It wasn't that long ago we were all tired of winter and longing for the blazing heat of summer. You know what they say: be careful what you wish for.... We're all fascinated by weather (it's one of the most-read areas of the newspaper each day.) Maybe we like to gloat over good weather while seeing that friends and family have extreme weather. Or we feel smug when we survive a heat wave or cold snap. Weather statistics are intriguing to read, so we've given you some to contemplate this week. Try your hand at our Temperature Trivia (at right) and see how many you guess correctly! We've also got some tips for staying cool, and we're here to handle your great summer garments, so don't sweat it. See you soon! Ed and Mary Longanecker Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company Temperature Trivia Only one state has never recorded a below-zero temperature. 39 states have a record high of 110 degrees or more. 10 states have record high temperatures of 120 degrees or more. Read on to discover hot state statistics! Summer WHITE Sale Coupon! Wearing white in the summer is a good strategy for staying cooler. White reflects the sunlight to some extent -- and you feel cooler just wearing it or seeing someone else in it. But whites come with a price tag: they're easily stained and the spills show up! This week, have $15 in regular drycleaning done and we'll clean one exclusively white item at no charge. (Excludes dress shirts and formal attire.) (Include first page of this newsletter with your order. Offer expires July 23, 2005. Cannot be combined with other offers.) The Simmer Season. We all seem to simmer and melt in the summer. It feels like our bodies are as hot as the air - but actually, your body temperature doesn't vary much at all. Even when you move from frosty air conditioning to direct sun outside, your core temperature doesn't fluctuate enough to even be measured. We live in amazing bodies! When body temperature does begin to rise because of the environment, lots of automatic systems are triggered by the hypothalamus in the brain. The most noticeable is the moisture coming from sweat glands, to evaporate on the skin and cool it off. (And you thought sweating was a bad thing!) Blood vessels also rise closer to the skin so that they can cool, as well. Captivating Capillary Action There are fabrics that are better to wear on a hot day than others. Polyesters and many otherman-made fibers tend to trap heat and moisture on the skin and feel awful. Cotton, summer-weight wool, linen, and silk all are natural fibers and they work on your skin just as they do when growing - they channel moisture. Imagine three fibers in your garment - we'll call them A, B and C. Your skin begins to perspire, and Fiber A sops up the moisture. Your skin begins to cool down; but it doesn't stop there. Fiber B (adjacent to Fiber A) draws the moisture out of Fiber A. Now A is nearly dry (and ready to sop up more from your skin), and B is moist. Fiber C does the same to B - and then the moisture evaporates into the air. This is the same way water moves from cell to cell in the plants or animals that produce cotton, wool and silk. It works just as well when the fibers are made into fabric, which is why you're more comfortable in natural fibers in summer than in less "wicking" fibers. It's useful to note that even though the water evaporates, it leaves behind the salt and acidic residue from the perspiration. If you've sweated in a garment, it's advisable to get it cleaned so that the residue doesn't show up over time as permanent staining. Staying Cool It seems strang that people who live in the desert cover themselves in garments from head to toe. Looks hot, doesn't it? Actually, it's a great way to keep cool. The fabric shades the skin from sun. Since there are only rare opportunities for shade in desert areas, making shade with garments is one way to survive. The garments are also loose, allowing sweat on the skin to evaporate into the air trapped inside the garment. This is why you'll feel cooler in a loose shirt than a tight t-shirt when it's warm outside. The fabric tight on your skin cools, but your skin doesn't get the benefit of the evaporation.) Read More About It Intrigued? Use the internet to read more about how our bodies handle heat, and how to stay cool. USA Today article on sweat, body temperature and more. (Also lots of links to other articles on similar subjects in easy-to-digest language.) How HOT is HOT? State-by-state temperature records are an interesting. The US National Climate Data Center compiles such information, and you'll find each state's record high and record low temperatures below (for example, Alabama's highest recorded temperature was 112, its lowest was -27 [27 below zero]). You'll also be able to see which states fall into the categories of our Trivia Test above. Alabama 112 / -27 * Alaska 100 / -80 * Arizona 128 / -40 * Arkansas 120 / -29  * California 134 / -45  * Colorado 118 / -61  * Connecticut 106 / -32  * Delaware 110 / -17  * Florida 109 / -2  * Georgia 112 / -17  * Hawaii 100 / 12 (the only state never to record below zero temperatures) * Idaho 118 / -60  * Illinois 117 / -36  * Indiana 116 / -36  * Iowa 118 / -47  * Kansas 121 / -40  * Kentucky 114 / -37  * Louisiana 114 / -16  * Maine 105 / -48  * Maryland 109 / -40  * Massachusetts 107 / -35  * Michigan 112 / -51  * Minnesota 114 / -60  * Mississippi 115 / -19  * Missouri 118 / -40  * Montana 117 / -70  * Nebraska 118 / -47  * Nevada 125 / -50  * New Hampshire 106 / -47  * New Jersey 110 / -34  * New Mexico 122 / -50  * New York 108 / -52  * North Carolina 110 / -34  * North Dakota 121 / -60  * Ohio 113 / -39  * Oklahoma 120 / -27  * Oregon 119 / -54  * Pennsylvania 111 / -42  * Rhode Island 104 / -25  * South Carolina 111 / -19  * South Dakota 120 / -58  * Tennessee 113 / -32  * Texas 120 / -23  * Utah 117 / -69  * Vermont 105 / -50  * Virginia 110 / -30  * Washington 118 / -48  * West Virginia 112 / -37  * Wisconsin 114 / -55  * Wyoming 116 / -66. (Records last updated December 2000.) To read more about high and low temperatures, as well as the dates and locations the records were set in each state, use this link. We are enormously appreciative of the opportunity to share our weekly newsletters with you.  We feel that much of the content is valuable for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is interested in their preservations and cleaning. Click on the symbol to the left if your would like to send this and future newsletters to a friend. Thanks a million, Ed and Mary The Iris City Cleaners Connection is a weekly news letter dedicated to the interest of fine garment care, restoration, and conservation.  It is published in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris City Cleaners and is an extension of our services described in www.iriscitycleaners.com        Info@iriscitycleaners.com 211 W Washington St. Mount Pleasant, IA 52641-2147 phone: (319) 385-9707 Privacy Policy/Terms of Service Copyright 2000-2006 by Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company.. You must obtain written permission to use any content on this page.