heat. It is important that the hot coals are not on fire. If you have seen a fire walking demonstration, you may have noticed there were no jumping flames, just smoldering embers. The coals probably have been burning for hours and had built up a layer of ash.

Ash is another poor conductor of heat.

But you still have to make a mad dash when going over the coals. The amount of time your foot is in contact with the coal needs to be less than a second, and with the exposure not continuous, each foot gets a millisecond break with each step. This is how you can make it work for you.

With a poor heat conductor (wood), covered with a layer of insulation (ash), and intermittent exposure to the heat, the likelihood of sustaining serious burns is low.

It still isn’t a good idea.

And if you are a slow runner, it’s a really bad idea.

Means I won’t be trying it. You know, my dad used to say that I was the only softball player he knew that had to hit a home run to get to third base. Really. Slow.

An average penguin can run as fast as an average man. That means I’m slower than a penguin. This self – realization is difficult for me. Don’t worry, I’ll get through it. With therapy. Or chocolate. Or both.

          Famous Okie information: The nation’s first tornado warning was issued March 25, 1948, in Oklahoma City minutes before a devastating tornado. Because of the warning, no lives were lost.

Keep Going on Your New Years Resolutions: Consider turning off your phone one night a week. You’re sleeping anyway, so you don’t need it. Right?

Made me laugh: I tried to catch fog yesterday. Mist.

          The Farmers Market is going strong on Saturday mornings, starting at 8 am. These gardeners and craftsmen are working hard to bring you tasty, fresh produce that is ripened on the vine. It’s wonderful! Hope you’ll be able to come out. This week the City of Guymon is giving prizes for the best watercolor art brought to the market. I so appreciate what artists can do.

Come out and celebrate the hard work and talent of folks on Saturday morning in front of the courthouse. When we appreciate others rather than try to tear them down, we are a better person! And we can make our community a better place by being positive. Let’s do it!

See you on the bricks soon!