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July is a lazy month if you are in the outdoors. Even the breezes seem too tired to stir. The only things not lazy are the ticks, mosquitoes and gnats. Ticks are lounging on limbs and leaves waiting to fall upon some passerby to serve as host. Bass are asleep in the depths holding to cooler cover and striking more actively early mornings, late evenings, or at night. The dog days are here as mid-summer gets knocked out of gear stalling in neutral. You can, however, take some of the laziness out of summer by adding some ingenuity to your outdoor adventures. The following are a few tips for making the most of your outings:

For the Campout

• On your next camping trip, bring corn still in the shuck. The corn can be roasted in the shuck at the edge of the coals or flames, and the shuck prevents the corn from drying out or burning. Roast the corn until the shuck is dark brown to black. Simply pull the shuck off, sprinkle the ear with salt, coat with butter and you have a delicious appetizer. This method gives corn a roasted, parched flavor, which is truly tasty. Corn can also be stored in the shuck for the freezer. Place the corn into thick garbage bags with the shuck remaining on the corn. Just trim the end if there’s worm damage, and have fresh tasting corn all year.

• Ticks can pose health risks, like Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, during the summer months. The odds of getting these diseases are reduced if the tick is

Allow cane poles to dry for a few weeks to stiffen them for fishing.

Bring ears of corn in the shuck to roast around the campfire.	removed within the first few hours or that night. Remove the tick with blunt tweezers making sure to grasp it firmly at the base of the head. Once removed, wash the area with soap and water, and apply an antiseptic. Methods like applying a heated match head or Vaseline can cause the tick to regurgitate harmful agents into the skin.
	• A tarp can turn your pickup bed into a cozy tent. All you need for a full-size pickup is a 9 x 12 foot, heavy-duty tarp, two straight poles and ¼-inch nylon rope. Lay one pole across the end of the pickup bed sides parallel to the tailgate. The second pole will run down the center of the bed with one end resting on top of the bed or tool box at the cab and the other end resting on top of the middle of the first pole. Drape the tarp over the T-shaped pole arrangement and tie the sides of the tarp to the truck frame with the nylon rope. To enter the truck tent, simply	Two poles and a tarp can turn your pickup into an instant tent.
lower the tailgate. If arranged properly, the tarp will shed water during a nighttime shower leaving you dry and refreshed in the morning. Avoid using tie-downs to secure the sides of the tarp because the metal S-hooks will scratch the sides of the truck. • "I need an ocean of Calamine lotion." The words to the old song, "Poison Ivy," talk about treatment of an outbreak of that dreaded plant. Prevention, however, is better than treatment. If you come in contact with poison ivy or oak this summer, wash the exposed area with cold, soapy water as soon as possible. Avoid warm or hot water, which opens the skin pores allowing the plant’s tannin, which caused the outbreak, to enter.

While floating the river and spending the night on shore, suspend your boat between two trees with a rope and cover with a tarp for a camping tent.

On the Lake

• If you live on or near a farm, finding live bait for fishing is a snap. Look under hay rings where cows were fed winter hay to find worms, grubs and crickets. Also, look in areas where round bales of hay are stored outside. Roll a round bale three or four feet to find a goldmine of fishing bait as a result of the organic-matter underneath. In addition, the bait you find under the round bales can be conveniently carried with a galvanized citronella candle bucket. Simply heat the bucket beside a fire to remove the wax residue and clean the insides with soap and a brush. This container is just the right size to carry enough bait for a day of fishing.

• If you jump into your gasoline-powered jon boat and discover you’ve forgotten to put the boat drain plug in place, don’t panic. Even if the boat has filled with a few inches of water, you can accelerate the vessel, which will draw out the excess water. The craft moving at a steady pace and upward angle creates a suction, which pulls the water out of the boat. This will give you plenty of time to replace the drain plug.

• When floating a river or stream and it’s time to bed down for the night, a canoe or jon boat can be converted into a sleeping shelter to guard against a light, nighttime shower. Simply suspend one end of the boat between two trees with a rope and sleep underneath. For extra protection, a tarp can be draped over the top of the suspended vessel and secured to the ground with large rocks or green, sapling limbs pushed through the tarp’s grommet holes.

• If you cut cane poles along the creek or river bank to use as fishing poles, allow the canes to dry for a few weeks, so they will have a stronger action. Green, cane poles full of moisture are flimsy and make it difficult to set the hook and haul in the harvest.

You don’t have to spend lots of money for gas and travel to have a good time in the outdoors. Do your camping and fishing on or near your farm. Once the hay has been baled and put in the barn, use these tips to turn the dog days of summer into delightful adventures for your whole family.

Editor’s Note: All sketches shown in this article are by Jesse Limbaugh produced from photos by John Howle.

John Howle is a freelance writer from Heflin.

Look under round bales for grubs and worms for fishing.