Rick was a blonde curly-headed baby. No problem there, just beautiful curls. Anne did present a problem. She had beautiful curly locks as well, but she couldn't tolerate heat. Anne would turn red as a cherry when she became overheated.

Most everyone can regulate their body temperature by sweating. Not Anne. She just got redder as her temperature rose. I would sponge her off with a cool washcloth and move her to a shady location. The problem seemed unsolvable. Summer would be unbearable for her. We never found a solution.

I remember the time in K-Mart when I got cussed out. "How dare you let your daughter get so red and overheated?" Summer would be unbearable for her unless we found a solution. We never did.

For some reason Anne can only sweat on top of her nose. That would not be enough to cool her. I later wondered if Multiple Sclerosis (MS) might be the problem. It seemed that MS patients had low tolerance for heat. I asked about it whenever someone with MS was available. They all said "No." I later learned that heat intolerance is common among MS sufferers.

My only solution was to keep Anne out of the heat. That meant no garden work for her. Not that Anne minded, but Tom and Elizabeth were furious. They thought Anne was malingering and found ways to make her miserable when I was not around. Cool weather became a time of respite for Anne. Heat, not sunshine, was the problem.

As the years piled on, the heat problem remained the same. Now in her fifties, Anne does sweat a little but is still heat intolerant. I have also wondered if her intolerance to poison ivy is also related. She spends most of the summertime spotted with bandages covering her poison ivy outbreaks. I am now ninety-six years of age and walk with a walker. The outdoor garden work falls on Anne's shoulders. The other children no longer live at home.

I have talked of hiring someone to do the yard work. When I asked about someone to mow our lawn, she took it as a personal affront, but finally agreed that it was wise choice. It is time to find a gardener. Anne can supervise. There would be no heat or poison ivy problem with that arrangement. Do you know anyone to recommend for the yard work? Warm weather position only.